Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power (CQLCP) if consented and developed, would be connected into the nearby HyNet CO2 transport and storage infrastructure (to be operated by Eni), enabling the captured carbon dioxide to be sequestered in repurposed depleted offshore gas fields (also operated by Eni) in Liverpool Bay.
So, Uniper particularly welcomed the UK government’s recent expressions of support and funding commitments for the so-called ‘Track 1’, ie leading, CCS clusters, HyNet and the East Coast Cluster.
Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power is a potential candidate for support under the UK government’s CCS ‘cluster sequencing’ process, specifically as part of an expanded HyNet CCS cluster (under the ‘Track 1 expansion’ plan). As part of the cluster sequencing process, CQLCP has passed the UK government’s “deliverability assessment” and will progress to the next stage of the process.
Uniper is working towards a potential capacity of around 1.1 GW and up to a maximum of 1.38 GW of low-carbon power at Connah’s Quay, to be developed in two phases. The first phase of CQLCP could potentially be in operation by 2030, although a final investment decision has yet to be taken. Uniper emphasises that the project is at an early stage and final capacity will be determined following completion of a FEED (front end engineering design) study, due to start shortly.
As part of the planning application process, a statutory public consultation was held from 8 October to 19 November 2024 and as of mid-November an Environmental Impact Assessment was underway.
Uniper intends to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040, with its installed generating capacity to be more than 80% zero-carbon by the early 2030s.
Connah’s Quay is said by Uniper to be an “ideal location to establish a low carbon power station”, able to benefit from the hands-on expertise of the existing highly skilled workforce.
There has been a power station on the site for over 70 years, starting with coal in the 1950s and currently a natural gas fuelled plant (4 x 345 MW combined cycle), meaning essential energy infrastructure is already in place, including an existing pipeline which can be repurposed for the transport of captured CO2.
In October, Eni announced that it had successfully secured the UK government’s commitment and funding for the granting of an economic licence for the Liverpool Bay CO2 transport and storage project, a key part of the HyNet CCS cluster.
The Killingholme Low Carbon Power announcement followed Uniper’s recent purchase of land next to its existing power station site at Killingholme.
The land, purchased from C.GEN Killingholme Ltd, comes with planning consent for the development of a new state-of-the-art CCGT power station (formerly known as the North Killingholme Power Project).
The plan for the Killingholme Low Carbon Power project, is to develop and commission the consented CCGT power station on the newly purchased land, “so that it’s capable of responding quickly to increases in demand for electricity.”
A carbon capture facility would be developed alongside the consented CCGT power station, subject to receiving separate planning approval and once the design of the CCS scheme has been agreed. This would include the CO2 pipeline transport route, and the permanent offshore storage location for the captured CO2.
Submission of a planning application for the CCS part of the project is envisaged for later in 2025.
Both the new CCGT power station and proposed carbon capture system could be delivered by 2030, says Uniper, potentially contributing towards the UK government’s ambition for Great Britain to achieve a clean power system by that date, “whilst providing a secure source of electricity when needed.”
The next step for the Killingholme Low Carbon Power project will be to develop a detailed design to determine the exact technology that could be installed at the new power station. The project is at an early stage, notes Uniper, and final capacity will be determined following completion of FEED studies, which are due to commence during 2025, but it will be at least 470 MW.
In February 2024 Uniper awarded process design package (PDP) contracts to Technip Energies and to Aker Carbon Capture for post combustion carbon capture technology to be retrofitted on up to three units at its 3 x GT26 Grain combined cycle power plant in the south east of England, with both companies submitting design studies in a competition to engineer the carbon capture design. This would enable the project to move to the front end engineering and design (FEED) phase, ahead of a final investment decision.
However, In the absence of a “clear pathway” for CCS projects relying on non-pipeline CO2 transport, Uniper took the decision to pause progression of the Grain carbon capture project. Nevertheless, it says it will continue to work in collaboration with specialist transport and storage companies to identify the best transport solution that could safely deliver captured CO2 from Grain to a permanent storage location offshore.
It has been proposed that captured CO2 from power plants in the Medway region of the UK (eg, Grain) could be transported by shuttle tankers for sequestration in the depleted Camelot gas field, in the UK sector of the southern North Sea, about 30 km off the coast of Norfolk (a scheme known as the Medway Hub Camelot CCS project). This was initially to have been a 50:50 joint venture of Synergia and Wintershall Dea, but in September 2024 Harbour Energy acquired Wintershall Dea and decided to withdraw from Medway Hub Camelot, as part of a rationalisation of its CCS project portfolio. Synergia’s interest in the project has reverted to 100% and it is seeking a replacement joint venture partner.
There are several other planned CCGT+CCS projects at various stages of development in the UK, including Net Zero Teesside Power (bp and Equinor), see pp 24-25, Peterhead Low Carbon CCGT (SSE Thermal and Equinor), Keadby 3 (SSE Thermal and Equinor) and Immingham CHP (VPI)).
