Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power

Meeting the need for low carbon, flexible electricity generation
Non-statutory consultation - feedback form

Monday 26 February 2024 to Monday 25 March 2024

Introduction

Uniper is planning to develop a new, highly efficient low carbon power station with carbon capture technology at its Connah’s Quay site in Flintshire, North Wales. If consented and developed, the project would be able to flexibly and reliably generate low carbon power to meet the growing need for electricity, whenever it is required.

If consented, the new power station is expected to be developed in two phases; with an initial capacity of around 550MW of low carbon power, and later expansion to 1.1GW.

From completion of phase one, the project could supply enough electricity to power the equivalent of up to 1.4 million homes a year. Phase one could potentially be operational by 2030.

We are consulting on our proposed project from Monday 26 February 2024 to Monday 25 March 2024. This consultation gives you an opportunity to provide feedback and insight at an early stage, ahead of more detailed design work being carried out.

Following this round of engagement there will be a further, formal opportunity to comment on our proposals at our statutory consultation prior to the submission of our development consent order application to the Planning Inspectorate.

Please complete this form to let us know your thoughts. If you have any problems or need any assistance, please call us on 0800 012 9156 or email us at info@connahsquaylcp.co.uk.

The deadline for responses to the consultation to be received by Uniper is 11:59pm on Monday 25 March 2024.

Overview

This feedback form is part of our consultation materials, which include a Consultation Brochure and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report.

All of our consultation materials, including this feedback form, can be found including this feedback form can be found on our consultation website: www.uniperuk.consulting/cqlcp/. Our website also contains details of how you can access hard copy information, should you wish to do so. All materials are also available in Welsh.

We recommend that you read our Consultation Brochure to help you provide feedback on our proposals. You may also want to refer to the EIA Scoping Report for more detailed information.

What we are consulting on

This consultation is being conducted while the project is at a very early stage. Detailed information about the design of the power station, the potential layout of the site, and associated developments, may not be available at this time. However, we are interested to know about your views the project as a whole, and what you think we should consider as we develop our proposals further.

In particular, we are interested to know your views about:

  • the need for the project and whether you agree with developing a new low carbon power station;
  • the project site, including the suitability of our Connah’s Quay site for a new low carbon power station, and our initial assumptions about the project layout;
  • the studies and assessments that we will undertake as part of our EIA and whether there is anything else that we should consider;
  • any additional measures you think we should consider in our proposals; and
  • any local issues or sensitivities that we should be aware of.

In the coming months, we will be conducting a wide range of studies and technical assessments, to help inform the detailed design of Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power. We are particularly interested to hear about any potential impacts of the project which you feel should be assessed at this stage.

Section One: About you

Your details help us to understand who has responded to our consultation, including whether you represent any organisations, whether you have a professional interest in the project, and where you live relative to the site. This data will help us to understand how different groups of the community may be affected by the project, and how to potentially improve our consultation in future.

Please see our Privacy Notice below for details on how we will use your data.

Age range:







Please tick this box if you do not wish to receive updates from us following this consultation


1. How would you describe your interest in our proposals?

(Please tick all that apply









If you have named an organisation, please confirm this below, ensuring you have the authorisation to do so.



2. Are there any particular aspects of the Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project that you are most interested in or that you would like to know more about?



Tick as many boxes as apply










Section Two: the need for the project and potential benefits it could bring

This section of the feedback form relates to information contained in the introduction and project background sections of the Consultation Brochure. The questions relate to the reason that Uniper is considering developing a new low carbon power station and the potential benefits that it could bring.

Uniper is proposing to develop a new combined cycle gas turbine power station with carbon capture technology, known as the Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power (CQLCP) project. This would help ensure we continue to provide flexible and reliable electricity generation, whilst capturing carbon emissions and supporting the UK’s transition to a low carbon energy system.

Need for the project

1. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: Climate change is an important issue and action should be taken to address it.







2. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: The UK needs to develop new low carbon gas fired power stations, alongside an increased roll out of other low carbon technologies such as wind, solar and nuclear, to ensure secure and stable supplies of electricity at all times.







3. Based on the information you have seen so far, do you support the development of new gas fired power stations with carbon capture and storage technology?







4. At this early stage of the project, do you support the development of a new gas fired low carbon power station, with carbon capture and storage technology at Connah’s Quay?







5. Which of the potential benefits of Connah’s Quay do you think are the most important? Please rank each option in order of importance, with 1 as the ‘most important’, to 4 as the ‘least important’, or select ‘I don’t think any of these are benefits’.

Further option:


6. Do you have any other comments relating to the need for a new low carbon power station or the benefits that it could deliver? Please provide any additional comments below.

