UK’s first carbon capture pilot on energy from waste facility goes live

enfinium, a UK energy from waste operator, has launched the UK’s first carbon capture pilot at an energy from waste site.

It is a milestone for the company’s plans to deploy Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology across its UK facilities to generate carbon removals at scale and support the UK’s Net Zero target.

The technology, a containerised, scaled-down version of the CCS technology that enfinium could deploy across all of its sites, was supplied by global green technology company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI).

The pilot is installed at enfinium’s Ferrybridge-1 energy from waste facility in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and is capturing one tonne of CO₂ emissions from the plant’s operations each day.

The trial is being used to demonstrate how the technology can be applied at scale across enfinium’s fleet of six energy from waste facilities to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.

It is collecting operational data on performance, such as CO₂ capture rate and solvent degradation. The trial will run for at least 12 months.

Earlier this year, enfinium announced its Net Zero Transition Plan, setting out how it will decarbonise its own operations and deliver up to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon removals a year in the 2030s.

The plan is underpinned by an investment programme of up to £1.7bn, with a focus on investing in carbon capture and storage technology across its energy from waste facilities to deliver carbon removals at scale.

Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: “We are proud to have this sector-leading project up and running at our Ferrybridge facility. Carbon capture and storage technology is central to how the UK will be able to decarbonise its unrecyclable waste.

“CCS is also critical to generating carbon removals at scale so the UK can achieve Net Zero. Using carbon capture, the energy from waste sector can provide significant levels of carbon removals and enfinium, with the support of HZI, are taking steps now to achieve this.”

Bruno-Frédéric Baudouin, CEO of HZI, said: “Working with enfinium to deliver the UK’s first carbon capture pilot at an energy from waste facility is an exciting project.

“The operational pilot demonstrates our capability to deliver vital decarbonising infrastructure for the waste sector that is critical to the industry’s Net Zero ambitions.

“The project will meaningfully expand our carbon capture knowledge base and provide a springboard for delivering decarbonisation solutions worldwide.”

Olivia Powis, CEO, Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said: “With millions of tonnes of unrecyclable waste produced by the UK, this is an important demonstration of the use of CCS to generate clean power via energy from waste, as well as providing a future route to establishing the UK’s greenhouse gas removal market and enfinium have taken a landmark step with its delivery.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, added: “To see this development from enfinium is massively encouraging, as our own modelling shows a need for carbon capture and storage to help us reach our Net Zero ambitions.

“Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face, so it’s vital we find new opportunities for innovation that can help us build a greener, more secure region that’s fit for the future.”

enfinium is also advancing the planning and consenting programme for the installation of Carbon Capture and Storage at its Ferrybridge 1 and 2 Facilities in West Yorkshire by launching a five-week public consultation, running from 16 September to 20 October 2024.