PLANS to repurpose the Point of Ayr gas terminal in Flintshire as part of a wider carbon capture project have been given the go-ahead.
An application was passed by Flintshire Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (January 10). It seeks the retention and use of the gas terminal, near Talacre, for the transport of carbon dioxide. It also proposes the demolition/removal of redundant structures at the terminal.
This application is integral to the wider ‘HyNet North West Carbon Dioxide Pipeline’ project being progressed by ENI (the developer). It will see captured carbon dioxide produced by land-based industrial plants stored permanently in depleted gas fields in the Irish Sea. The project will involve the construction of a new carbon dioxide pipeline between Ince, near Stanlow, (Cheshire) and Flint, and repurposing of an existing natural gas pipeline between Flint and Talacre (the ‘Connah’s Quay to Point of Ayr Pipeline’) before reaching the Point of Ayr site. The Point of Ayr Terminal currently processes natural gas from the Liverpool Bay offshore fields. The development proposes to modify the Point of Ayr Terminal to enable it to process carbon dioxide instead of natural gas.
The modified Point of Ayr Terminal would receive captured carbon dioxide which would have travelled via the carbon dioxide pipeline. It would then be filtered to remove residual impurities and compressed for transport via the proposed Foreshore Pipeline for safe storage in the offshore Liverpool Bay depleted oil and gas fields.