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Turley facilitates major step forward for carbon capture pathfinder project at Protos ERF

We provided expert Planning, EIA, Heritage, Sustainability and ESG, Landscape & VIA, Economics and Strategic Communications services to Encyclis and Biffa for plans to build a pioneering carbon capture plant.

The plans to absorb CO₂ emissions from the Protos energy-from-waste facility in the North West of England moved closer this week when 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.

Project developer Encyclis and Biffa have welcomed the decision of as a giant step towards their 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.

The first-of-its-kind carbon capture plant is set to prevent around 380,000 tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road, enabling fully sustainable treatment of unrecyclable residual household and commercial waste at Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), which is currently under construction near Ellesmere Port.

Associate Director, Amy Gaskell said:

“We are proud to have played a central role in paving the way for one of the UK’s first full-scale carbon capture plants. Having secured the original planning permission for the Protos ERF, it has been highly rewarding to continue to advise Encyclis and Biffa across the construction and commissioning phases, helping to set a new precedent for net zero infrastructure.

“This forms part of our wider work across the Protos Resource Recovery Park, led by Peel NRE, which clusters together innovative technologies in energy generation and resource management that are leading the way on the clean growth agenda.”

Senior Planner, Thomas Lord added:

“By bringing together expertise from across our business, this milestone represents a significant step forward for this groundbreaking net zero infrastructure project. The development will not only help decarbonise the energy-from-waste facility, but also contribute to the North West's green economy and advance the UK’s broader climate goals.” 

Owen Michaelson, CEO at Encyclis, added:

“We’re delighted by the council’s decision, which represents another significant step forward on our important journey to deliver carbon capture at commercial scale. This project will contribute to regeneration and jobs in the North West, stimulate green growth throughout the supply chain and unlock opportunities to be a global leader in carbon capture. Our goal is to prove that we can continue to deliver a vital public sanitation service while cutting the CO₂ emissions that contribute to climate change. We thank the local authority for its careful and efficient consideration of our application and recognising the strategic importance of this project.”

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, as part of the HyNet North West cluster. 

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. 

5 September 2024