Global law firm Ashurst has advised Encylis on the development and financing of the UK's first full-scale carbon capture plant at an energy-from-waste facility to be developed at Encyclis' Protos EfW facility in Cheshire.
The plant will prevent the release of around 370,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, by capturing CO2 from the Protos Energy Recovery Facility, after which the CO2 will be transported via pipeline for permanent and secure storage in depleted gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2029.
The Ashurst team was led by partners Cameron Smith and Patrick Boyle.
Commenting, partner Cameron Smith said: "As the first energy from waste carbon capture project, this was a complex project to structure and finance, with multiple legal, technical and commercial interfaces to navigate. Every stage of the project threw up unique challenges which required innovative solutions. What made this possible was the strength and depth of Ashurst's energy transition specialists, together with our long-standing relationships with fantastic deal teams at Encyclis and MUFG."
Partner Patrick Boyle added: "We are proud to have supported Encyclis and its partners on the financing of this landmark project, the scale and ambition of which required innovative financing against the backdrop of a complex landscape of regulatory, technical and commercial considerations. This project sets a new benchmark for the decarbonisation of waste in the UK and will advance the UK's net zero transition and drive economic growth."