Section Three: The proposed location of Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power

The questions relate to the suitability of the existing Connah’s Quay power station site for a new low carbon power station, and the potential layout of the facility within the site.

Connah’s Quay is an ideal location to establish a low carbon power station – it would connect into nearby CO2 transport and storage infrastructure as part of the HyNet Cluster, and benefits from the on-hand expertise of the existing highly skilled workforce. There has also been a power station on site for over 70 years, meaning essential energy infrastructure is already in place.

1. Please indicate how suitable you believe the existing Connah’s Quay site is to develop a new low carbon power station?







Please use the space below to explain your answer.

2. Please indicate how suitable you believe the proposed indicative layout of the site would be?







Please use the space below to explain your answer.

3. Do you have any other comments relating to the potential location of a new low carbon power station at the existing Connah’s Quay site, or about the proposed site layout? In particular, are there any possible impacts or issues relating to the proposed location that we should be aware of? Please provide any additional comments below.

Section Four: The proposals for Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power

This section of the feedback form relates to information contained in the Our Proposals section of the Consultation Brochure. The questions relate to the infrastructure that Uniper is considering developing as part of Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project.

The project is at an early stage of development, and our proposals may be subject to change, but it is initially expected to consist of:

  • a new 1.1 GW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station;
  • integrated carbon capture technology to enable CO2 emissions from the CCGT to be collected; and
  • a connection to regional CO2 infrastructure as part of the HyNet industrial cluster, which would enable the captured CO2 to be transported to permanent offshore storage facilities in repurposed depleted offshore gas fields.

1. Based on the information that has been provided, do you support the development of a new gas fired power station with carbon capture technology, which would be able to flexibly and reliably generate low carbon electricty to meet the growing need for power, whenever it is required?







Please use the space below to explain your answer.

2. Do you have any other comments relating to the initial proposals to develop a combined cycle gas turbine power station? In particular are there any possible impacts or issues relating to the proposed technology that we should be aware of. Please provide any additional comments below.

3. Based on the information you have been provided, do you support the development of carbon capture and storage technology, which would capture up to 95% of the CO2 emissions from the proposed power station and store them permanently in repurposed depleted offshore gas fields?







Please use the space below to explain your answer.

4. Do you have any other comments relating to the initial proposals to develop carbon capture and storage technology as part of the Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project? In particular are there any possible impacts or issues relating to the proposed technology that we should be aware of. Please add any additional comments below.

Section Five: Environmental Impact Assessment and Scoping

This section of the feedback form relates to information contained in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Scoping section of the Consultation Brochure, and in the EIA Scoping Report. The questions relate to the studies and technical assessments that Uniper will undertake in the months to come to understand potential impacts of the project and to inform the design of the power station.

The assessments to be included within the EIA and presented in the Environmental Statement will consider and assess the possible ‘worst-case’ effects of the project as it pertains to each environmental topic. To understand these potential impacts from a range of perspectives, we are conducting various studies including, but not limited to, the following areas:

  • Landscape and visual impacts
  • Ecology and biodiversity
  • Air quality
  • Cultural heritage
  • Ground conditions
  • Noise and vibration
  • Water and flood risk
  • Traffic and transport

1. Are there any potential impacts of the proposed Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project that you would like us to consider and assess? Please use the space below to state any potential impacts that you think are particularly important and we should be aware of.

2. Are there any topics that you feel may not be included in our list of potential impacts?



Please explain your answer

Section Six: Any other comments

We would welcome any other comments you would like to make about the Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project. Please use the space below to address any topics not covered elsewhere in the feedback form.

Section Seven: About the consultation

1. How did you hear about the consultation?







2. How informative did you find our consultation materials?







3. Did you attend either a consultation exhibition or a virtual webinar?



4. If yes, how informative did you find the event you attended?







5. Would you like to hear more about any specific issues?



6. Do you have any comments on how we could improve the accessibility of our consultation materials, including our brochure?



7. Do you need any additional support to help you participate in future consultation activity for this project?



Get in touch

If you have any additional comments, feedback or would like to get in touch with the project team, please email us at info@connahsquaylcp.co.uk or call us on 0800 012 9156.

Data protection

Your comments will be analysed by Uniper and its appointed agents. Copies may be made available, in due course, to Flintshire County Council and other relevant statutory authorities so that your comments can be considered as part of the development consent order application and examination process. Responses may therefore be made public. However, your personal details will not be placed on public record. Uniper and its appointed agents will hold your personal details securely in accordance with all applicable data protection legislation and will use them solely in connection with the consultation process and subsequent development consent order application and, except as noted above, they will not be passed to third parties. Please refer to our Privacy Notice for more details: www.uniper.energy/privacy-policy.