ABP, Sizewell to develop direct air capture facility at Lowestoft Port

Associated British Ports (ABP) and Sizewell C are developing plans to locate a direct air capture (DAC) facility at ABP’s Port of Lowestoft, which would be capable of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The project at Lowestoft is designed to demonstrate a more efficient and innovative DAC process, which would be powered principally by heat.

DAC technology uses chemical reactions to extract carbon dioxide from the air, which can then be stored. This could become a key technology for reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change, according to the partners,

Furthermore, ABP and Sizewell C have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to finalise the commercial arrangements to lease a site at the Port of Lowestoft, and the planning permission to build the facility will be sought shortly.

If the demonstrator project is successful, a permanent full-scale DAC unit could then use the heat generated from Sizewell C to extract CO2 from the air.

The full-scale DAC facility would be located at a separate location from the power station, with the heat transported through underground pipes.

Specifically, such a facility could potentially capture 1.5m tonnes of CO2 each year, ABS noted.

The plans follow the UK Government’s decision to award £3 million to Sizewell C and its partners (Birmingham University, Nottingham University, Helical, Atkins and Altrad Babcock) in 2022 as part of the Greenhouse Gas Removals competition, to develop this novel heat-assisted DAC technology.

All the engineering, design, construction and testing activities for the demonstrator unit will be carried out in the UK.

“We are delighted to be developing plans with ABP to locate the demonstrator DAC facility at the Port of Lowestoft and to help drive net zero innovation in the East of England. DAC is one part of our plan to make Sizewell C a low-carbon hub, which will help kickstart other technologies and deliver even more value to our energy system,” Sizewell C’s Managing Director for Financing, Julia Pyke, said.

“ABP’s Port of Lowestoft is very pleased to host this demonstrator DAC project, which represents a great step forward in our shared goals of achieving net zero. The project aligns closely with ABP’s recently published strategy, to achieve Net Zero by 2040, as well as SZC’s focus on the production of clean, low-carbon energy,” ABP’s Regional Director, Andrew Harston commented.