Hogan Lovells advises The Crown Estate on UK’s first carbon capture project to reuse existing infrastructure

The Crown Estate awarded an Agreement for Lease to global energy company, Eni, for the first carbon capture and storage project in the UK to repurpose existing pipeline infrastructure, reducing both cost and the environmental impact of construction. 

CO2 will be captured at large industrial emitting sites in the North West of England and North Wales. It will then be transported for safe and permanent storage in Eni’s depleted natural gas reservoirs under the seabed of the Irish Sea, preventing emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Once operational, the project will remove up to 10 million tonnes per year after 2030 of CO2 from the atmosphere, equivalent to storing emissions from about two million UK households.

The Hogan Lovells team was led by partners Nicholas Roberts and Scott Tindall with support from counsel Mark Nash and senior associate Sanjay Davé.

Nicholas Roberts, real estate partner at Hogan Lovells said: "We’re delighted to advise The Crown Estate on its energy matters. The agreement reflects a strong commitment to both environmental stewardship and economic growth, aligning with the UK’s net zero goals. The agreement marks a transformative step that not only supports innovation in the energy sector but also upholds The Crown Estate's longstanding legacy of responsible land stewardship for the benefit of the public and future generations." 

Scott Tindall, infrastructure, energy and projects partner at Hogan Lovells, added: “In addition to the growth of renewable energy generation, capturing and storing carbon emissions at scale is a vital step on the path to a low-carbon future and to fulfilling the UK’s net zero ambitions. This latest CCS agreement highlights the transformative work Hogan Lovells is doing to help shape the energy and energy transition markets, in the UK and globally.  We hope this milestone paves the way for even more ambitious decarbonization projects to follow.”