Eni UK has submitted through the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) system a Carbon Storage License Application for the Hewett depleted gas field on the Southern North Sea for the development of a CCS project aimed at decarbonising the Bacton and Thames Estuary area.

The Hewett depleted gas field is an ideal site for permanent and safe CO₂ storage with a total capacity of about 330 million tonnes.

The CCS project will allow to avoid a significant volume of CO₂ to the atmosphere, equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions of over 3 million homes or over 6 million cars per year.

Eni UK can leverage its extensive experience and subsurface knowledge of the Hewett depleted gas field, having operated safely the gas production in the area for over 40 years.

In addition, Eni UK announces the set up of the Bacton Thames Net Zero initiative with the aim to decarbonise and to unlock new greener growth opportunities for the automotive, ceramics, food, materials, energy and waste disposal sectors in the UK South East, supporting materially the UK’s decarbonisation strategy.

Eni UK will play a pivotal role in this industry-led initiative by transporting and storing CO₂ in its Hewett depleted gas field, that could be operational as early as 2027.

Eni UK will provide further added value to this initiative by leveraging on the ongoing technical and commercial experience gained from Liverpool Bay CCS and the wider HyNet NW Cluster, as an existing CO₂ appraisal and storage license holder.

The collaboration of industrial partners under the Bacton Thames Net Zero initiative could contribute significantly to the development of a hydrogen economy in the UK and become a game-changer in addressing the decarbonisation needs of UK’s South-East, while supporting the UK ‘Net Zero’ targets.