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This website provides further information about the project, including our plans for community consultation and opportunities for local residents to give us their views on the proposal.This website will be updated as the project progresses.
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Encyclis is a leader in the safe recovery of energy and other resources from waste having worked in the field for over forty years. Our state-of-the-art facilities operate across UK and Ireland taking residual waste that would otherwise be landfilled. We turn this into sustainable baseload electricity, heat and other practical resources to accelerate the circular economy of the future.
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Encyclis is making significant commitments to help build the circular economy and, in doing so, to tackle climate change. Building our proposed Carbon Capture Facility in Stewartby is an important step towards our transition to Net Zero. We are aiming to make all of our operating processes 100% circular by 2030 so that every possible resource is recovered from the residual waste we receive.
Carbon capture is designed to prevent carbon dioxide by from industrial processes from being released into the atmosphere. Our proposed Carbon Capture Facility will take the CO₂ generated from the treatment of waste within our existing Rookery South ERF and transfer this to a carbon capture and storage core network pipeline proposed by the National Infrastructure Commission. The objective is to capture the carbon dioxide emissions generated from our Rookery South ERF using this new facility.
When operational, our Carbon Capture site would prevent approximately 90% of Carbon Dioxide from the Rookery South ERF entering the atmosphere per annum.
The new facility will deliver a number of long-term high value jobs, as well as generating significant local supply chain spend during both its construction and operation.
The feedback from this consultation will inform the final design of the proposed Carbon Capture Facility. We are aiming to submit the full planning application to Central Bedfordshire Council in Early 2025. Construction of the Carbon Capture Facility is expected to take 4 years. We are committed to keeping the local community informed throughout this process and there will be further consultation following the submission of the formal planning application.
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The new Carbon Capture Facility will play a key role in helping to decarbonise the waste sector by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) gases from the existing Rookery South ERF preventing these from being released into the atmosphere.
The captured CO2 will be transferred from the Carbon Capture Facility into the national carbon capture and storage core network pipeline proposed by the National Infrastructure Commission.
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Decarbonising the waste sector is widely recognised as a key element in the UK’s transition to net zero in the fight against climate change.
The Government has set targets for decarbonising the UK’s power system by 2035 in a bid to limit the effects of climate change while maintaining security of energy supply. Carbon Capture is a key technology to enable the decarbonisation of industry in the United Kingdom.
To propel progress on carbon capture, the Government announced in October 2024 that it would provide £22bn in funding as part of its plan to combat climate change, drive regional growth and create new jobs.
Our proposed new Carbon Capture Facility will be constructed on land adjacent to our existing Rookery South ERF at Green Lane in Stewartby, should planning permission be granted.
As part of the planning application process we will be undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment. This will identify the potential for any environmental impacts resulting from the proposed development and may suggest additional recommendations to ensure protection of the local area.
Future operation of the Carbon Capture Facility will be regulated by an Environmental Permit, issued by the Environment Agency, which ensures human health, and the environment are protected.
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The proposed Carbon Capture Facility is designed to remove CO2 from the flue gas stream of the ERF. The design of the proposed Carbon Capture Facility has been informed by technical, operational and health and safety requirements.
These are illustrative purposes only and final design has yet to be agreed. We welcome your feedback to help shape preferences.
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The captured Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas will be transferred to the carbon capture and storage core network pipeline proposed by the National Infrastructure Commission.
Safety is integral to the design, construction, and operation of our proposed Carbon Capture Facility. Separate to the planning team, a specialist team of experts will comprehensively assess all aspects of safety and the securing of all necessary consents and permits to ensure the site’s safe operation.
According to industry body the Global CCS Institute, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is ‘a proven technology that has been in safe operation for over 45 years’. All components of CCS are proven technologies that have been used for decades on a commercial scale.
We are currently undertaking ecological surveys across the site and ecological input will be given to the design team to look for opportunities to enhance biodiversity and to ensure measures are put in place during construction and operation to protect wildlife and habitat.
The proposed Carbon Capture Facility is designed to remove the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the flue gases of the Rookery South ERF during it’s normal day to day operation. Detailed Air Quality assessments are currently being undertaken to model any potential impacts of the emissions and will be made available as part of the planning application. The Carbon Capture Facility will be covered by an Environmental Permit which ensure human health and the environment are protected.
Our Carbon Capture Facility will be designed to minimise noise disturbance during operation. We will undertake a detailed noise assessment to determine any special measures that will be required to ensure that we minimise construction and operational noise for local communities.
We do not anticipate that our Carbon Capture Facility will produce any noticeable odours. It is designed to capture Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gases that are harmful to the atmosphere.
There will be a temporary rise in vehicle movements through the construction period. However, this is not expected to result in a significant increase in traffic on local roads. A Construction Traffic Management Plan and a Construction Worker Travel Plan will be prepared to reduce potential impacts. Once in operation, HGV vehicle movements relating to the Carbon Capture Facility are expected to fall within the current consented HGV movements of the ERF.
The Carbon Capture Facility is designed to capture the entire flue gas stream from Rookery South ERF, which will first be cooled, in direct contact coolers (DCC) in order for the CO₂ to be absorbed in absorber columns by an amine solution, with the treated flue gas safely released to the atmosphere.
The captured CO₂ will be removed from the amine solution in stripper towers by reheating the amine solution with steam.
