Project overview

What is the Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project?

As we become more reliant on electricity, with the electrification of sectors such as transport, heating and industry, more generation capacity will be needed. According to the UK’s independent advisor on climate change, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), demand for electricity is forecast to increase by 50% by 2035. To meet this increasing demand and achieve the UK’s decarbonisation goals, the CCC has also advised that a range of different technologies including both renewables and decarbonised generation, such as gas with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, will be needed to maintain a secure and stable supply of electricity.

Key facts about our proposals

• CQLCP could help to meet the UK’s increasing demand for electricity, which is forecast to increase by 50% by 2035.
• Our Connah’s Quay site is the ideal location for a new low carbon power station, having had electricity generation on site since the 1950s.
• Critical infrastructure needed for electricity generation is already in place, including connections to the national electricity grid and a pipeline that can be repurposed and used to transport captured CO₂.
• When fully operational CQLCP could generate enough low carbon electricity to power the equivalent of up to 2.8 million homes a year.
• When fully operational, and at full load, CQLCP could capture up to 3.7 megatonnes (Mt) of CO₂ per year, contributing to the UK’s transition to net zero.
• CQLCP could contribute to economic growth, protecting jobs and creating new opportunities during construction.

Providing energy security

The proposed new CCGT power station with carbon capture at Connah’s Quay would be able to flexibly and reliably generate low carbon power to meet the growing need for electricity, whenever it is required. Power stations such as this will play a crucial role in the future energy system, as they can help ensure that energy is available at times when it is needed most, and when power from renewable sources can’t meet demand.

Delivering carbon reduction and supporting Net Zero

Both the UK’s CCC and the International Energy Agency have stated that CCS is an essential component of a transition to net zero. And to support this, under the previous government, the 2023 budget included a commitment of up to £20 billion to establish a Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) sector in the UK, to help unlock economic opportunities and support investment in the sector. The current government in its manifesto committed a further £1bn and is legislating to create GB Energy which would include in its remit co-investment in power CCS.

With the current government’s ambition for a decarbonised power sector by 2030 and its commitment to CCS, our proposed new power station with CCS technology is well placed to play a crucial role in the future energy system. It would connect into nearby CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure as part of the HyNet industrial cluster, and an existing pipeline previously used to deliver gas to the site can be repurposed for the transport of captured CO₂, helping to contribute to achieving the UK’s net zero targets.

Why build a new power station at Connah’s Quay?

Connah’s Quay is an ideal location to establish a low carbon power station – it could connect into nearby CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure as part of the HyNet industrial cluster, and benefits from the on-hand expertise of the existing highly skilled workforce.

There has also been a power station on site for over 70 years, meaning essential energy infrastructure is already in place, including an existing pipeline which can be repurposed for the transport of captured CO₂ to the existing depleted offshore gas fields where it will be permanently stored.

From a coal-powered station in the 1950s, to the current natural gas power station, and with future plans to move to a low carbon power plant; the evolution of the Connah’s Quay site is an example of how the energy industry is adapting to the challenge provided by climate change. We are pleased that this project could mean that jobs can be retained at Connah’s Quay.

Investment at Connah’s Quay could contribute significantly to economic growth in the region, by protecting jobs, creating new opportunities during construction, along with potential opportunities through the wider supply chain.