Encyclis to deliver the ‘UK’s first’ full-scale carbon capture plant for Energy-for-Waste after signing an agreement with the UK Government.
The carbon capture plant is set to be developed at Encyclis’ Protos Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility in Cheshire.
Encyclis says the carbon capture plant will prevent the release of around 370,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The captured CO2 will be transported via a pipeline and permanently stored in depleted gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay.
The project is supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) as part of the UK Government’s £21.7bn investment in UK carbon capture over the next 25 years.
The construction and commissioning of the Protos carbon capture plant will directly support up to 500 skilled jobs, Encyclis says, as well as 2,000 more jobs supported by the construction of the Liverpool Bay transport and storage system.
When operational, the Encyclis’ Protos ERF facility will process up to 500,000 tonnes of residual waste each year, generating 49.9MW of baseload electricity for the National Grid.
We have secured a once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin decarbonising waste treatment in the UK.
Commenting on the announcement, Encyclis Chief Executive Mark Burrows-Smith said: “We have secured a once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin decarbonising waste treatment in the UK.
“This first full-scale carbon capture deployment in the UK enables us to continue providing an essential treatment service for non-recyclable waste while reducing carbon emissions, creating new skilled jobs and clearing a pathway for wider adoption across the industry.”
Flue gases from the EfW facility will be diverted to the new carbon capture plant, where CO2 will be stripped out through a filtration process.
As part of the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, the captured CO2 will then be transported to Liverpool Bay for permanent sub-sea storage via a pipeline operated by ENI.
Michael Shanks, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in DESNZ, commented: “The government’s clean energy mission means good jobs, regional growth, and investment for local communities – and this project shows how government and industry can work together to deliver real innovation and climate leadership in the heart of Cheshire.”