The captured CO₂ is then compressed, and the moisture removed to allow for onward transport of the CO₂ via NIC pipeline likely to a sub-sea storage area. The amine solution is recirculated back to the absorber column for reuse in the process in closed loop cycle.
Amine-based carbon capture is an established and commercially available technology, having been used in the petroleum sector since 1996 and in the coal-fired power industry since 2014.
The technology uses an amine-solvent to scrub CO2 from the flue gas. The flue gas is initially fed into an absorption column, where the solvent selectively removes the CO2. The CO2-rich solvent is then fed into a stripper column, where it is heated to release the CO2, which is compressed before being sent for geological storage or onward use.
As an amine-based CCUS facility, a very small amount of amine-related emissions will be produced.
Any emissions will be minimised through incorporation in the absorber tower of a range of abatement technologies such as water and acid washes. These abatement systems will comply with Government’s ‘Best Available Techniques’ advice in releasing any emissions, as per:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/post-combustion-carbon-dioxide-capture-best-available-techniques-bat
Critically, the facility will also operate within the boundaries set by an Environmental Permit determined by the Environment Agency. This will set strict limits on emissions to minimise any environmental impact or risk to human health.
The main features required to run the Carbon Capture Facility include:
According to industry body the Global CCS Institute, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is ‘a proven technology that has been in safe operation for over 45 years. It adds that all components of CCS are proven technologies that have been used for decades on a commercial scale.
We plan to capture circa 570,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the neighbouring ERF on an annual basis, representing up to 95% of its CO₂ emissions and is the equivalent of removing c.300,000 cars from the road per year.
The Rookery South Carbon Capture Facility is designed to remove almost all of the CO2 from the flue gases of the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) during it’s normal day to day operation.
Due to the carbon capture process, it is not possible to capture the CO₂ produced whilst the ERF is starting up or cooling down.
The CO2 from the carbon capture plant will be compressed and injected directly into a pipeline onsite from where it will be transported into a NIC pipeline. As part of the planning application assessments RSL are looking at road tanker transportation as a “back-up” should the pipeline not be readily available.
Due to our proximity to Cranfield airport we will use lighting on the new stacks, similar to how we have lit the existing stacks on site.
Other lighting on the site will be subject to a lighting study to optimise the amount and intensity of lighting to provide only what is needed operationally and minimise the spill of light into surrounding areas.
It's not in our interests to spend money on lighting equipment or the associated electricity needed to operate it to light areas of the site unnecessarily.
The Carbon Capture process will generate some water as the flue gas is cooled (DCC Condensate). However any excess water will be reused in the ERF resulting in no process water discharge to the environment.
Surface water drainage design will also be developed as part of the proposal but linked to the existing drainage strategy for Rookery Pit.
The Facility has been designed to minimise the noise disturbance throughout its operation. A detailed noise assessment will determine any special materials required for building construction to minimise any noise.
The proposed development will be similar in size and scale to existing ERF.
There will be 3 new stacks, one with small vent pipework externally attached. Equipment will be housed in buildings of up to 18m in height. In addition to external equipment such as strippers, absorbers, and direct cool condensers.
It is intended that external building materials will be chosen to maximise visual consistency with the ERF.
The Rookery South Carbon Capture Facility is designed to remove almost all of the CO2 from the flue gases of the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) during it’s normal day to day operation. Detailed Air Quality assessments are being undertaken to model the impact of the emissions to ensure that the inclusion of the CC Facility will not result in any significant impacts on human health and the environment and will not add any new emissions.
The Carbon Capture Facility isn’t expected to produce any noticeable odours and is designed to capture CO2 gases that are harmful to the atmosphere.
There will be a temporary rise in vehicle movements through the construction period.
When the plant is operational vehicle movements will be associated with site staff and the delivery of amine solution.
The access to site will be via the existing haul road off Green Lane.
It is anticipated operational vehicles will follow the same HGV routing agreement as the existing ERF.
Once operational, there will be minimal deliveries to the Carbon Capture Facility, there is expected to be:
- 1 HGV delivery per day on average (2 HGV movements) and up to a maximum of 5 HGV deliveries (10 HGV movements) per day assuming all consumables are delivered on the same day.
A maximum of 15 HGV deliveries per calendar month is anticipated.
An EIA Scoping Request is due to be submitted for the site (Nov 24), although not a planning application, it is required to determine the extent of matters that should be considered in the Environment Statement to be submitted alongside the planning application.
Following public consultation and further design work, we expect then to submit the full planning application in spring 2025.
Works are unlikely to begin on site until the Government has set firm plans for the onward transport of CO2 via their proposed pipeline network.
It is anticipated that construction of the CCF would take up to 4 years.
Detailed design of the foundations for the proposed CC facility has not yet been undertaken and data on the ground conditions on the site is in the process of being gathered and assessed. However, based on other construction in the area, including the ERF, it's likely that the foundations will need to be piled. Measures will be taken to minimise the potential for noise from the piling works becoming a nuisance. We will comply with any working hours and noise restrictions stipulated in any Planning Permission that may be granted for the project.
The Carbon Capture Facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to effectively capture carbon whilst the ERF is operating – not accounting for scheduled maintenance works.
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Please feel free to join us at our Visitor Centre, learn more about our project, ask any questions that you might have and share your feedback with us.
We will be holding two consultation events at our Rookery South Visitor Centre at Green Lane, Stewartby
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We welcome public feedback on the proposal prior to moving forward with our plans.