New carbon capturing power station in Flintshire could create jobs

A new power station which could capture its carbon emissions would create hundreds of jobs, the UK government had said.

Connah’s Quay Power Station in Flintshire has been identified as a priority to join Hynet, a cluster of industries in north Wales and England aiming to capture vast amounts of carbon and store it in depleted gas fields under the sea bed.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens described it as “another significant moment for the growing clean energy industry in Wales”.

But Dr Jennifer Baxter, of Industry Wales, said projects to help deliver net-zero carbon emissions in Wales often felt “like they’re taking much longer than we might like them to”.

Power has been produced at Connah’s Quay since the 1950s. The UK government is now negotiating to include the site in the Hynet programme.

Subject to funding being in place and consent being granted, the existing gas power station would be replaced by a new – also gas-powered facility – capable of capturing up to 95% of its carbon emissions.

The site’s owners, Uniper, claimed the project would create an average of about 600 full-time construction jobs, with 60 skilled staff being employed after completion.

Mike Lockett, the UK chairman of Uniper, said north Wales and the Hynet region “has massive potential to be a leader, not only in the UK but potentially a world leader for decarbonisation”.

Jenifer Baxter, chief executive of Industry Wales, said it was a challenge to deliver net zero “as quickly as we might like to, due to complexities to our regulatory framework”.

If approved, it is thought construction could start from 2027 onwards, with phase one of the new power station possibly being operational by 2030.