Eni plays a leading role in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects in the UK as operator for the transport and storage of carbon dioxide of the HyNet North West consortium.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced the list of CO2 capture projects that will access the funding provided by the Government for Track 1 initiatives to accelerate the country’s decarbonization. Of the 8 projects selected, 5 belong to the HyNet North West consortium, in which Eni is the operator for the above-mentioned activities.
With these 5 projects, which were awarded to Eni as part of the HyNet consortium, Eni will contribute to the decarbonization of “hard to abate” sectors in the country. Thanks to the volume of CO2 that will be captured, collected, transported and later permanently stored in its depleted gas fields, Eni will offer a significant contribution to the energy transition in the United Kingdom, which confirms its position as one of the leading countries in the capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CCS).
The development process will involve two tranches with different start-up times, one by 2025 (Track 1 projects) and one by 2027 (Track 2 projects). The storage of CO2 in the HyNet North West project is carried out in an area near Liverpool Bay in the East Irish Sea. The depleted Hamilton, North Hamilton and Lennox fields will be reused and their infrastructure will be converted for the permanent storage of carbon dioxide captured in North West England and North Wales.
Under the framework agreement signed with Progressive Energy in May 2021, Eni will develop and operate both the onshore and offshore transportation and storage of CO2 in the Liverpool Bay industrial assets, while Progressive Energy will lead and coordinate the capture and hydrogen aspects of the project on behalf of Hynet North West, thereby linking together the sources of CO2 emissions to Eni’s transportation and storage infrastructure.
The project will have real positive effects on local communities by creating new job opportunities and supporting the region's economic development, as well as charting a concrete path towards the energy transition and the decarbonization of business activities.
The funds allocated for this project are part of the broader £12 billion investment plan envisaged in the Ten Point Plan presented in November 2020 by the UK Government with the aim of leading the UK towards the energy transition and promoting the Green Industrial Revolution. In addition to CCS, the plan is also aimed at promoting other technologies such as offshore wind power, blue and green hydrogen, nuclear power, electric mobility and energy efficiency in homes.
Furthermore, in June 2021 Eni UK and Uniper signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly evaluate decarbonization initiatives in North Wales. The collaboration is in line with the UK Government's ten-point plan for the energy transition and is aimed at investigating the technical and commercial feasibility of low carbon projects in the region.
