Liverpool Bay CCS Limited (LBCCS), which provides the transport and storage infrastructure underpinning the HyNet industrial decarbonisation cluster, has entered into a lease with The Crown Estate for its CO₂ transportation and storage project, marking a significant milestone for the UK’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to repurpose existing infrastructure.
The lease enables LBCCS, part of Eni CCUS Holding group, to access the seabed and utilise former infrastructure to transport and safely store offshore carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industries within the HyNet Cluster.
The project will reuse more than 75 miles of existing pipelines, three offshore structures and an onshore treatment plant, alongside 21 miles of new pipeline connecting industrial facilities across the region to the Liverpool Bay transport and storage network. Carbon dioxide will initially be captured from the cement, low-carbon hydrogen and energy-from-waste sectors before being permanently stored in depleted offshore gas reservoirs beneath Liverpool Bay.
Liverpool Bay CCS will support the decarbonisation of one of the UK’s most industrialised regions. Phase 1 of the project is expected to store 109 million tonnes of CO₂ over its operational life, with an initial storage capacity of 4.5 million tonnes per annum and the potential to expand to 10 million tonnes per annum after 2030. The project is expected to support around 2,000 jobs during construction and unlock approximately £2 billion of supply chain investment.
Stefano Rovelli, MD for LBCCS, said, “This lease with The Crown Estate is another important step for the Liverpool Bay T&S infrastructure which will serve the wider HyNet cluster. Repurposing our existing infrastructure helps to speed up the process by which we can tackle CO2 emissions from industry in the North West of England and North Wales, supporting economic growth in the region as part of the UK’s journey to Net Zero.”
Denise Moylan, CCS & Hydrogen Director at The Crown Estate, said, “This lease marks an important milestone for the Liverpool Bay CCS project and the development of carbon storage infrastructure in UK waters. While enabling the responsible use of the seabed and the repurposing of existing offshore infrastructure, the project can help hard-to-abate industries reduce emissions while supporting jobs, investment and industrial competitiveness in North-West England and North Wales.”
Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said, “The Liverpool Bay CCS lease with The Crown Estate is yet another exciting step forward for UK CCUS deployment. Liverpool Bay shows how repurposing existing infrastructure for CCUS can accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries such as cement and energy-from-waste, while delivering skilled jobs. Sustaining momentum on deployment is now critical to delivering the UK’s industrial ambitions at scale.”
HyNet North West was selected in October 2021 as a UK Government Track-1 CCUS cluster. The Liverpool Bay CCS project was awarded an Agreement for Lease by The Crown Estate in August 2024 and reached financial close eight months later in April 2025. The first injection is expected in 2028 in line with the delivery timetable of industrial emitters within the HyNet Cluster.
