HyNet

What HyNet does

HyNet North West is an industrial decarbonisation consortium developing integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) and low-carbon hydrogen production infrastructure across North West England and North Wales. The project is managed by Progressive Energy Limited, a private limited company registered in England and Wales (company number 03620177) headquartered in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, with the consortium's operating footprint anchored at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex. HyNet's core technology comprises CCS infrastructure using an 80km steel pipeline to transport captured CO2 from multiple industrial sites to permanent storage in Liverpool Bay's depleted offshore gas fields, alongside natural gas-based hydrogen production with the CO2 by-product routed to the same storage backbone. A planned hydrogen distribution pipeline from Stanlow into Manchester and Liverpool will supply industrial customers and, via blending at up to 20% volume, approximately 2 million homes and small businesses, with underground salt caverns in Cheshire providing strategic hydrogen storage.

HyNet serves large industrial customers across cement (Heidelberg Materials), glass (Pilkington, Encirc), aluminium recycling (Novelis), chemicals (Tata Chemicals, INOVYN), refining (Essar), and energy from waste (Viridor, Encyclis, Protos). Core strategic partners include Cadent Gas (distribution), EET Hydrogen (production), Eni (CO2 transport and storage), and Essar/Vertex Hydrogen (production at Stanlow). The project was selected by the UK Government as a Track 1 Industry Cluster in October 2021 and has secured £72 million in initial government funding; total combined partner investment exceeds £3 billion across projects in construction or development.

HyNet operates as a funded consortium rather than a traditional commercial entity, with revenue mechanics expected to derive from infrastructure access fees, hydrogen sales under multi-year offtake agreements, and continued public and partner capital. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting large industrial decarbonisation contracts, with distribution via direct pipeline connections to industrial sites and the future hydrogen gas network to domestic customers. Targeted outcomes include reducing regional CO2 emissions by 25% (over 1 million tonnes annually), creating 2,000 jobs through carbon capture, and establishing the UK's first full-scale CCUS industrial cluster.

Name

HyNet

Legal name

Progressive Energy Limited

Website

https://hynet.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HyNet is a UK industrial decarbonisation consortium developing carbon capture and storage infrastructure and a low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution network for heavy industry across North West England and North Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Decarbonisation Infrastructure (Carbon Capture & Hydrogen)

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Combustion Facilities (BPALACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hydrogen Storage Materials & Solid-State Storage (Metal Hydrides, Adsorbents) (EUAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Carbon capture storage
• Low carbon hydrogen
• Industrial decarbonization
• Hydrogen pipeline infrastructure
• Carbon dioxide transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stonehouse

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Access Fees: HyNet operates as a funded consortium/project rather than a traditional commercial venture. Revenue is derived from government funding, industrial partner contributions, and infrastructure access fees from companies connecting to the hydrogen and carbon capture network. The project has been awarded £72 million of government funding.
2. Hydrogen Sales: Sale of low carbon hydrogen to industrial customers including glass, cement, chemical, and manufacturing companies. Companies sign hydrogen offtake agreements to transition their operations to hydrogen-fueled processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HyNet is a UK industrial decarbonisation infrastructure project that develops and operates Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) systems and low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution networks. It captures CO2 emissions from industrial sites and transports them via an 80km steel pipeline for permanent storage in Liverpool Bay former gas fields. It also produces low-carbon hydrogen at Stanlow, distributes it via pipeline networks to industrial customers and (eventually) approximately 2 million homes, and stores it in Cheshire salt caverns.

