Industry

enfinium announces £1.7B net-zero transition plan

enfinium Parc Adfer energy from waste facility at Deeside in Flintshire
enfinium Parc Adfer energy from waste facility at Deeside in Flintshire
Enfinium has today (1 May) published its 'Net Zero Transition Plan', which details its strategy, its operations and achieve an annual carbon removal of 1.2 million tonnes by 2039. The strategy includes reaching net zero in its Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned sources) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy) emissions by 2033.

Supported through an investment of approximately £1.7 billion, the plan involves upgrading enfinium’s facilities and installing carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology across its UK sites.

Currently operators in the UK are ramping up investments in carbon capture technology with the UK Government’s decision to include EfW in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme from 2028.

In the past 18 months, enfinium has completed carbon capture pre-feasibility work at each site, confirming the technical aspects of implementing CCUS on existing land. A pilot project in collaboration with Hitachi Zosen Innova (HZI) at its Ferrybridge 1 facility is underway, focusing on understanding CCS technology, solvent testing, and scalability.

The company aims to turn its existing EfW sites into ‘decarbonisation hubs’ that combine waste management with CCUS technology to remove CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. This includes the production of hydrogen through electrolysis, using electricity generated from waste incineration.

Development of heat networks and private wire systems is planned to use the heat generated from EfW, to supply local industries or for residential heating.

Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, described the strategy’s potential impact: “Today enfinium uses waste that cannot be recycled, which would otherwise go to climate damaging landfill, to generate low carbon homegrown energy. Installing carbon capture technology will allow us to go further and remove more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

“Carbon removals is a once in a generation opportunity for the waste sector globally. With bold leadership and in partnership with governments we can pioneer a credible and affordable pathway to zero emissions and green growth.”

The company is exploring transport and storage solutions for the captured CO2, assessing the proximity of its facilities to potential transport and storage hubs. At the Parc Adfer facility, a concept study has been conducted for a CO2 pipeline connection to HyNet, a major industrial decarbonisation project aimed at creating infrastructure for low carbon hydrogen and CO2 across the Northwest and North Wales.

For the Ferrybridge location, enfinium is evaluating pipeline and rail options for CO2 transport. In 2023, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Navigator Terminals to initiate the 'Train to Zero' project. This rail link would transport captured CO2 from West Yorkshire to Teesside for planned offshore storage in the North Sea.

In the South-East of England, the EfW operator has joined the Bacton Thames Net Zero Cooperation Agreement, which is setting up the Thames Estuary’s position for CO2 transport and storage, including enfinium’s Kemsley EfW facility. This project is expected to capture, transport, and store initially six million tonnes of CO2 annually, with claimed potential expansion to 10 million tonnes.

The plan has been independently verified by Arup, with Ben Glover, Director and UK Resources Business Leader at Arup, stating: “Energy from waste has a demonstrable role in delivering vital carbon removals for the UK economy, which are needed imminently. The actionable pathway and timeline of enfinium's Net Zero Transition Plan demonstrates how their ambition to deliver carbon removals at scale becomes a reality. Our work with enfinium has shown that there is a sound business case and pathway to carbon removals, generating sustainable homegrown energy and creating green jobs to power the UK’s net zero economy.”

The success of the voluntary carbon market hinges upon restoring trust in carbon credits, according to a recent report by BloombergNEF. If credibility is established, the market could reach a value surpassing $1.1 trillion annually by 2050, with companies potentially purchasing billions of credits each year. However, ongoing scrutiny and reputational issues could lead to a decline in demand, creating a much smaller market with reduced impact.