Parc Adfer incinerator wins planning consent for carbon capture

Flintshire County Council has granted planning permission for the installation of full-scale carbon capture and storage technology at the Parc Adfer waste incinerator in North Wales. The decision follows a public consultation process and a planning application submitted by the site owner, Enfinium, in late October 2025. If the project proceeds as planned, the facility on Deeside Industrial Park will capture 241,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, a capacity that would make it the largest carbon removals project in Wales.

The incinerator currently processes up to 320,000 tonnes of waste per year. The new carbon capture infrastructure is designed to connect to the HyNet pipeline, a carbon transport and storage network under construction in the region. The scheme is valued at 200 million pounds and remains listed as a standby or expansion candidate on the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero negotiation list. Projects with this designation do not have a fixed final decision date but serve as contingency options that may benefit if capacity becomes available on the network. Other facilities on the waiting list include the Silverbirch project, Viridor’s Runcorn CCS project, and EET’s hydrogen production plant two.

Enfinium chief executive Mike Maudsley described the approval as an important milestone for the development. He stated that the facility is well positioned to support the operation of the HyNet network and that the company remains committed to working with the UK and Welsh Governments to deliver the project. Maudsley emphasised the intention to unlock economic and environmental benefits for North Wales. Olivia Powis, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, also welcomed the approval, noting that maintaining momentum in the industry is vital for developer confidence, reindustrialisation, and creating opportunities for the next generation.

HyNet aims to transport captured carbon from across North Wales and the North West of England via a 60.4 kilometre pipeline into depleted gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay. The project has received 21.7 billion pounds over 25 years, a sum shared with another government-backed project on Teeside. Other emitters connected to the network include the Encyclis incinerator and the Padeswood cement works. The scheme completed the offshore construction of the Doulgas CCS platform in Liverpool Bay last month, marking a world first for the technology.