The proposed Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station, or ‘Keadby 3’, would be a new 900MW power station in North Lincolnshire, fueled by natural gas and fitted with carbon capture technology to remove CO2 from its emissions. The new power station would replace older, carbon-intensive generation on the electricity grid,
The power station would connect into the onshore CO2 pipeline infrastructure being developed by the Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) partnership – which includes Equinor and SSE Thermal – and offshore CO2 infrastructure being developed by the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), which includes Equinor. This would see the captured CO2 transported from the Keadby site and securely stored under the Southern North Sea.
Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station would capture around 1.5 million tons (MT) of CO2 annually, meeting 15% of the 10MT target for 2030 set out in the Prime Minister’s ‘Ten-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ last year. With the necessary policy mechanisms and shared infrastructure in place, Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station would have the potential to come online by 2027, in line with Government plans for ‘Track 1’ industrial cluster projects.
Given the readiness of carbon capture technology in power generation, projects like Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station can help stimulate the development of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure in the Humber, into which other energy and industrial emitters can then connect to capture and store their emissions. This will accelerate the decarbonization of the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial region, while supporting a just transition to net zero for industrial workers and communities.
Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Thermal, said, “We’re excited to reach this milestone in the development of our Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station project, which could become one of the UK’s first power stations equipped with carbon capture technology. Working with our partners in Equinor, we believe we can lead the way in delivering low-carbon flexible power to accelerate the transition to a net zero energy system. This project would play a major role in decarbonizing the UK’s power generation, while supporting the wider green industrial revolution in the Humber, stimulating major local investment and creating and protecting high-quality jobs.”
Grete Tveit, Senior Vice President for Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor, said, This is an important and welcome step in the progress for our Keadby Carbon Capture Power Station project, which will contribute to the decarbonization of the wider Humber region and the UK’s transition to net zero. It is crucial that this and our other carbon capture and hydrogen projects with SSE Thermal become a reality. They will deliver low-carbon power and enable industry and other hard-to-abate sectors to cut emissions, and help make the UK a leader in the green industrial revolution. We are committed to working together with our stakeholders to make these investments happen.”
