HyNet Cluster

The HyNet cluster is demonstrating how investment in CCUS can support growth while securing the future of industry. At its heart is Liverpool Bay CCS (LBCCS), developed and operated by LBCCS Ltd, part of Eni CCUS Holding, which will transport CO₂ captured from industrial sites across North West England and North Wales for permanent storage in depleted gas fields beneath Liverpool Bay.

Delivery is already under way, following LBCCS’s FID in April 2025. The LBCCS project will repurpose offshore platforms and 149 km of existing onshore and offshore pipelines, construct 35 km of new connections to emitters, and build a new CO₂ compression plant at Point of Ayr. Drilling of injection and monitoring wells is underway, the Douglas CCS platform has been successfully installed offshore, and the pipeline works are progressing. The initial network is designed to transport 4.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, targeting CO₂ injection readiness in 2028, with potential expansion to 10 million tonnes after 2030.

LBCCS has unlocked £2 billion of supply chain contracts, expected to create around 2,000 jobs during the construction phase alone and ca. 200–300 permanent positions over more than 25 years of operation. Host communities will also benefit directly thanks to a recently launched LBCCS Community Benefit Fund.

The benefits extend to HyNet’s capture projects. Encyclis’ Protos energy recovery facility reached final investment decision in September 2025 and is expected to support around 300 roles during construction and create 80 permanent skilled jobs once operational in 2029. Its apprenticeship programme is already supporting local recruits in study, connecting training with genuine employment opportunities. Across the wider cluster, more than 7,500 students have been reached through 15 careers fairs led by the HyNet Alliance, while the “Capture Your Potential” guide is helping young people understand routes into hydrogen and carbon capture careers.

The wider HyNet cluster shows how confirmed projects create the demand needed for companies, colleges and workers to invest with confidence. Maintaining momentum by expanding the Hynet cluster, enabling further capture projects to connect, would deepen the domestic supply chain, safeguard industrial activity and create and support further skilled jobs and community benefits across the region.

Dr Eleanor Lewis, Business Development Operations Manager, United Infrastructure

Having joined United Infrastructure as a Strategy Analyst, Eleanor recently progressed to become Business Development Operations Manager. Her career is a key example of how CCUS investment is creating opportunities for young professionals while developing the workforce needed to deliver the UK’s future energy infrastructure and support Britain’s industrial renewal.

United Infrastructure is the EPC contractor of Liverpool Bay CCS, the company responsible for the development of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ transport and storage network, the backbone of the HyNet cluster. Liverpool Bay CCS will transport captured CO₂ from industrial sites across North West England and North Wales for permanent storage beneath Liverpool Bay.

In her current role, Eleanor leads the strategic management of United Infrastructure’s growth pipeline, identifying and developing opportunities before they reach the market. Working across strategy and market engagement, she coordinates engagement with clients, developers, contractors, consultants and supply chain partners while providing the business with a clear view of future demand.

By aligning emerging opportunities with the company’s capabilities, resource planning and delivery capacity, Eleanor helps ensure United Infrastructure is positioned both to support the delivery of major projects such as Liverpool Bay CCS and to turn future energy infrastructure opportunities into sustainable business growth and successful project outcomes.

Reflecting on her time in the sector, Eleanor said: “As an early career professional transitioning into this industry, I was delighted to share my experience of support and guidance I have received from the HyNet Cluster and United Infrastructure. I have been set up with a lifelong career because of their investment into developing the workforce that will help deliver CCUS. This is just the start of the task ahead to build the industry that brings us closer to net zero, and I am proud to be part of that future.”