Stakeholders partner to decarbonise South West

The MOU promises cooperation on the technical and commercial feasibility of the 7CO2 hub and Non Pipeline Transport – with onward shipping to geological storage, including into the Acorn CO2 store.   

The 7CO2 hub is an independent carbon capture and transport hub at The Port of Bristol. It was established to enable the capture and storage of emitters’ CO2 for onward transport to geological storage.   

Businesses in the South West produce an estimated eight million tons of carbon dioxide every year.  

Stakeholders hope that Non Pipeline Transport of CO2 – by rail of pipeline to 7CO2 – will allow for the decarbonisation of the region.  

Paul Davies, director of 7CO2, said: “Carbon Capture offers the opportunity for businesses across the UK to decarbonise if we invest in the infrastructure to transport CO2 to geological storage. This MOU between partners all the way through the value chain shows our commitment to develop Non Pipeline Transport of CO2 at pace, both technically and commercially, ready for the first projects to start operations as soon as possible and in line with government’s ambitions.” 

Other partners include Viridor, Suez, enfinium, SSE Thermal, Seabank Power, Varme, Ecolog, Storegga and Acorn.  

Stuart Hayward-Higham, chief technical development and innovation officer for signatory Suez recycling and recovery UK, added: “As an organisation committed to the delivery of carbon capture projects across our portfolio of energy recovery facilities and an early investor in the technology, Suez is proud to be a signatory of this MOU to support the decarbonisation of industry in the south west and beyond.  

“We have been providing essential services to businesses and households across the region for over two decades through our various partnerships and our operations locally, and we’re fully supportive of the development of the 7CO2 hub to create local opportunities and green growth.  

“Alongside our regional partners, we look forward to working closely with government to push ahead with projects to capture carbon from industry outside of the two clusters, supporting with the decarbonisation of industries across the UK and helping us to reach our ambitious Net Zero targets.”