º£½ÇÊÓƵ

A scoping report has been submitted to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Planning Inspectorate for a pipeline to take carbon dioxide from North Wales and North West England to be stored in offshore oil and gas reservoirs under the seabed.

The HyNet North West Carbon Dioxide Pipeline would transport carbon dioxide from proposed hydrogen production facilities and existing industrial sources to existing depleted oil and gas fields in Liverpool Bay.

It is part of a wider low carbon and hydrogen energy project for the North West and North Wales that includes plans to convert natural gas into low carbon hydrogen at Stanlow Refinery.

There would also be a new pipeline network to transport the clean hydrogen to power industry and fuel buses, trains and HGV. It would also be used to generate electricity, and to heat homes.

A scoping report has been submitted ahead of a full application to firm up the key issues that will be focused on in the Environmental Impact Assessment of the pipeline to take CO2 from Stanlow to under the seabed.

A new section of carbon dioxide pipeline will be constructed to run from Stanlow to a location near Connah’s Quay, where it will connect to an existing underground and undersea pipeline.

HyNet North West has and presented route corridor options to help them determine which should be taken forward as the preferred corridor.

They have shortlisted this to routes G and I on this map.

The report states: "The development and installation of CCS(Carbon, Capture and Storage) infrastructure will form an integral part of the Project.

"Carbon dioxide will be captured from existing industrial sources, including the Stanlow Refinery Plant and CF Fertiliser Plant, before being compressed, transported via a pipeline network, and stored in existing oil and gas fields in Liverpool Bay."

WSP º£½ÇÊÓƵ Ltd has been commissioned by the applicant to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment.

A second consultation, expected to be in autumn 2021, will seek views on a preferred route.

Feedback from this second consultation will help them to refine the route design and complete the Environmental Impact Assessment.

They then expect to submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Secretary of State in early 2022.