The HyNet Carbon Dioxide Pipeline, advised by independent UK law firm Burges Salmon, won the coveted Best Project Award at the National Infrastructure Planning Association Awards.
The transportation and storage system to serve the HyNet Cluster will be operated by Eni and have a capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the first phase, with the potential to increase to up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year after 2030, making HyNet a major contributor to the UK’s net zero target of storing 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030. The project will transport CO2 from industrial capture plants across the North West of England and North Wales, and low carbon hydrogen production, through new and repurposed infrastructure to safe and permanent storage in Eni’s depleted reservoirs, located under the seabed in Liverpool Bay.
The project is the first Anglo-Welsh cross border application for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project to be granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Burges Salmon provided planning, real estate and energy expertise, with a team led by partners Julian Boswall and Euan Bremner and directors Paula McGeady and Paul Doherty advising Eni and Progressive Energy, and working alongside a multi-disciplinary team from WSP. The firm advised on the promotion of the DCO, the 18-month long determination process, consenting and real estate matters, all the onshore works, connected planning applications and related real estate arrangements, all of which led to the Secretary of State granting the DCO for the project in March this year.
Julian Boswall comments: "It is great to have the hard work of the client and wider team recognised by this prestigious award. The consenting and real estate strategies required a number of innovative approaches, taking account of the cross border issues arising from different legal jurisdictions in England and Wales, different regulators and environmental and other policies and the re-purposing of existing assets. It was a pleasure to be part of the team working with stakeholders and local communities. This project is a key part of the overall decarbonisation of the North West cluster which will include low carbon hydrogen production alongside carbon capture in the coming years.”
Nationally recognised for its expertise and the quality of work it undertakes, Burges Salmon’s Planning and Real Estate team is a market-leader in the consenting and delivery of nationally significant infrastructure projects. The team acts for public and private sector clients through the whole development process, from consenting strategy, real estate and compulsory powers to legal challenge.