Esther McVey has accused the government of keeping the public in the dark over the proposed Peak Cluster project – as minsters double down claiming the project is not funded by government.
The125 mile pipeline will capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, pressurise it, then transfer it 125 miles across Cheshire and the Wirral to be stored in depleted gas fields under the seabed.
Ms McVey said communities feel ignored, and despite repeatedly asking government for answers, she has been met with a brick wall and the response that it is a private venture and nothing to do government. She wants Peak Cluster stopped.
Speaking in a debate she secured on the issue in Parliament, Ms McVey said: “The government can’t dodge responsibility or accountability for this project…. For if one delves a little deeper into this Peak Cluster project beyond the superficial replies of ‘it’s a separate private entity’ - it is revealed that this project has deep, direct, structural and financial links to government.
“If government is still trying to say, as it has done, that it’s done no estimate on the overall costs, nor worked out how much of the bill will land on the taxpayer, no cost benefit, no assessment of environmental impact, or even bothered to work out if this project is necessary at all - then that is a disgrace. If the government has done no homework on this project – it really needs to do so.
“The issues I am raising are not highly technical or obscure, they are straightforward questions about safety, cost, the use of taxpayer money. And the cost - is billions - resting on taxpayers’ shoulders.”
She pointed to figures showing nearly half the £60 million investment so far has come from the National Wealth Fund, which is wholly owned by government, with costs expected to exceed £5 billion on completion. And she raised concerns from residents about health and safety risks, including potential leaks and damage to the countryside and marine environment.
Critics have said the line could cause untold damage to the agricultural land, sites of scientific interest, and some of towns and villages.
Concerns have also been raised about the cost effectiveness of the technology.
Last year, the Public Accounts Committee warned of a “high degree of uncertainty” over whether carbon capture projects would deliver value for money.
And the Chief Executive of Octopus Energy also questioned whether carbon capture represented a worthwhile use of taxpayers’ money.
Ms McVey said government must stop “ducking” questions from affected communities who are already being silenced given local authorities cannot reject the project as it has been deemed a nationally significant infrastructure project, meaning the final say lies with the Secretary of State for Energy.
Answering the debate, Energy Minister Michael Shanks accepted that the National Wealth Fund was wholly owned by government but said: “It’s absolutely not a government project.”
Speaking after the debate,Ms McVey added: “Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the government are still not answering questions and are ducking responsibility.”
