Viridor's Runcorn CCS Project

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a process that captures carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions before they enter the atmosphere. Once captured, the CO₂ is transported - usually by pipeline - and stored deep underground in geological formations. In the waste sector, CCS has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon impact of Energy from Waste facilities by capturing carbon emissions that would otherwise be released. 

The Energy from Waste sector is one of the few industries that can deliver negative emissions when paired with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). That’s because the carbon in waste is typically around 50% fossil-based and 50% biogenic - originating from natural sources like food or paper. During the CCS process, all CO₂ is captured, whether fossil or biogenic. Capturing the biogenic portion effectively removes carbon from the atmosphere, making Energy from Waste (EfW) with CCS a critical technology in helping the UK reach its net zero goals.

In addition to our Runcorn CCS project, Viridor is investing in feasibility studies, working with industrial clusters and developing plans to deploy CCS at a number of our other key Energy from Waste sites. By deploying CCS at scale across our EfW fleet, we will play a significant role in helping the UK government meet its net zero targets as well as reaching our own goals to become carbon neutral by 2040 and climate positive by 2045.