Spirit Energy, a Centrica business, has announced a major milestone in the development of the Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ) Peak Cluster project, the world’s largest cement decarbonisation project. The UK’s North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has advanced the project into the Assess Phase under carbon storage licence (CS010), a key step toward preparing a permit application for underground CO₂ storage.
The project aims to repurpose the depleted North Morecambe and South Morecambe gas fields in the East Irish Sea for long-term carbon dioxide storage once gas production ends later this decade. Recent high-resolution 3D seismic surveys have confirmed the fields’ suitability for the safe storage of approximately 1 billion tonnes of CO₂.
Under the project plans, up to 3 million tonnes of CO₂ per year will be transported and permanently stored from four cement and lime plants located in central England. According to the project partners, the initiative could help decarbonise the equivalent of 40 % of the UK’s cement and lime industry emissions.
Executives at Centrica and Spirit Energy highlighted the project’s strategic importance for the UK’s energy transition. By repurposing existing gas infrastructure for carbon storage, the MNZ Peak Cluster project is expected to support the long-term future of key industrial sectors and contribute to the country's net-zero goals.
