Hundreds of protesters march on giant Net Zero pipeline

With a cost estimate of up to £5billion, the project aims to balance the needs of the cement industry, which is notoriously difficult to decarbonise, with the demands of Net Zero. But the project has met fierce opposition from locals and politicians who complain about the scale and location of the scheme.

Concerns have been raised over the size of the infrastructure, the impact on the rural landscape and also the safety implications of transporting high pressure CO2 near residential areas.

Wirral Council, Derbyshire County Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council have each voted to oppose the pipeline scheme.

Wirral Reform councillor, Kathy Hodson, has said she was willing to "lay in the mud naked" to prevent land being dug up.

On Sunday, thousands of campaigners walked in relay along the proposed route today to signal their opposition.

The Great Pipeline Walk was organised by Action Against Carbon Capture Storage (AACCS).

The project has met fierce opposition from locals and politicians who complain about the scale and location of the scheme

AACCS

Participants walked, ran or cycled three to six mile segments, marking the route from the High Peak in Derbyshire to the Wirral.

Ruth George, Derbyshire County Councillor for Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith, said: “The aim of the ‘Pipewalk’ is to raise awareness of Peak Cluster’s proposals, the impact they will have on our environment, and the way in which the pipeline is routed directly above so many of our communities, posing a lethal risk in the event of a leak of carbon dioxide.

“Many people have concerns and we are aiming to bring communities together.”

Organisers have said that their opposition is not to clean energy or Net Zero targets but to the Peak Cluster scheme specifically. Because of its scale, any decisions on the scheme’s future will be taken by Westminster, rather than local planners.

The ‘pipe walk’, participants said, showed that “communities still have a voice” and was meant as an act of solidarity, not protest.

Speaking after the walk, a spokeswoman said: “People did not turn out simply because of house prices or what might happen on their own doorstep. They came because they care about something much bigger.

“They care about our environment. Our ecology. Our wildlife. Our countryside. And the species that cannot stand up and speak for themselves.

“There remain serious questions surrounding the Peak Cluster proposals, including pipeline safety, emergency planning, environmental impacts and the short and long-term financial implications for the taxpayer.

The ‘pipe walk’, participants said, showed that 'communities still have a voice'

AACCS

“Communities along the proposed route want those questions properly answered.

“The pipe walk was about something else, too. It was about showing that communities still have a voice.

“From one end of the proposed route to the other, people stepped outside their front doors and stood alongside people they may never have met, but with whom they share a common purpose.

“Thousands of people across five counties came together in solidarity with one clear message: NO to the Peak Cluster pipeline.”

Peak Cluster has previously promised that it will work with experts to minimise the environmental impact of the pipeline.

To safety concerns, it has said that the project would be regulated by the Health and Safety Executive and pointed out that “the UK has a wealth of experience in designing, constructing and operating pipelines for gas”.

The land will be restored once the pipe is laid, it says, and the project would prevent three million tonnes of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere every year.

David Parkin, Chair of Peak Cluster, told GB News earlier this year: “We recognise that this infrastructure could affect communities along the route, and we do not take that lightly.

“However, it plays a critical role in reducing the UK’s industrial emissions and enabling the continued production of materials that society depends on in a more sustainable way.”

Because certain industrial sectors, including cement, are almost impossible to decarbonise entirely, carbon capture is seen as a route to reaching Net Zero without having to curtail production.

Industrialist Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s energy firm, Ineos, has recently opened a carbon storage scheme in Denmark.

He said he had hoped to develop a scheme in the UK but there had been a lack of Government support.

The Government has committed £21.7billion to carbon capture projects over the next 25 years.