Major step forward for carbon capture pathfinder project at Protos ERF
Plans to build a pioneering carbon capture plant to absorb CO2 emissions from the Protos energy-from-waste facility in the North West moved a step close after the project won the approval of the local planning authority.
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee unanimously resolved to grant approval, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement.
The first-of-its-kind carbon capture plant is set to prevent around 380,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, enabling fully sustainable treatment of unrecyclable residual household and commercial waste at Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), which is currently being constructed by joint owners Biffa and Encyclis.
Encyclis has welcomed the decision of as a giant step towards its ambition of establishing the UK’s first full-scale carbon capture plant for energy-from-waste.
In a report to the committee, planning officers said: “The reduction of carbon emissions and energy generation is supported at national level, within legislation, guidance and policy. The proposed development would be one of the first such developments in the UK.
As such, the proposal would positively contribute to meeting climate change initiatives and support economic growth.”
The project has already been selected by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) as part of its Track-1 cluster sequencing programme for industrial carbon capture.
When it starts operations, Protos ERF will process up to 500,000 tonnes per year of residual waste, generating enough baseload electricity to power around 75,000 homes and recovering reusable resources in support of the circular economy.
The proposed carbon capture plant, on adjoining land, will capture CO2 from the facility which, as part of the region’s HyNet decarbonisation cluster, will be transported by pipeline for offshore storage in the depleted gas fields of Liverpool Bay.
The aim is to demonstrate the potential of carbon capture at commercial scale and provide a technical and commercial blueprint for similar facilities around the country.
The construction of the plant will support around 250 jobs in the North West region, and an additional seven full-time skilled jobs will be created when it begins operations.
