Plans lodged for 11 km Padeswood–Northop Hall CO₂ pipeline spur
Liverpool Bay CCS Ltd has submitted a planning application to Flintshire County Council for an 11 km buried steel pipeline spur linking its Padeswood cement works carbon-capture plant into the under-construction HyNet trunk line at Northop Hall.
Planning permission for the Padeswood carbon-capture facility was granted to Heidelberg Materials UK in April 2025, making it the first UK cement plant allowed to capture and store its own emissions.
The proposed pipeline spur begins at a 50 × 28 m above-ground compound within the Padeswood site, which will contain valves, sensors and safety systems.
From there the line runs west under farmland to cross the A5118, skirts the western edge of Buckley, and passes just south of Mynydd Isa.
Continuing north, the route negotiates three crossings of the A494 Mold bypass using drill-and-bore techniques to avoid lifting traffic restrictions.
After tunnelling beneath the A55 and an area of ancient woodland, the spur terminates at a new tie-in kiosk and valve assembly north of the A55 at Northop Hall, where it joins the main HyNet pipeline for onward transport to the Irish Sea.
Most of the route will be installed by open trench, with trenchless crossings under major roads, watercourses and sensitive habitats to minimise surface disruption.
Temporary working corridors, typically no wider than 25 m, will be fully reinstated once pipe laying is complete, restoring fields, footpaths and hedgerows to their original condition.
Main HyNet construction is due to start in August 2025 around Mancot, with underground pipework laid along Chester Road East between Glendale Avenue and Mancot Lane.
That work includes a 35 × 30 m maintenance valve station on Aston Hill to allow pipeline shut-downs for essential works.
Over the following 17 months, road closures or lane restrictions will be phased at key crossings, with exact timings still under consultation.
The completed HyNet grid will carry captured CO₂ from north Wales and Cheshire industries offshore to the Point of Ayr Gas Terminal at Talacre, then on to the Douglas platform for permanent storage in depleted reservoirs beneath the seabed.
Phase one is expected to capture 109 million tonnes of CO₂ over 25 years, the equivalent of removing 60 million cars from UK roads for a year.
In addition to CO₂ transport, the HyNet project will deploy hydrogen production facilities for industry, initially in Cheshire with later extensions into Flintshire.
The overall scheme is projected to create around 6,000 jobs and attract approximately £5.5 billion in investment across North Wales and the North West of England.
Subject to final approvals, work on Padeswood cement works carbon-capture plant could begin later this year.
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