Client
enfinium
Services
Purpose of work
As part of the UK Government’s ambition for CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) and the transition to a low‑carbon economy, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) launched an application process for prospective CCUS projects to join the HyNet transport and storage network cluster.
Successful projects would gain approval to connect to the HyNet Cluster and secure government funding support, helping to unlock investment in clean energy infrastructure.
enfinium, which operates a number of energy-from-waste plants in England and Wales, was seeking to develop a carbon capture plant alongside their plant at Parc Adfer in Deeside, North Wales. The proposed development included plans to connect the carbon capture plant directly to the HyNet Cluster via a purpose-built onshore pipeline.
The application process required an assessment of the economic benefits associated with the proposed development, including jobs, supply chain activity, and wider economic impacts. An understanding of the potential socio-economic benefits was also required to support future planning applications and demonstrate the value of the project to the local and regional economy.
How we supported enfinium
Hardisty Jones undertook an economic impact assessment to support enfinium’s bid to government, focusing on how the proposed low‑carbon development would contribute to economic growth.
At the time, the Government’s priorities in CCUS surrounded UK procurement in CCUS construction and operation supply chains, SMEs in supply chains, and skills.
We tailored our assessment to consider these factors and to ensure the outputs clearly demonstrated the economic benefits of the project, while also meeting the needs of potential future planning applications. Our assessment included:
- Assessment of the number and quality of jobs
- Supply chain impacts
- Investment in skills
- Wider economic benefits
Number and quality of jobs
To this day, no industrial‑scale CCUS project has been fully constructed and operational in the UK, meaning many of the relevant technologies and activities associated with constructing a carbon capture plant are still emerging.
This presented challenges in assessing employment, supply chain and skills impacts, given the inherent uncertainties associated with a project of this scale.
We addressed these challenges by working closely with project managers and engineers to develop a detailed understanding of the full scope of construction activities, including the required equipment, materials, technologies, and design and engineering inputs.
This enabled us to demonstrate the economic impacts of the project on UK and local construction, engineering and supply chain sectors in terms of jobs.
An assessment of direct permanent roles and indirect supply chain jobs helped demonstrate the long term economic benefits of the proposed development to the local area. To add further weight, our assessment found that the carbon capture plant would create well paid and highly skilled jobs locally, while also helping to safeguard jobs at the existing energy from waste plant.
Supply chain impacts
A more detailed understanding of potential economic impacts required further analysis of sectoral capacity and SMEs in relevant CCUS supply chain sectors in local areas and across the region.
Based on enfinium’s targets for UK procurement, the anticipated economic impact of supply chain activity was assessed, supported by plans for a local content strategy aimed at maximising local, regional, and UK participation.
A high level Economic Regeneration and Social Value (ERSV) framework was developed, setting out how the Parc Adfer project would support economic growth through engagement with local people and businesses.
This included support for local employment, apprenticeships, SME suppliers, and wider economic development initiatives, alongside a methodology for calculating annual social value benefits. The framework was informed by enfinium’s wider ESG activities.
Investment in skills
A driving reason for understanding investment in skills was to ensure local residents could access the jobs created by the development, helping to maximise the local economic benefits of the project.
We reviewed evidence of key skills and labour gaps across the CCUS sector, and set out enfinium’s commitments to recruitment, training and career progression pathways linked to the ERSV framework.
We also identified potential links with local education and training providers, and highlighted the long term economic benefits of developing skills and capabilities within the workforce delivering the project, supporting future low‑carbon developments in the UK.
Wider economic benefits
enfinium wanted to understand and evidence the full picture of economic and socio-economic benefits associated with the carbon capture plant at Parc Adfer.
This meant aligning the project with local and regional economic development strategies, outlining the economic contribution of enfinium’s existing operations, and considering how the project could help address local socio-economic challenges.
We also demonstrated how the development of carbon capture skills, supply chains, and expertise would deliver longer term economic benefits, supporting growth in the UK’s low‑carbon economy.
Outcome
In 2025, the carbon capture plant at Parc Adfer was confirmed as having passed the deliverability assessment, shortlisting phase and meeting the government’s CCUS ambitions. The project is a ‘standby’ project to the HyNet Cluster, with promotion to ‘priority’ status dependent on further assessment of network capacity.
Supported by the economic impact assessment, enfinium submitted a Town and Country Planning Application to Flintshire County Council in October 2025 and is awaiting the outcome.
