Liverpool Bay CCS Limited has entered into a lease with The Crown Estate, allowing existing offshore infrastructure to be repurposed for the transportation and permanent storage of CO₂ captured from industries across North West England and North Wales.
Liverpool Bay CCS Limited, part of the Eni CCUS Holding group, will provide the transport and storage infrastructure underpinning the HyNet industrial decarbonisation cluster.
The project will reuse more than 75 miles (120 km) of existing pipelines, three offshore installations and an onshore treatment plant. A further 21 miles (34 km) of new pipeline will connect industrial emitters to the Liverpool Bay network.
Captured CO₂ will be transported for permanent storage in depleted natural gas reservoirs beneath Liverpool Bay. Initial sources will include cement production, low-carbon hydrogen facilities and energy-from-waste plants.
The first phase is expected to store 109 million tonnes of CO₂ over its operational life. Initial capacity will be 4.5 million tonnes per year, with the potential to increase to 10 million tonnes annually after 2030.
Stefano Rovelli, managing director of Liverpool Bay CCS, said repurposing existing infrastructure would help accelerate efforts to reduce industrial emissions across the region.
The Crown Estate initially awarded the project an Agreement for Lease in August 2024. Financial close was reached in April 2025, with first CO₂ injection expected in 2028.
HyNet North West was selected as one of the UK Government’s first Track-1 carbon capture, usage and storage clusters in October 2021. The Liverpool Bay development is expected to support approximately 2000 construction jobs and unlock around £2 billion in supply-chain investment.
Image: "CCS Liverpool Bay", courtesy The Crown Estate
