Six HyNet projects including Vertex Hydrogen, Hanson’s Padeswood Cement Plant, Viridor’s Runcorn Energy Recovery Facility, Covanta’s Protos Energy Recovery Facility, Essar’s Stanlow Manufacturing Complex and Buxton Lime Net Zero, have received the go-ahead from Government to begin reducingcarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industry from the mid-2020’s as part of the HyNet decarbonisation cluster.
The news follows HyNet’s selection by Government, in October 2021, to fast-track the decarbonisation of the industrial cluster located across North West England and North Wales. This was known as Phase-1 of the Track 1 cluster sequencing process.
Today’s announcement confirms which individual plants within HyNet may receive support from Government as part of Phase-2 of the cluster sequencing process.
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has now named the initial tranche of low carbon hydrogen production and industrial carbon capture projects that will enter the due diligence stage, and may subsequently enter into commercial negotiations with Government ahead of making Final Investment Decisions. Government have deemed carbon capture and storage (CCS) and low carbon hydrogen essential technologies to be deployed at scale as we decarbonise our economy. HyNet will start locking away CO2 emissions from industry, and producing low carbon hydrogen at scale, by the mid-2020’s.
David Parkin, HyNet Project Director said: “We are delighted that six HyNet projects, including Hanson’s Padeswood Cement Plant and Viridor’s Runcorn Energy Recovery Facility, have receive the go-ahead from Government to establish carbon capture and storage infrastructure within the North West. This will give the North West the opportunity to produce the UK’s first zero carbon cement, and to abate emissions from the UK’s largest Energy from Waste facility. The hydrogen produced from Vertex will allow vital industries such as chemicals, food and drink, paper and metal production to fully decarbonise, retaining and creating new high value manufacturing jobs.
“By 2030, HyNet will be capturing and storing 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas - each year, a quarter of all emissions across the north west of the UK. Today’s announcement is a critical step in ensuring HyNet gets delivered, delivering real decarbonisation progress and delivering economic benefit to the region.
“The transition to a low carbon economy provides the UK with a fantastic opportunity to protect and create highly skilled jobs, create a sustainable supply chain, and provide UK businesses with the ability to deliver the environmentally friendly products that consumers are increasingly demanding. HyNet will create over 6,000 jobs across the region, safeguarding highly skilled manufacturing jobs and bring investment work £31 billion into the UK economy, helping to level up across the country”.