Friday, 3rd May, 2024
Planning Inspectorate accepts Cory’s Development Consent Order application for examination
The Planning Inspectorate has accepted for examination Cory’s application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build a carbon capture facility at its Riverside campus in Belvedere, South East London. This is a significant step in delivering a project which will make a material contribution to the UK’s net zero targets, stimulate jobs, and act as a UK pathfinder for carbon dioxide shipping.
Cory plans to install carbon capture technology which will cover its current and in-development energy from waste (EfW) facilities, which will be capable of capturing c 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year by 2030.
The project is located on the banks of the River Thames, allowing Cory to draw on its existing river operations and extensive maritime heritage to ship liquified CO2 to the Port of Immingham, which is owned and operated by Associated British Ports (ABP). From there it will be piped and permanently stored in the Viking depleted gas fields just off the Humber coast.
Cory recently signed an exclusive commercial agreement with the Viking CCS transportation and storage network to explore the potential of CO2 shipping further. This partnership represents the best of British industry, bringing together companies with extensive experience operating ships, developing major projects and operating the North Sea.
Richard Wilkinson, Project Director at Cory, said: “I am delighted that we are taking the lead on decarbonising communities and businesses in London and the South East. The acceptance of our DCO application for examination is an important step, along with the investment that ABP and Viking are making, to ensuring that every detail has been considered to deliver a successful project by 2030. I look forward to working closely with our stakeholders during the examination process to ensure that we deliver a project which brings benefits to both the local community and the UK.”
Graeme Davies, Viking CCS Project Director at Harbour Energy, said: “This is an important step towards developing the CO2 shipping sector in the UK. With the aim of reducing CO2 emissions by 10 million tonnes per annum by 2030, the Viking CCS project has the potential to make a critical contribution to the UK’s climate targets.”
Ralph Windeatt, Group Head of Business Development at Associated British Ports, said: “We would like to congratulate our partners Cory on reaching this latest milestone towards securing planning permission to build their nationally significant Riverside carbon capture facility.
“We look forward to working with our other partners at Cory and Viking CCS to develop a solution to ship captured CO2 from Cory’s facility to our Port of Immingham, where it will be transported and stored within the Viking gas fields network in the southern North Sea. This project showcases the ability for CO2 shipping to connect dispersed emitters to transport and storage networks to share the economic and environmental benefits of CCS. It is a fantastic opportunity to lead the way in developing major port infrastructure projects for handling captured CO2, which will accelerate industrial decarbonisation. This will bring lasting economic benefits to the UK, driving the circular economy and supporting good jobs across communities.”
External advisors on the Cory project include WSP, LDA Design, Ardent, and Pinsent Masons.