Baker Hughes has been awarded a contract by Saipem to supply carbon dioxide (CO2) compression technology for Eni’s Liverpool Bay carbon capture and Storage (CCS) project in the United Kingdom.
Baker Hughes will supply three CO2 centrifugal compressor trains with electric motors, as well as Lufkin Gears gearbox. The full compressor package will be used for the re-injection of the CO2, as part of Saipem’s conversion of a traditional gas compression and treatment facility at Point of Ayr, in north Wales, into a CO2 electrical compression station allowing for permanent CO2 storage in offshore depleted fields under Liverpool Bay.
The Liverpool Bay CCS project will operate as the backbone of the HyNet Cluster to transport carbon dioxide from capture plants across the North West of England and North Wales through new and repurposed infrastructure to permanent storage in Eni’s depleted natural gas reservoirs, located under the seabed in Liverpool Bay.
The Liverpool Bay CCS will lock away up to 4.5 MTPA of CO2 in the first phase and up to 10 MTPA after 2030.
“We’re proud to support Saipem and Eni with our advanced, proven compression technologies in a critical project that will deliver sustainable energy development in the UK by decarbonizing industry,” said Alessandro Bresciani, senior vice president of climate technologies solutions at Baker Hughes. “We are committed to providing technology solutions to improve the economic viability of CO2 projects at scale, as we firmly believe that CCUS plays a key role in driving sustainable energy development.”
HyNet
The Liverpool Bay CO2 transport and storage infrastructure will be pivotal for the UK’s journey towards a net zero future, by unlocking the decarbonization of the HyNet cluster in North West of England and North Wales.
The UK government has selected the HyNet North West Industrial Cluster (HyNet NW) as one of the first two industrial clusters to receive financial support to de-carbonize hard-to-abate industries. HyNet NW is a complete system of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization, and carbon capture, transport, and offshore storage in the Liverpool Bay Area.
A part of HyNet NW is the development of the HyNet CO2 Transport and Storage Company Project (HyNet T&S Co) which is being developed by Eni. The project comprises the transport of CO2 generated by five third-party injector plants (selected by the UK government) through onshore pipeline to a compressor station at the Point of Ayr, from where the CO2 is transported via offshore pipeline to depleted oil and gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay for offshore storage. The project is partly a brownfield project with existing infrastructure, including onshore and offshore pipelines, parts of the existing offshore installations, and the site of the Point of Ayr Terminal being repurposed for the project. Several existing pipelines will be re-purposed and new below ground and sub-sea pipeline connections will be constructed to complete the network needed to transport the CO2. Additionally, several spur lines will be constructed linking the CO2 producing industrial facilities to the pipeline transportation network.
A new compression facility will be constructed at the Port of Ayr Terminal, which will also include construction of a new substation and the refurbishment of the existing administration/control building, laboratory/utilities building, main substation, electrical and instrumentation building, and the workshop/warehouse. Various associated facilities, such as power utilities, above ground installations, and cathodic protection infrastructure will be constructed.
The project will be developed by Eni and initially operated with the close support of Eni Group through a services agreement, with operations transitioning to HyNet T&S Co over time. HyNet T&S Co will enable the participants of HyNet NW to produce low carbon hydrogen and to decarbonize their processes and produce low carbon products.
