Eni and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) reached an agreement for the Liverpool Bay carbon capture and storage (CCS) project today (24 April 2025).
The project will be operated by Eni and provide the backbone of the CO2 transport and storage system (T&S) for the HyNet industrial Cluster.
The secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Ed Miliband, said: “Today we keep our promise to launch a whole new clean energy industry for our country – carbon capture and storage – to deliver thousands of highly skilled jobs and revitalise our industrial communities.”
The announcement means that the Liverpool Bay CCS project will move into its construction phase.
The pipeline will transport carbon dioxide from capture plants across the North West of England and North Wales through both new and repurposed infrastructure to be stored in Eni’s depleted natural gas reservoirs, located under the seabed in Liverpool Bay.
Offshore platforms and 149km of onshore and offshore pipelines will be repurposed, alongside the construction of 35km of new pipelines.
Energy from Waste (EfW) company Encyclis has celebrated the news as a major step forward for its Protos energy recovery facility (ERF), part of the HyNet cluster.
Protos which to create the UK’s first full-scale carbon capture deployment at an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant.
The Eni pipeline will transport captured CO2 from the Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) to Liverpool Bay.
Owen Michaelson, chief executive of Encyclis, said: “Our sincere congratulations go to the teams at Eni and DESNZ on reaching this key milestone on Eni’s Liverpool Bay CCS project, which enables the delivery of carbon capture at full commercial scale.
“Today’s announcement represents a significant technical achievement and an outstanding example of what is possible when government, regional stakeholders, regulators and multiple private sector partners collaborate to make real progress on the UK’s net zero mission.
“The deployment of carbon capture provides the UK with an unprecedented opportunity to address climate change, create new economic opportunities and help revitalise important industrial heartlands.
“As the lead emitter project in the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, we continue to work closely with DESNZ towards a final investment decision and financial close on the carbon capture plant that will capture CO2 from Protos ERF, which is in the final stages of its build programme.
“Once we have the final go-ahead from all internal and external stakeholders for our adjoining carbon capture plant, we look forward to starting construction and turning the vision of carbon capture into reality.”
The announcement follows the UK government’s funding allocation of £21.7 billion to be invested over a 25-year period across the first two CCS Clusters in the country.
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