HyNet CCUS expansion to boost UK workforce to 2,800 in northwest

TWO CARBON capture, usage and storage (CCUS) projects have been added to the UK’s HyNet decarbonisation cluster, boosting the number of jobs supported by the project to 2,800 across the northwest.

HyNet has three existing projects in the network, including Encyclis’ Protos waste-to-energy facility in Cheshire, Heidelberg Materials’ Padeswood cement works in North Wales and EET Hydrogen’s Hydrogen Production Plant 1 (HHP1) in Cheshire. They will be joined by a new power station with carbon capture in north Wales, and a waste-to-energy facility with carbon capture in Cheshire.

Spanning Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire and north Wales, HyNet is one the UK’s major CCUS clusters, alongside the East Coast Cluster. With multiple projects across the regions, the UK plans to capture and store 20 to 30 Mt of CO2 annually by 2030.

Future pipeline

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) says five additional projects in the northwest have been placed on standby for the cluster, pending future capacity. These include a range of technologies, from waste-to-energy to direct air capture (DAC).

The CCUS industry is expected to support up to 50,000 jobs by 2030, providing a key foundation of the UK’s Industrial Strategy. Last year, the government committed £21.7bn (US$28.8bn) to the CCUS and hydrogen industries over a 25-year period.

Industry welcome

Members of the renewable and green energy industries welcomed the HyNet expansion but say that the government needs to implement a long-term plan for the sector.

Enrique Cornejo, head of energy policy at Offshore Energies, said: “The HyNet expansion process is critical to making the most of the UK’s carbon storage potential, and today’s announcement gives a welcome sense of the carbon capture ambition government wants to deliver.”

Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture & Storage Association, said: “If our industrial heartlands are to decarbonise and remain competitive, it’s crucial the government sets out a clear, long-term pathway that allows more emitters and industries to connect to the CO2 transport and storage network. This will be alongside industry working with consumers to grow demand for low carbon products.”