That amine is heated to release the pure CO2 before it joins a pipe network from other industries to be pumped into depleted gas wells in Liverpool Bay. It will be very big and expensive but James Eyton, Viridor's head of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage Developments, commits to have it up and running by the mid-2020s.
Many observers believe polluters have been using the prospect of CCS to avoid taking the hard choice of moving away from dirty fuels. But it's now central to the government's legally binding commitment to reach net zero by 2050 and they've committed £20bn for the technology over the next two years.HyNet's progressive director, David Parkin, says that in Britain, CCS is about to be real.
"The government's really serious and, although we had some delays last year because of political instability, we're right back on track - and after a really good announcement with the spring statement from the chancellor, this project will move forward." Here too they are promising hundreds of millions of investments to capture hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2, but when I ask Hanson UK's sustainability manager, Marian Garfield, if the works will be climate-friendly, she said:"I will be happy to invite you back in 2027-28 when our carbon capture facility will be operating and we'll be capturing 100% of our emissions."