A planning application was submitted this week for the UK’s first carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) cluster located in Teesside. The submission was sent to the Planning Inspectorate for examination and the decision is expected to come on June 18th.
The carbon capture Teesside project based in the North East of England aims to capture 10 million tons of carbon emissions per year. It will be the UK’s first commercial-scale operation of CCUS technology and it will decarbonize a cluster of carbon-intensive businesses by as early as 2026.
The Net Zero Teesside project includes a new 2.1GW capacity gas-fired power station with carbon capture technology. It will also involve a pipeline for the collection of carbon emissions captured from other Teesside industries, which will then lead to an offshore geological storage facility under the North Sea.
Benefits Of The Teesside CCUS Technology Cluster
The project is expected to sustain up to 5,500 direct jobs during construction alone, and support between 35% and 70% of existing manufacturing jobs in the Tees Valley. The emissions it plans to capture will be a major contribution to the UK’s net zero goals.
The investments it will bring also count the carbon capture companies that will be attracted to the hub to use the CO2 for utilization purposes or the storage infrastructure. The Net Zero Teesside project consists of a consortium of five Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) members – BP, Eni, Equinor, Shell, and Total, with BP leading as operator.
“Its advantageous location, advanced planning stage, the expertise of our world class project partners and government support for decarbonisation in the UK mean Net Zero Teesside is uniquely positioned to become the UK’s first decarbonised cluster…We’re hugely excited to see Teesside back at the forefront of UK industry and want the project to progress further,” said Andy Lane – managing director of Net Zero Teesside.
The project is expected to facilitate the growth of the CCUS technology sector and increase the efficiency of deploying a carbon capture plant. The increase of carbon capture clusters in the UK is critical for the country to meet its decarbonization targets.
