The move saw an agreement between Encyclis and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) that confirmed support for the company’s Protos CCS project in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
The facility is expected to be operational by mid-2029.
Encyclis Chief Executive Mark Burrows-Smith said: “This first full-scale carbon capture deployment in the UK enables us to continue providing an essential treatment service for non-recyclable waste while reducing carbon emissions, creating new skilled jobs and clearing a pathway for wider adoption across the industry.”
370,000 tonne capacity
Once complete the carbon capture facility is expected to remove around 370,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year from the adjoining Protos Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), which is itself in commissioning.
Protos ERF will aim to process up to 500,000 tonnes of residual waste annually.
Flue gases produced during waste combustion at the ERF will be diverted to a new carbon capture unit, where a filtration process will strip out the carbon dioxide.
Capture carbon dioxide will then be transported via pipeline, operated by ENI, to Liverpool Day and stored beneath the seabed.
This technology is being trialled at Rookery South ERF in Bedfordshire in a 16-month pilot programme which began in June 2025.
Encyclis is in late-stage negotiations with project finance lenders as the final step to reach financial close of the development later this month.
Government investment in CCS
The scheme forms part of HyNet North West, one of the UK’s two priority decarbonisation clusters.
This announcement builds on the government’s commitment last Autumn to invest £21.7 billion in CCS projects over the next 25 years.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks commented: “Encyclis’ Energy-from-Waste project is not only pioneering Britain’s reindustrialisation, it’s creating hundreds of skilled jobs and new opportunities for workers in the North West.
“The government’s clean energy mission means good jobs, regional growth, and investment for local communities – and this project shows how government and industry can work together to deliver real innovation and climate leadership in the heart of Cheshire.”
Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), added: “This decision demonstrates how, with the right policy, investment and regulatory framework, CCUS can be deployed at scale to cut industrial emissions while delivering low-carbon power and a net carbon removal solution.”
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