Two major businesses are to work on an innovative rail route to Teesside in a significant boost for the region’s claim to be the capital of Carbon Capture and Storage

enfinium, one of the UK’s largest energy from waste operators, will work with Navigator Terminals, the UK’s leading bulk liquid storage provider, to develop options to transport carbon dioxide captured at enfinium’s Ferrybridge waste facilities in West Yorkshire to Navigator’s storage facilities in Teesside using rail freight.

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The CO2 would then be transported safely offshore from Navigator’s facilities for permanent storage.

A company spokesperson told The Northern Echo: "At this time the project is exploring a multi-site strategy to identify the most suitable sequestration facility."

Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, construction, and project management, has been selected to support the feasibility work underpinning the concept.

The pioneering project would enable enfinium to decarbonise the UK’s largest, and one of the most efficient energy from waste sites in the UK. By permanently storing the biogenic emissions captured from its waste stream, the Ferrybridge site would also generate around 700,000 tonnes of ‘negative emissions’ or ‘carbon removals’ every year – making a significant contribution towards the UK Government’s target to achieve a ‘Net Zero’ economy by 2050.

The Northern Echo: Navigator’s storage facilities in TeessideNavigator’s storage facilities in Teesside (Image: Press release)

With enfinium’s Ferrybridge site as an anchor project, the project could unlock access to Navigator’s storage facilities to additional dispersed industrial emitters throughout the North of England.

Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen said: “Seeing Navigator Terminals and enfinium come together to develop net zero infrastructure here in Teesside shows that our plan is working. This is yet more proof that our region is the best place in the UK to invest in industries of the future like carbon capture. We have the workforce with world leading industrial experience to make net zero a reality.

“Breathing new life into our regional rail infrastructure to deliver carbon capture is an exciting step in cementing our status as a pioneer in clean energy.”

Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: “Our facility at Ferrybridge is the single largest energy from waste site in the UK and transforms non-recyclable waste into homegrown energy to power nearly 400,000 British homes. By installing carbon capture technology at Ferrybridge we could go one step further and remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than we release.

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"In doing so we could generate carbon negative electricity, support Yorkshire’s climate change targets and deliver high-quality jobs in an exciting new green industry”

Jason Hornsby, CEO of Navigator Terminals, added: “The UK is a world leader in decarbonisation solutions, but it is clear that there is a need to develop alternative transportation and storage solutions for CO2 if we are to meet the country’s net zero ambitions. This is an exciting UK first project, and we hope it can prove the concept of carbon transportation by rail opening up huge potential for further decarbonisaiton of British industry.”