Peak Cluster

Overview: Currently, the cement and lime industry emits around 7Mt of Carbon Dioxide every year (MPA data from 2018). In the near future, the cement and lime industry will be subject to the Emissions Trading Scheme; in addition the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will take effect in 2027 in order to try and level the playing field for indigenous cement and lime production facilities. 

Peak Cluster involves 3 cement production facilities and 1 lime production facility located in and around the Peak District. Each facility will fit carbon capture equipment to their operations. A pipeline route, which is effectively the NSIP,  then heads west toward the Wirral peninsula before entering Morecambe Net Zero operated by Spirit energy. 

 

Background:  

Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, the world’s most widely used material – the foundation for our everyday lives and indeed almost all construction projects around the world. 

As we move into a low carbon future, it is an economic necessity to transition how we produce the UK’s essential materials. 

Peak Cluster will: 

• Create, and safeguard, thousands of jobs 

• Secure the long-term future for the UK’s cement and lime industry 

• Produce a ‘homegrown’ supply of sustainable cement and lime – vital for building homes, infrastructure, and ensuring safe drinking water 

• Supply the growing export market for low-carbon cement 

• Prevent over 3 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year 

• Build infrastructure to unlock low carbon industry across the region 

 
The UK concrete and cement industry has launched a roadmap to become net negative by 2050, removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits each year. 

The UK concrete and cement sector has cut carbon emissions by more than 50% since 1990. In 2018, UK carbon dioxide emissions from concrete and cement were 7.3 million tonnes, approximately 1.5% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Now, in an unprecedented and collective commitment to tackling climate change, UK concrete and cement has become the first foundation industry to develop a roadmap to go beyond net zero by 2050. 

 

 

Following in-depth studies, UK Concrete – the branch of the MPA which represents the UK concrete and cement industry – has identified that net zero can be met through decarbonised electricity and transport networks, further fuel switching, greater use of low-carbon cements and concretes, as well as Carbon Capture, Use or Storage (CCUS) technology for cement manufacture. For the first time, the ‘Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero’ calculates the potential of each technology and the carbon savings which can be achieved. 

 

Approach: Ardent has been instructed to lead the Development Consent Order (DCO) process which involves integrating a number of strategic workstreams to ensure a coherent and acceptable submission is made to the Planning Inspectorate. 

Within this, Ardent has been responsible for integrating the Land, Environment, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), communication and engagement workstreams as well as the relevant legal teams. 

The role involves taking accountability for the key deliverables associated with the DCO process and moving the project through Scoping, non-statutory and statutory consultation to submission, acceptance and into examination. 

Peak Cluster Limited includes each of the cement and lime operators (Breedon, Tarmac, Holcim and Buxton Lime), and a number of investors including the National Wealth Fund and also the Japanese conglomerate, Sumitomo. 

 

Benefits 

Peak Cluster, in its first phase, will remove around 3Mt of carbon dioxide from the cement and lime industries operating in and around the Peak district. The benefits are significant, as well as moving toward decarbonising the processing and fuel use associated with cement and lime, Peak Cluster also will also provide downstream benefits resulting in lower carbon emissions associated with construction projects utilising low carbon materials and aggregates.