Viridor commits over £20m to its Runcorn Carbon Capture Project as it appoints Technip Energies and Fichtner as key partners
Contracts signed for detailed design and supporting engineering services
Hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Viridor has agreed a statement of principles with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for its Runcorn carbon capture (CCS) project, the company is today announcing that contracts have been signed with two key partners, to progress to the next stage of development. Progression to this phase of design activity will take Viridor’s spend commitments on the project to over £20m.
After a highly competitive tender process, Technip Energies has been awarded the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract and Fichtner has been chosen to provide Owner’s Engineer (OE) services.
As part of the FEED study, Technip Energies will deliver a comprehensive design using their Canopy by T.EN™ solution powered by the Shell CANSOLV CO2 capture technology. The Canopy offering is part of Capture.Now™, which is Technip Energies’ strategic Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) platform of technologies and solutions.
Under the OE services, Fichtner will assist with the supervision and quality assurance of the FEED studies being prepared by Technip Energies. Viridor has worked with Fichtner on many of its previous Energy from Waste projects and has a longstanding relationship and track record in delivering complex major capital projects together.
James Eyton, Head of CCUS at Viridor comments: “Our Runcorn CCS project is accelerating into a very exciting phase of design development and, with new levels of investment and the signing of these two major contracts, we are in a strong position to take a big step towards bringing this project to reality. It was paramount for us to find partners who share our vision for decarbonised waste treatment and who have the experience and expertise to work alongside us to develop the world’s largest carbon capture project for energy from waste, here in the UK.
"We have a strong team to deliver upon our objectives at this stage of the project. Deliverability is an essential goal, which Technip Energies’ well proven Shell CANSOLV® CO2 capture technology has the potential to achieve, with Fichtner on hand to provide depth of engineering expertise and assurance of delivering value for taxpayer money. We’re excited to work together to unlock the pathway to Net Zero, and beyond into negative emissions, not only for our business, but also for the wider industry and the communities in which we operate.”
The Runcorn CCS project is in line to be one of the first facilities to receive funding under the UK Government’s Track 1 funding for carbon capture projects. The project is set to capture in excess of 900,000 tonnes of CO2 annually and will play a crucial role in the regional decarbonisation strategy through its CO2 supply to the HyNet cluster sequencing programme in the North West.
Christophe Malaurie, SVP Decarbonisation Solutions of Technip Energies, comments: “With this award, Technip Energies confirms its growing leadership position as an integrated state-of-the-art CCUS solutions provider. Technip Energies’ involvement in Viridor’s Runcorn carbon capture project highlights our commitment to providing innovative solutions for the net-zero trajectory, leveraging our extensive experience in project design and execution along with Shell’s proven and industry leading CANSOLV® technology. By capturing 900,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, this first-of-a-kind project is a significant step in the waste sector towards reducing carbon emissions at scale. We are focused on delivering our carbon capture solution efficiently, contributing to the United Kingdom Net Zero goal.”
Duncan Abernethy, Business Development Director & Chairman from Fichtner says: “We have a longstanding and successful partnership with Viridor, having worked together on many projects during 20 years of project delivery and development. The continuation of our work together marks a natural evolution and progression of our professional relationship. Leveraging our expertise in energy from waste, we aim to bring together CCS with Runcorn as a flagship project in the UK, laying the groundwork for further CCS initiatives in the industry. We look forward to supporting this venture and helping to define this first of its kind project by combining our knowledge and resources with Viridor’s capabilities. Together, we are we are committed to making a positive impact and driving the future of sustainable waste management practices.”
For further information, contact communications@viridor.co.uk
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