BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. Eni has completed the installation of an offshore CO₂ storage platform in the UK’s Liverpool Bay, the company said on October 9.
“Eni CCUS Holding, jointly owned by Italian energy company Eni and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock, has completed the installation of a new carbon capture and storage (CCS) platform in Liverpool Bay, the UK, marking a major milestone in the development of infrastructure for the HyNet industrial decarbonization cluster,” said Eni.
The Douglas CCS platform will serve as the offshore hub of the Liverpool Bay carbon dioxide transportation and storage system, receiving CO₂ captured from industrial facilities across northwest England and North Wales before transporting it through existing offshore pipelines, repurposed for CO₂ transport, to depleted natural gas reservoirs for permanent storage.
According to Eni, the facility is the world's first purpose-built offshore platform dedicated to carbon capture and storage for industrial decarbonization.
The platform was delivered in less than 18 months after the contract was awarded, following an accelerated engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning programme.
The installation comprises topside facilities weighing 1,885 tonnes, a supporting jacket structure weighing 1,755 tonnes and eight foundation piles with a combined weight of 730 tonnes.
The project combines newly built infrastructure with the reuse of existing offshore assets, including pipelines and depleted gas reservoirs, to support the transportation and long-term storage of captured carbon dioxide.
Construction is progressing across the wider Liverpool Bay CCS network, which is approximately 50% complete, according to the company.
Around 60% of the project's investment expenditure is being delivered through UK-based supply chains. The development is expected to support more than 2,000 jobs during construction and create approximately 200–300 long-term positions over more than 25 years of operation.
Liverpool Bay CCS is part of Eni CCUS Holding's portfolio of carbon capture, utilization and storage projects and forms a key component of efforts to develop CO₂ transportation and storage infrastructure for industrial decarbonization.
The Liverpool Bay CCS project will operate as the backbone of the HyNet Cluster to transport carbon dioxide from capture plants across the North West of England and North Wales through new and repurposed infrastructure to safe and permanent storage in Eni’s depleted natural gas reservoirs, located under the seabed in Liverpool Bay. The project itself foresees the efficient repurposing of part of the offshore platforms as well as 149km of onshore and offshore pipelines, and the construction of 35km of new pipelines to connect industrial emitters to the Liverpool Bay CCS network.
HyNet is one of the world’s most advanced CCS Clusters that will significantly contribute to the reduction of emissions from a wide range of industries across the North West of England and North Wales. This includes companies involved in cement manufacturing, energy from waste plants, low-carbon hydrogen production, as well as additional industrial players who will connect to Eni’s infrastructure. With a storage capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the first phase, and the potential to increase to 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the 2030s, Eni’s CO2 T&S system will make a significant contribution towards achieving the UK’s CCS ambitions. Construction of the project is expected to commence this year, ready for planned start-up in 2028, in line with industrial emitters in the HyNet Cluster.
