Exolum to promote the development of a CO2 storage terminal

This infrastructure will allow industry in southwest England, the Midlands, and South Wales to connect to the UK's carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCUS) ecosystem, facilitating its adaptation to an increasingly demanding decarbonisation environment.

Within the framework of this alliance, Exolum has established the company Exolum 7CO₂, which will be responsible for the investment and development of the project, in collaboration with Servernside Carbon and Técnicas Reunidas. The future facility will be the country's first large scale CO₂ hub, designed with a fully flexible and scalable model that will allow for transport by rail and ship, thus accelerating its deployment. The terminal is expected to become operational in 2031.

Once operational, the terminal will be able to manage up to 6 million tpy of CO₂, a volume equivalent to the annual emissions of southwest England. This capacity will be key to ensuring the continuity of industrial activity and strengthening its competitiveness in the decarbonisation process.

Currently, access to government-backed CCUS infrastructure is concentrated in industrial clusters in northern England and Scotland, even though nearly 50% of the country's industrial emissions are generated outside these regions. In this context, South Wales alone accounts for around 5% of total UK carbon emissions, highlighting the need for new solutions in other industrial areas.

Furthermore, the infrastructure will contribute to the development of new sectors, such as regional data centres with zero-emission energy demands or sustainable aviation fuel projects. As a freely accessible, multimodal CO₂ terminal, the project will offer an efficient solution for energy-intensive industries to capture, transport, and store their emissions.

Exolum will provide technical and human resources to the project and will apply its operating model, based on high standards of safety and reliability, to ensure a safe, efficient, and stable supply chain for customers and partners.

Severnside Carbon will continue to collaborate as a strategic advisor, ensuring the project's continuity and facilitating dialogue with public administrations and key industry stakeholders. It will also continue to promote carbon capture-as-a-service initiatives and projects related to the regional development of sustainable aviation fuel.

Técnicas Reunidas, through its specialised low-emission solutions business unit, will act as the terminal's engineering partner and participate in the development of associated projects. This strengthens its collaboration with Exolum and expands its portfolio of CO₂ Hubs in both the UK and Spain, leveraging its experience in the design and implementation of large scale energy infrastructure projects.

Nacho Casajús , Senior Vice President of Exolum Global Energy Logistics, said: “The energy transition requires resilient, secure, and future-proof infrastructure. Through Exolum 7CO₂, we are leveraging our expertise in energy logistics to help the industry develop an independent, open, and scalable CO₂ terminal, aligned with the highest operational standards.”

Paul Davies, co-founder of Severnside Carbon, stated: “The addition of Exolum as an investor and operator is a crucial step in building trust among regional emitters and accelerating investment in carbon capture and related new industries. Their operational excellence and financial strength significantly reduce the project's execution risk.”

For his part, Joaquín Pérez de Ayala, Director of TRACK, Técnicas Reunidas' low-carbon business unit, added: “This project reinforces our commitment to industrial decarbonisation. Working from the initial stages with solid partners like Exolum and Severnside Carbon is key to making large low-emission infrastructures viable and consolidating our collaboration in the development of CO₂ Hubs.”

With this project, the companies reinforce their role as key players in the development of infrastructure for decarbonisation and advance in building a more sustainable and competitive energy system.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/tanks-terminals/06052026/exolum-to-promote-the-development-of-a-co-storage-terminal/