Product overview

HyNet is an industrial decarbonisation infrastructure project comprising interconnected carbon capture and hydrogen production systems. The core portfolio includes carbon dioxide capture plants at multiple industrial sites (energy-from-waste, cement), an 80km CCS pipeline to Liverpool Bay storage, hydrogen production at Stanlow, hydrogen pipeline networks, underground salt cavern storage in Cheshire, and hydrogen gas blending for domestic use. The project aims to reduce regional carbon emissions by a quarter through these integrated infrastructure components, creating the UK's first CCUS infrastructure on existing Liverpool Bay oil and gas fields.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liverpool Bay Carbon Capture and Storage An 80km steel CO2 pipeline carrying captured carbon dioxide from multiple industrial sites to a Point of Ayr terminal, with permanent geological storage in Liverpool Bay former gas fields beneath the seabed. Designed for industrial-scale CCS at the HyNet cluster.
• Protos ERF Carbon Capture Facility The UK's first full-scale carbon capture plant for energy-from-waste (EfW), under construction at the Protos site to capture CO2 emissions from waste-to-energy operations for transport and storage via the Liverpool Bay CCS network.
• Padeswood Carbon Capture and Storage Carbon capture facility at Heidelberg Materials' Padeswood cement plant in North Wales — the UK's first planning permission for a cement carbon capture plant. Captures process CO2 emissions from cement manufacturing for transport and storage via the Liverpool Bay CCS pipeline.
• Stanlow Hydrogen Production Plant 1 (Vertex Hydrogen) Hydrogen production facility under development at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex (by EET Hydrogen / Vertex Hydrogen). Converts natural gas into low-carbon hydrogen for industrial supply; the CO2 by-product is captured and routed to the Liverpool Bay CCS pipeline for permanent storage.
• Hydrogen Pipeline Network (Stanlow – Manchester – Liverpool) New-build hydrogen distribution pipeline network stretching from Stanlow Manufacturing Complex into Manchester and Liverpool, linking hydrogen production with industrial customers, power generation, and ultimately domestic consumers. Developed with Cadent Gas.
• Cheshire Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Underground salt cavern storage facilities in Cheshire for strategic hydrogen reserves, providing flexibility for periods of high demand, supporting flexible power generation, and enabling domestic heat decarbonisation.
• Hydrogen Gas Blending for Domestic Supply Delivery of blended hydrogen and natural gas (up to 20% hydrogen by volume) through the existing gas grid to approximately 2 million homes and small businesses in the North West. Reduces residential and small business carbon emissions from heating without requiring changes to existing gas appliances.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce regional carbon dioxide emissions by 25%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Progressive Energy LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages the HyNet website and acts as the primary consortium coordinator. Registered in England and Wales, Progressive Energy leads the HyNet initiative.
• Cadent GascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGas distribution network operator developing the hydrogen distribution pipeline from Stanlow into Manchester and Liverpool.
• EET HydrogencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping hydrogen production at Stanlow Manufacturing Complex with front-end engineering design underway.
• EnicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company providing CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure using Liverpool Bay oil and gas fields.
• EssarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company at Stanlow Manufacturing Complex investing in hydrogen production and developing Vertex Hydrogen low carbon hydrogen hub.
• Heidelberg MaterialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCement manufacturer developing carbon capture and storage project at their cement facility.
• ViridorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaste management and energy company developing carbon capture at energy recovery facilities.
• EncycliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy from waste company building carbon capture facility at Encirc's energy recovery facility.
• INOVYNmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemical company exploring hydrogen use for low-carbon chemical manufacturing processes.
• EncircmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlass manufacturer with carbon capture being built by Encyclis at their facility; major hydrogen consumer.
• Pilkington GlassmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor glass manufacturer already using hydrogen for low-carbon glass making.
• Tata ChemicalsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemical company developing hydrogen technologies for manufacturing processes.
• NovelismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAluminum recycler already using hydrogen for low-carbon aluminum recycling.
• UnipermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company developing hydrogen technologies.
• Liverpool City Region Combined AuthoritycoreOthersRegional public sector authority providing support for the HyNet project.
• Greater Manchester Combined AuthoritycoreOthersRegional public sector authority supporting the HyNet initiative.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ørsted: Global offshore wind leader expanding into green hydrogen production via projects like Green Fuels for Europe. Comparable to HyNet's low-carbon hydrogen production strategy from the perspective of a major renewable energy developer entering industrial hydrogen offtake.
• Linde: Global industrial gases leader with significant hydrogen, CCS, and clean energy infrastructure projects worldwide. Comparable to HyNet's hydrogen supply and CO2 capture operations as a scaled incumbent with overlapping decarbonization capabilities.
• Air Products: Global industrial gases major with the world's largest blue and green hydrogen project portfolio. Comparable to HyNet's hydrogen production and supply business as a broader incumbent spanning multiple geographies and end uses.
• Equinor: Norwegian energy major leading Northern Lights CCS and developing blue hydrogen (H2M Saltend). Comparable to HyNet's integrated CCS and hydrogen strategy through its Northern Lights participation and broader UK/European hydrogen ambitions.

Direct peers

• ITM Power: UK-listed electrolyzer manufacturer and hydrogen production project developer building green hydrogen plants for industrial and mobility applications. Comparable to HyNet's hydrogen production and offtake activities for industrial decarbonization in the UK.
• East Coast Cluster: The other UK Track 1 industrial decarbonization cluster, developing CCS and hydrogen infrastructure for the Teesside and Humber industrial regions. Directly comparable to HyNet as a same-stage, same-model UK CCS cluster with shared government backing and industrial offtake structure.
• Harbour Energy: UK independent oil and gas operator with explicit CCS ambitions in its transition strategy, including Viking CCS and other UK projects. Comparable to HyNet's reliance on Eni's Liverpool Bay assets as an oil and gas operator pivoting into CO2 storage infrastructure.
• Northern Lights: Norwegian CCS joint venture (Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies) operating CO2 transport and storage infrastructure beneath the North Sea. Comparable to HyNet's Liverpool Bay CO2 storage and 80km pipeline as a cross-border CCS infrastructure platform serving industrial emitters.
• Storegga: UK-based CCS developer leading the Acorn project in Scotland, focused on CO2 transport and storage for UK and European industrial emitters. Directly comparable to HyNet as a UK-headquartered CCS infrastructure project pursuing shared storage and industrial offtake.

Emerging players

• Johnson Matthey: UK chemicals and hydrogen technology company providing catalysts and licensing for hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol production. Comparable to HyNet's hydrogen production activities as a key UK technology enabler for the hydrogen value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hynetnw
• Xx.com/hynetnw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HyNetN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HyNet