Penspen wins contract for HyNet CO₂ pipeline through Flintshire

Engineering consultancy Penspen has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract to deliver detailed design work for the HyNet CO₂ transportation pipeline, which will cut through Flintshire as part of one of the UK’s largest low-carbon infrastructure projects.

The contract, awarded by United Living Infrastructure Services, will see Penspen lead the design of new onshore pipelines and above-ground installations to transport captured carbon from industrial sites in Cheshire and North Wales to permanent storage locations in depleted gas fields beneath Liverpool Bay.

Construction is due to begin this August, starting in Mancot, Flintshire, where initial works will include laying underground pipework and installing a 35-by-30 metre valve station at the top of Aston Hill. The station will allow for essential maintenance and control of the pipeline system.

Penspen’s Director of Energy Transition, Darren Bartlett, said: “This is a pivotal award that highlights Penspen’s reputation as specialists in supporting complex energy transition projects… The HyNet North West project will be transformational for the UK’s energy network.”

The work in Flintshire is part of section four of the pipeline route, which will eventually span from the Ince facility near Ellesmere Port to the Point of Ayr Terminal in Talacre.

It will include six valve stations and five major installations along the way, with carbon transported through a mix of new and repurposed infrastructure.

Planning applications have already been submitted to Flintshire County Council for the works in Mancot.

Over the following 17 months, the construction will involve a series of road closures and lane restrictions, including along Chester Road East between Glendale Avenue and Mancot Lane, although specific dates are yet to be confirmed.

Once laid, the pipeline will stretch north to cross the River Dee near Saltney, continue over the border through Mollington and into Ellesmere Port and Runcorn, where heavy industry will supply captured emissions.

A branch of the pipeline will also connect to Heidelberg Materials’ cement works in Padeswood.

From the Point of Ayr Gas Terminal in Talacre, CO₂ will be transported offshore to the Douglas platform in the Irish Sea and permanently stored over 1km beneath the seabed.

Penspen is delivering the project with a team of 70 engineers, including 20 newly recruited staff, operating from its London and Aberdeen offices.

United Living’s Campbell Crawford said Penspen’s “exceptional track record in delivering complex detailed design for onshore pipelines” made it one of the few UK firms capable of handling the work.

The HyNet project is a key part of the UK’s strategy to reach net zero by 2050.

It aims to remove up to 10 million tonnes of CO₂ annually from the atmosphere in the 2030s. Phase one of the pipeline is expected to capture 109 million tonnes over 25 years — equivalent to taking over 60 million cars off the road for a year.

HyNet will also develop hydrogen fuel infrastructure for industrial use, with expansion into Flintshire expected in a future phase.

In total, the project is projected to create 6,000 jobs and attract around £5.5 billion in investment across North Wales and north-west England.