Campaigners launch legal bid against HyNet project
A campaign group opposed to the HyNet carbon capture and storage project has applied for a judicial review of government approval for the scheme.
HyNot is challenging the decision by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and the North Sea Transition Authority to grant development consent for HyNet, which intends to produce blue hydrogen from fossil gas at the Stanlow refinery in Cheshire and store captured carbon dioxide under Liverpool Bay.
The group says the consent was unlawful, citing a failure to assess major accidents and disasters, a failure to comply with offshore habitat regulations, and a failure to assess the cumulative climate impacts of the project.
HyNet will have a direct impact on Deeside. Carbon dioxide from industries based at Deeside Industrial Park is expected to be captured and sent by pipeline to Liverpool Bay for storage, and local businesses could eventually be supplied with hydrogen produced under the scheme.
The project involves the construction of a new underground pipeline to transport captured carbon dioxide for offshore storage, with the route passing through Flintshire from Sandycroft to the Point of Ayr.
Supporters say this could help safeguard manufacturing jobs and reduce emissions, while opponents argue it risks locking Deeside into continued fossil fuel dependence, raising costs for households and delaying investment in renewables and electrification.
Catherine Green from HyNot said: “HyNot is challenging HyNet in the courts because we believe the scheme will lock the country into continued fossil fuel use and undermine energy security through continued reliance on imported gas. HyNet won’t help combat the climate crisis. Blue hydrogen isn’t green, isn’t economical and isn’t a sustainable energy solution. Carbon capture and storage is ineffective, energy intensive and expensive. There are also serious health, safety and environmental concerns around the transport and storage of hydrogen and carbon dioxide.”
She added: “The government has promised £22billion in subsidies over 25 years for carbon capture and storage, which is untried and unproven at this scale anywhere in the world. Most of the subsidies will go to fossil fuel companies and come from consumers’ energy bills, which are already among the highest in Europe. We believe the government should instead invest in proven climate solutions such as renewable energy, faster electrification, waste reduction and energy efficiency. This would bring down energy bills, improve energy security and create good long-term jobs.”
Don Naylor from HyNot said: “Fossil fuel companies have known for decades that burning oil and gas causes climate change, so it’s extraordinary that they’ve been given billions of pounds in public funding to ‘solve’ that very same harm using unproven technology. For local communities in particular, it’s extremely concerning that public prosecutors in Italy are investigating Eni and seven of its executives following last year’s deadly explosion at the company’s fuel depot near Florence. CO₂ pipelines pose significant safety hazards, including CO₂ being an asphyxiant if it leaks. It’s vital that any consent for the HyNet scheme is revoked as the risk of major accidents hasn’t been properly assessed. This should result in a complete reconsideration of Eni’s worthiness to lead, and profit from, the Liverpool Bay CCS scheme.”
Kate Grannell, a campaigner from Whitby in Ellesmere Port, said: “Cancer rates in Cheshire West are 16% above the national average, yet regulators still refuse to monitor carcinogenic particulates or assess cumulative health impacts. The EET Fuels site at Stanlow continues to operate under industry self-reporting with no independent oversight. Now, the same site is central to the HyNet scheme and is set to receive billions of pounds in public subsidies to produce hydrogen from fossil gas and store carbon dioxide under Liverpool Bay. If regulators won’t monitor what’s being released today, how can they be trusted to oversee a far riskier infrastructure tomorrow?”
Eni, which would operate the carbon storage site, has previously been responsible for oil leaks from the same Liverpool Bay field in 2017 and 2022.
HyNot says the public has found it difficult to engage with the planning process for HyNet, which has been split into multiple applications across different regimes. The group says concerns about emissions reductions and job creation claims have often been dismissed on the grounds that they relate to separate parts of the overall scheme.
HyNot is working with law firm Leigh Day on the legal proceedings and is crowdfunding for legal costs and campaign materials.
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