Peak District cement firms launch plan for giant pipeline network carrying CO₂ emissions to Irish Sea

Some of the Peak District’s biggest industrial employers have announced what they are calling a world-first partnership project to slash their greenhouse gas emissions and ensure a sustainable future for their sector – but questions remain about the environmental credentials of the scheme.
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Five cement and lime plants in the Peak District and Staffordshire Moorlands, owned by Tarmac, Breedon, Lhoist and Aggregate Industries are joining together with the Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant in Northwich, Cheshire, to create the Peak Cluster.

Essentially the companies believe that can capture more than 3million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions a year from manufacturing sites such as the Breedon Hope cement works, and Tarmac’s Tunstead quarry – equivalent to taking 1.2m cars off the road – and then transport the gas via a network of underground pipelines to be locked away in the rock bed beneath the Irish Sea.

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John Egan, project director for Progressive Energy, said: “Peak Cluster will cut Derbyshire and Staffordshire’s carbon dioxide emissions by a quarter. In doing so it will make a crucial contribution the UK’s drive to net zero, making a serious impact on local, regional and national climate change targets.

Breedon wants to connect its Hope Cement Works to carbon storage beds beneath the Irish Sea.Breedon wants to connect its Hope Cement Works to carbon storage beds beneath the Irish Sea.
Breedon wants to connect its Hope Cement Works to carbon storage beds beneath the Irish Sea.

“The project will help industry to continue to thrive into the future – safeguarding jobs, maintaining a booming supply chain and allowing current and future generations to continue to work in, and enjoy, this beautiful region.”

Cement is the main ingredient in concrete, making it essential to materials in widespread use by the construction sector, whether for homes, schools and hospitals or major infrastructure project such as reservoirs, power stations and transport links.

However, typical production methods for cement and lime produce unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions. Approximately two thirds of the CO₂ comes from the raw material, limestone.

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Although research efforts are ongoing around the world to address this problem and create carbon neutral or negative cement – one example replaces limestone with microalgae – there are doubts about the potential speed and scale at which such alternatives could be deployed.

There are two outline route options for the pipeline to reach the coast.There are two outline route options for the pipeline to reach the coast.
There are two outline route options for the pipeline to reach the coast.

With 40 per cent of all UK cement and lime manufactured in the Peak District and local area, the industry has a major part to play in helping the country reach net zero targets and limiting the harmful impact of the climate crisis.

Diana Casey, director of energy and climate change at the Mineral Products Association, said: “The region is a historic heartland for cement and lime production providing highly skilled jobs for local communities, and a secure supply of essential materials to the UK economy.

“This launch demonstrates the commitment of cement and lime producers to transition to net zero to secure the future of these important industries, and the vital products they produce, in a net zero world.”

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While the companies say they have already concluded it is preferable to transporting captured CO₂ by road or rail – there will be obstacles to overcome and questions to answer.

Aggregate Industries' Lafarge Cement plant, near Cauldon in Staffordshire.Aggregate Industries' Lafarge Cement plant, near Cauldon in Staffordshire.
Aggregate Industries' Lafarge Cement plant, near Cauldon in Staffordshire.

According to the published timeline, the Peak Cluster could be fully operational by 2030, and work has already been done on technical feasibility, but the planning approval process could take some time even before the project breaks ground.

Due to the size of the pipeline network, it would be classified as a ‘nationally significant infrastructure project’ (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008, meaning Peak Cluster would be applying to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero for a development consent order (DCO).

Separate permissions may be required for ‘above ground installations’ from the Peak District National Park Authority and councils along whatever route to the coast is identified for the pipeline.

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Documents published by Peak Cluster state the pipeline – up to 36 inches in diameter – would require a 30 metre corridor along the route for digging installation trenches or horizontal drilling.

The Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant in Northwich is currently under construction.The Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant in Northwich is currently under construction.
The Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant in Northwich is currently under construction.

Few details have been release on a possible route, but the documents say the project would aim to avoid urban areas and sensitive habitat and ‘minimise any effects on the environment’.

To begin addressing the affected communities, the project team is holding a launch ‘webinar’ at noon on Friday, May 19, then a drop-in information session at the Pavillion Gardens, in Buxton, on Wednesday, May 24, noon to 8pm, and another in Northwich on June 1.

John said: “We’re in the early stages of developing the project and our first community events in Buxton and Cheshire are just the start of how we plan to work with those living and working in the area.

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“There will be lots of future opportunities for people in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire to find out more and work with us to develop Peak Cluster.”

Beyond the immediate local issues likely to arise with the project, the concept of trapping carbon emissions underground may also be put under scrutiny.

The idea, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been widely touted as a climate solution for many years, but few existing projects have shown unqualified success and the amount of carbon stored represents just a small fraction of total global emissions.

Even so, leading organisations including the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) have all produced long-term energy outlooks that rely on a rapid expansion of CCS in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

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Proponents say its greatest potential applies to those sectors which are hardest to decarbonise, and that if industrial emitters work together – such as the Peak Cluster – it could become more cost effective relative to other modes of emissions reduction, and create new sources of jobs and economic growth.

For more information on Peak Cluster’s plans, go to www.peakcluster.co.uk. To join the webinar on Friday, see peakcluster.eventbrite.co.uk.