HYNET NORTH WEST COMMITS £72M IN LIVERPOOL CITY REGION LOW CARBON INITIATIVE

17th March 2021

HyNet North West is committing £72m worth of investment in transforming the region into one of the world’s first low carbon industrial clusters, helping to support up to 75,000 jobs across the country by 2035.

The organisation is looking to assist the government in bringing forward several objectives within its ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution, as well as the local net zero targets of Cheshire West and Chester in 2045, Liverpool City Region in 2040 and Greater Manchester in 2038.

It has been buoyed through a £33m commitment from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and £39m of private funding from the HyNet consortium partners.

The HyNet North West hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) project is being developed by group comprising Progressive Energy, Cadent, CF Fertilisers, Eni UK, Essar, Hanson, INOVYN and the University of Chester.

From 2025, the consortium will begin to convert natural gas into low carbon hydrogen at Stanlow Refinery, with carbon dioxide safely captured and stored offshore in the Liverpool Bay gas fields.

A new pipeline network will then transport the clean hydrogen to power industry, fuel buses, trains and heavy goods vehicles to generate electricity and to heat homes.

It is hoped that by kickstarting the UK’s hydrogen economy, HyNet North West will help support up to 75,000 jobs across the country by 2035.

David Parkin, director of progressive energy and HyNetNW project director, said: “HyNet North West is a game-changing project of strategic importance. It is uniquely developed to be low-cost and deliverable and will begin decarbonising the North West by 2025.

“Through the production of low carbon hydrogen and the capturing, and storing, of carbon dioxide, it offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create real change in how we produce and use our energy, establishing a cleaner world for future generations.”

For more information visit the HyNet North West website. 

17th March 2021