Global law firm Ashurst continues to advise the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as the UK's first carbon capture-enabled cement plant at Padeswood, developed by Heidelberg Materials UK, and one of the world's first full-scale carbon capture-enabled waste-to-energy facilities at Protos in Ellesmere Port, developed by Encyclis, have signed final contracts with government to begin construction.
These are the first 2 anchor projects to join Eni's Liverpool Bay Transportation & Storage network, part of the HyNet carbon capture cluster, which reached financial close in April 2025 and on whichAshurst also advised DESNZ. These projects will deploy world-leading technologies to remove 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
Ashurst has been advising the UK Government on the development and implementation of the CCUS programme since 2020.
The Ashurst team advising DESNZ was led by partners Anthony Johnson and Harvey Weaver.
Partner Harvey Weaver said: "We're delighted to continue our longstanding work with DESNZ and to have helped deliver the Protos project, one of the world's first full-scale carbon capture-enabled waste-to-energy facilities. Contract signature represents the culmination of many years of work by DESNZ and the sponsor and we're proud to have played a role in bringing this pioneering project to fruition. It will hopefully serve as a catalyst for future projects in this sector."
Partner Anthony Johnson added: "We are proud to have supported DESNZ in achieving contract close with the Padeswood carbon capture project, which will help to establish a route for industrial decarbonisation to take place in North Wales. This marks another major step forward for the UK's CCUS programme and follows on from the successful closing of the Liverpool Bay CCS project earlier this year."
