Credit: Enfinium
Energy from waste carbon capture project could capture up to 235,000 tonnes of carbon a year
A major energy from waste plant in North Wales could become one of the first in the UK to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, after operator Enfinium today announced it is progressing plans to invest around £200m in the trail-blazing project.
The project at the Parc Adfer energy from waste facility in Deeside could capture up to 235,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the company said, adding that as over half the waste processed at the facility is organic, installing CCS would enable the plant to take more CO2 out of the atmosphere than it produces.
The project would also support the Welsh Government's ambition to have 100 per cent zero carbon power by 2035 and support over 1,000 jobs in the green economy during the construction phase.
The captured carbon would be transported using the pipeline network currently being developed in the region for the HyNet carbon capture cluster, one of the first two priority carbon capture clusters selected for development by the government.
Enfinium confirmed the plans have been submitted for support through the government's expanded ‘Track-1' carbon capture programme. Planning and consenting for the project is set to commence later this year, with the government expected to provide an update on which projects are progressing through the Track-1 HyNet Expansion programme by the summer.
"To deliver a net zero carbon economy, Wales needs to find a way to produce carbon removals, or negative emissions, at scale," said Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium. "Installing carbon capture at the Parc Adfer facility would transform it into the largest generator of carbon negative power in Wales, decarbonise unrecyclable waste and support the green economy in Deeside and wider North Wales region."
The project was welcomed by Ben Burggraaf, CEO at Net Zero Industry Wales, who said: "North-East Wales has an exciting opportunity to leverage technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen to produce the sustainable goods and services of the future. It is critical that projects like those at Parc Adfer move forward as quickly as possible to maintain our competitive advantage over other countries."
The plans are the latest in a string of proposed CCS projects that are advancing across the country but await confirmation of government support and the finalisation of anticipated policy frameworks before they can reach a final investment decision.
Speaking after last month's Budget failed to provide an update on the government's plans for CCS, Ruth Herbert, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, warned the government was at risk of squandering a major economic opportunity.
"The UK's CCUS industry is still waiting for the funding announced in last year's Spring Budget to be committed to projects, with final investment decisions for projects in the north-west and north-east of England needed in the next few months," she said. "Today's Budget was a missed opportunity for the government to put in place a longer-term revenue support envelope for the next wave of projects - to provide the level of certainty they need to move forwards. Without this, the UK risks losing the opportunity to attract around £30bn of private investment into UK CCUS by 2030, which would create and protect tens of thousands of jobs and transform industrial regions across the UK."
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