The UK government is set to officially greenlight the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, a flagship initiative aimed at decarbonizing the industrial heartlands of Liverpool and Manchester. The announcement will be made during a two-day Energy Security Summit in London, where over 60 global energy leaders are gathered.
At the core of the HyNet project is a 38-mile CO₂ pipeline, developed by Italian energy giant Eni, which will collect carbon dioxide emissions from nearby industrial plants and transport them for offshore storage beneath the Liverpool Bay seabed.
Sources familiar with the project confirmed that the UK government and Eni will jointly announce the final go-ahead on Thursday. The pipeline will initially capture and store 4.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, scaling up to 10 million tonnes per year by 2030—the equivalent of taking 4 million cars off the road.
A Boost for Jobs and the Economy
HyNet North West is not only a decarbonization initiative but a strategic economic investment. The industrial cluster will include hydrogen production facilities to supply cleaner energy to regional manufacturers. Backers of the project say it will help safeguard over 350,000 manufacturing jobs and generate up to £17 billion in economic value over the next 25 years.
Government Support
In October last year, the UK government pledged nearly £22 billion in long-term support for HyNet and its sister project, Net Zero Teesside. These initiatives are central to the UK’s strategy for achieving net-zero emissions while maintaining industrial competitiveness and energy resilience.
Strategic Storage Under Liverpool Bay
Eni will use depleted gas fields located approximately 0.6 miles beneath the seabed in Liverpool Bay for CO₂ storage, repurposing existing energy infrastructure for long-term environmental benefit.