Penspen Secures Multi-Million-Pound Contract to Advance Groundbreaking HyNet CO₂ Pipeline Project

A 70-strong expert team based in London and Aberdeen – with newly created roles – will deliver the detailed engineering design for one of the UK’s most ambitious decarbonisation projects.  

Penspen, a leading international energy consultancy, has secured a multi-million-pound contract from United Living Infrastructure Services to advance the development of the HyNet CO₂ transportation pipeline at Liverpool Bay. Under this contract, Penspen will deliver the detailed engineering design for a project that will transform the northwest of England into a world-leading low carbon industrial cluster – and will shape the region’s low-carbon future for decades to come.

Penspen will lead the detailed engineering phase for the development of the onshore CO₂ pipelines and above ground installations (AGIs), which will transport the captured carbon emissions from local industrial emitters in Stanlow to the Liverpool Bay CCS storage facility at Point of Ayr. CO₂ will be transported through a combination of new assets and repurposed infrastructure.

Seventy of Penspen’s engineering specialists will deliver the project from a dedicated office at 280 Holborn, London, with 20 newly onboarded professionals for this scope of work. The project will also be supported by engineering disciplines from Penspen’s Aberdeen office, which has seen significant growth in the last six months.

Darren Bartlett, Director – Energy Transition at Penspen said: “This is a pivotal award that highlights Penspen’s reputation as specialists in supporting complex energy transition projects, applying over 70 years of international engineering expertise to meet the challenge of decarbonising the UK’s industrial hubs. 

“The HyNet North West project will be transformational for the UK’s energy network, and we are proud to be working with United Living to deliver this first-of-its kind project at Liverpool Bay. The development of this carbon capture facility will be critical in driving progress towards a cleaner energy future.”

HyNet North West is a UK-based project comprised of several different elements designed to decarbonise the industry-heavy northwest of the UK around Liverpool Bay. Following the announcement of Government funding in October 2024, the project will implement carbon capture and storage and low carbon hydrogen infrastructure at large scale, utilising a hydrogen production plant, a hydrogen transport network and hydrogen storage, with carbon emissions captured and permanently stored in depleted hydrocarbon fields in the Irish Sea.

As one of the first projects of this scale to reach a detailed design phase for the high-pressure cross-country transportation of CO2, Penspen’s rich experience in delivering detailed engineering for long-length pipeline projects will be critical.

Campbell Crawford, Managing Director, United Living Infrastructure Services said: “We are pleased to appoint Penspen to deliver the engineering design on this project. They have an exceptional track record in delivering complex detailed design for onshore pipelines, making them one of the few companies in the UK with the expertise to help us deliver this major energy transition project.”

A New Era for Liverpool Bay – World-First Low-Carbon Industrial District 

The new pipelines will run from the Ince Facility in the northwest of England, to the Point of Ayr Terminal on the north coast of Wales, via the Stanlow Refinery. It will transport CO2 to be stored in depleted gas reservoirs up to 1km below the seabed in Liverpool Bay.

The route will also feature six block valve stations along the way, as well as five AGIs accommodating the new CO2 network.

HyNet North West is critical to the development of the UK’s energy transition network, powering progress towards nationwide net zero targets. Once operational, HyNet will have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 10 million tonnes in the 2030s.

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• Ashleigh Barbour, Fifth Ring: ashleigh.barbour@fifthring.com