Carbon capture trial to begin at Ferrybridge energy-from-waste site this summer

UK energy-from-waste operator enfinium has announced plans to trial carbon capture technology at its Ferrybridge-1 site in West Yorkshire.

The trial will run for at least 12 months and be operational from July.

Enfinium has signed an agreement with global green technology company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) to install the UK’s first carbon capture pilot plant at the energy-from-waste facility.

The technology supplied by HZI will be a scaled-down, containerised version of the CCS technology that could be applied to energy from waste facilities on a commercial scale. 

The unit will capture up to one tonne of CO2 per day from enfinium’s operations at its Ferrybridge-1 site.

Enfinium says the pilot is the first of its kind mobilised in Europe, representing a significant milestone for HZI which intends to build on its world leading reputation in the energy from waste and renewable sectors by offering its clients new decarbonisation solutions.

The pilot will be used to demonstrate how carbon capture technology can be applied at energy from waste facilities to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. 

Through the pilot, enfinium will be able to compare different amine solvents and collect realistic data on performance, such as CO2 capture rate, energy consumption, and solvent degradation.

The pilot builds on enfinium’s broader ambitions to lead an investment of up to £800m in CCS at its Ferrybridge 1 and 2 facilities, which together would capture more than 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 every year.

With CCS installed, the site would become one of the largest carbon removal projects in Europe. 

Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: “Installing carbon capture technology on energy from waste facilities is the only way the UK can decarbonise its unrecyclable waste.

“It also offers benefits including creating durable carbon removals, or negative emissions, at scale and generating reliable homegrown carbon negative power. 

“This ground-breaking partnership with HZI will allow us to test multiple capture techniques that could in the future be deployed across our facilities at scale.”

Bruno-Frédéric Baudouin, CEO of HZI, added: “It gives us tremendous pride that with the support of the UK authorities and thanks to a strong collaboration with enfinium, we have the opportunity to help move the dial on the nation’s decarbonisation of its waste management infrastructure.

“The pilot will contribute significantly to our carbon capture knowledge base, which we are developing across several projects in Europe, and represents an important step not only towards to reducing CO2 emissions in our industry, but also towards making CO2 circular and driving down demand for fossil resources globally.”

The announcement is the latest development in enfinium’s strategic partnership with HZI, which has provided engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to enfinium’s Ferrybridge 1 and 2 facilities. 

HZI is also acting as the EPC partner on enfinium’s £500m Skelton Grange facility in Leeds, which is due to be operational from 2025.

Last month, enfinium’s plans for installing CCS technology at the Ferrybridge site were directed to be a Project of National Significance by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.