The firm has advised Eni on the grant by the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) of a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the HyNet Carbon Dioxide pipeline.
The DCO will allow the construction, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure to transport captured CO2 as part of the HyNet North West CCS cluster, where Eni is the transportation and storage operator. The HyNet CO2 pipeline will transport carbon dioxide from capture plants across the North West of England and North Wales through new and repurposed infrastructure to safe and permanent storage in Eni’s depleted natural gas reservoirs, located under the seabed in Liverpool Bay.
As the first Anglo-Welsh cross border application for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) to be granted a DCO by DESNZ, it marks the completion of an 18-month determination process following Eni’s submission of the DCO application in October 2022 and brings the HyNet CCS cluster closer to the execution phase.
Burges Salmon advised on the promotion of the DCO, connected planning applications and related real estate arrangements. Partner Julian Boswall, who led the Burges Salmon team (together with Directors Paula McGeady and Paul Doherty), says: “We are delighted to have assisted Eni in securing this important consent to facilitate the HyNet CCS cluster. It is particularly pleasing to have secured the DCO on time and successfully navigated the complexities of the first cross border Anglo-Welsh DCO, working closely with Eni, Progressive Energy and WSP.”
The HyNet transportation and storage system, operated by Eni, will have a capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the first phase, with the potential to increase to up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year after 2030, making HyNet a major contributor to the UK’s net zero target.
For more information, please contact Soraya Thoemmes at Soraya.thoemmes@burges-salmon.com or on 0117 307 6344
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