FAQs

The Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works comprises the installation of an underground section of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) conduit under Gronant Dunes originating from the HDD Entry Pit [consented under FUL/000246/23] to a buried HDD Exit Pit at the Mean High Water Spring (MHWS) line, and burial of a combined electrical and fibre-optic cable on a new alignment across Talacre Beach and Foreshore to the Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) line, located to the north-west of the PoA Terminal.

The PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works revised application sought re-authorisation for a realignment to the cable route element of the consented PoA Terminal and Foreshore that was granted planning permission in May 2024 [FUL/000246/23] by Flintshire County Council’s (FCC) planning committee. The PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works Proposed Development was granted consent by FCC’s planning committee in November 2025.

The PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works forms part of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) infrastructure to serve the wider HyNet Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster. HyNet is a low carbon hydrogen and carbon capture, transport and storage project that will unlock a low carbon economy for north Wales and the north west of England and put the region at the forefront of the UK’s drive to Net Zero.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the industry cluster across north Wales and the north west of England need to be transported safely to the carbon storage sites underneath Liverpool Bay. It is important that we transfer the captured CO₂ to the storage sites in a safe and reliable way. These storage sites have previously held natural gas for millions of years and will be repurposed to safely store the CO₂ from industrial emitters. This requires substantial infrastructure that can safely contain CO₂ and withstand the environment in which it is placed.

The installation of new underground combined electrical and fibre-optic cable between the PoA Terminal and the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform will supply the power and upgraded telecommunications needed to support the receipt and distribution of CO₂ to the storage sites.

The PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works Proposed Development sought a realignment to the cable route element of the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works. The PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works and the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works form part of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ T&S infrastructure to serve the wider HyNet project that will transport CO₂ captured from existing industry in north Wales and the north west of England, as well as from new hydrogen production facilities.

The PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works comprises new infrastructure and modifications to existing facilities at the PoA Terminal in Flintshire to operate with CO₂. The works include:

1. Retention and use of existing structures, plant and ancillary development forming the PoA Terminal for the transport of CO₂ and the demolition / removal of redundant structures at the PoA Terminal.
2. Construction and use of new infrastructure required for CO₂ service at the PoA Terminal.
3. Retention and use of the existing 20-inch diameter gas pipeline.
4. Condensate pipes and associate cables from the PoA Terminal to the MLWS line for the transport of CO₂ and associated activities.
5. Removal of the Shut Down Valve compound associated with the existing 20-inch diameter gas pipeline from the PoA Terminal to the MLWS line and appropriate restoration / remediation.
6. Construction and use of two 33kV electricity and fibre-optic connections from PoA Terminal to the MLWS line.
7. Construction and use of kiosks and associated fenced compounds located on the line of the proposed combined 222kV electricity and fibre-optic cable.

The Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) for the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works took place between 7 November and 5 December 2022. Following submission of a Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) 1990 (as amended) application [FUL/000246/23], the planning application was granted permission in May 2024 by FCC’s planning committee.

We submitted a parallel Marine Licence (ML) application [CML2365] to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Marine Licencing Team in February 2024 to cover the Marine element of the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works. This includes installation of a combined electrical and fibre-optic cable on a new alignment, to connect the onshore grid to the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform in Liverpool Bay. NRW granted consent for the ML [CML2365] on 22 May 2025. The construction and operation of the realigned cables beyond the MLWS line through the marine environment is consented by this ML.

Please view the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works webpage for more information.

Feedback from stakeholders on the original ML application [CML2365] identified that crossing the Welsh Channel to lay the cable could have implications for vessel movements in and out of the Port of Mostyn. We were therefore requested to explore options to modify the installation method and alignment to avoid impacts on vessel movements in and out of the Port of Mostyn. 

As the proposed realignment of the combined electrical and fibre-optic cable lies outside of the planning application area which was approved under planning permission FUL/000246/23, we sought consent for the new cable alignment from FCC through the submission of a new TCPA application. This sought re-authorisation for part of the same cable installation works already consented under application FUL/000246/23, but on a new alignment that is approximately 250m further east along Talacre Beach.

The size of the area within the red line boundary affords us the flexibility to lay the cable in the most appropriate place, it does not mean that the whole area within the red line boundary will be excavated. The area within the red line boundary must also include the area required for the construction equipment and compound.

The gas reservoirs in Liverpool Bay are now depleted, and oil and gas production has ceased. The reservoirs are uniquely placed close to the industrial heartland of north Wales and the north west of England to make them the ideal storage site for the HyNet Cluster. The natural gas fields beneath Liverpool Bay provide safe, long-term CO₂ storage for up to 25 years.

No. While part of the wider HyNet project will deliver a low carbon hydrogen network that will produce, store and distribute hydrogen to decarbonise north Wales and the north west of England, this is being developed by other parties and does not form part of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ T&S infrastructure.

The Point of Ayr Cable Route Foreshore Works is concerned with the realignment of the combined electrical and fibre-optic cable. The combined cable will connect the onshore grid at the PoA Terminal to the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform in Liverpool Bay, to supply the power and upgraded telecommunications needed to support the receipt and distribution of CO₂ to the storage sites.

You can direct any questions about hydrogen to info@hynet.co.uk who will be able to provide you more information on this topic.

The Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works forms part of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) infrastructure which will help support thousands of new jobs in north Wales and the north west of England and will secure the long-term future of existing jobs. There will also be greater career opportunities for local people, tapping into the area’s blend of industrial experience and scientific expertise, which together will create a hotspot for innovation and growth.

Our ongoing community benefit initiatives in the local area, such as our coastal education programme and DangerPoint, will continue to make a positive impact. We’re also actively exploring new opportunities to collaborate with environmental, social and governance (ESG) partners and to engage with local students and schools. We hope to be able to share more details about these initiatives and the proposed Community Benefit Fund soon.

If you have ideas or proposals for community benefit activities, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch via our project email address: hello@hynethub.co.uk.

We recognise that construction can have an impact on the local community. We are working closely with our contractor, Boskalis, to support minimising disruption wherever possible. While some construction activities will require working 12 hours a day, drilling activities will require working 24 hours a day to allow the work to be completed as safely and quickly as possible. This will minimise the impact of the works on the community and the environment by planning to complete the works prior to Easter, and the Little Tern breeding season.

Noise and vibration from the cable laying activities, including equipment and vehicular movements, have the potential for short-term impacts, but this will be controlled and kept to a minimum. To manage these, standard construction methodologies are to be employed to control noise and vibration in accordance with current legislation and standards including British Standard 5228-1:2014 for noise and vibration control, which include:

• Predicting and assessing construction noise levels
• Using quieter or electrically powered plant when possible
• Using noise-compliant equipment and acoustic screens where required
• Limiting noisy activities to core working hours unless agreed with local authorities

The Noise and Vibration Management Plan can be viewed in the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP), which is available here.

Along the base of the sand dunes, public access will be maintained during the works. During busy periods, Boskalis will deploy additional crew to safely guide the public past the works and ensure access to recreation in the area. Consistent signage (in both English and Welsh) at temporary access locations will be installed to provide relevant warnings and information to the public. 

Construction for the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works is expected to begin in February 2026 by our principal contractor, Boskalis.

Temporary screens may be positioned around the boundary of the development to help reduce how much the work can be seen and to protect people walking nearby from any dust.

All equipment, including temporary fencing, screens and signage, will be removed on completion of the works. On the beach, the cable will be covered by sand, and any remaining equipment will be removed. This means that there will be no visible infrastructure on the beach when construction is complete.

Following consent being granted for the Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works by Flintshire County Council’s (FCC) planning committee in November 2025, we intend to begin construction in February 2026. The indicative construction schedule is:

*dates are subject to change

If you would like to receive updates about the scheme’s progress, subscribe to our regular e-newsletter here.

A piled cofferdam – a temporary wall made of steel sheet piles – will be installed to create a watertight enclosure that will contain any drilling fluids and prevent their release into the environment. It will be removed once construction is complete.

The drill cuttings generated during construction will be collected at the entry site and removed from site in line with UK legislation.

Boskalis is the principal contractor for the installation of the combined new underground cable from Warren Farm, under Gronant and Talacre Dunes, and across the inter-tidal area of Talacre Beach to the Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) line.

Boskalis is a leading global marine services provider and dredging contractor, offering a unique combination of experts, vessels and services. Boskalis has over 100 years’ experience in hydraulic engineering, coastal protection and land reclamation, working in many sensitive environments globally.

Using a trenchless horizontal directionally drilling (HDD) method, we will lay a new combined underground electric and fibre-optic cable between the Point of Ayr (PoA) Terminal and the MLWS line. HDD allows us to lay cables underground without disturbing the land above and means that we only need to dig small exit and entry pits on either side of the area.

For more information on the construction process, including the process of HDD, please see our Construction page here.

To avoid being near residential properties, a temporary construction compound will be located within a fenced area at Warren Farm. This will be the main compound for storage and access to the HDD Entry Pit and cable installation works.

Talacre Beach parking area will be used for access to the HDD Exit Pit and equipment will be stored on raised working platforms at the HDD exit area of the beach.

There are only a small number of construction vehicles required during construction. It is estimated that most vehicle movements will take place at the early and late stages of construction. Therefore, it is not anticipated that construction vehicles will negatively impact the condition of the roads or generate excessive traffic.  

Further traffic and transport mitigation and monitoring commitments may be implemented to reduce disturbance to the community:

• Construction traffic routes have been selected to reduce traffic effects on links that would be more sensitive to changes in traffic volumes, such as those near schools.
• Where practicable, deliveries will be scheduled at times of the day to minimise disruption to the public and tourists.
• Temporary speed restrictions and traffic marshals will safely manage HGV movements.
• No road closures are planned, but there may be some reductions to public parking at Talacre Beach parking area and along Station Road during construction periods, which are still being assessed.
• Oversized or heavy vehicles that are difficult to maneuver into the area will be escorted by the project team to ensure public safety.

The Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works forms part of the LBCCS Transportation and Storage (T&S) Project to serve the wider HyNet Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster. As an important part of the T&S infrastructure, it will help to facilitate rapid reduction of carbon emissions from local industry and clean up air quality in the region using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology by supplying the power and upgraded telecommunications needed to support the receipt and distribution of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to the storage sites.

CCS is a safe and proven technology that captures CO₂ where it is being produced and locks it away, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere, which is a major contributor to climate change.

The LBCCS T&S infrastructure will safely transport CO₂ emissions directly captured from energy-intensive industries via a pipeline and store these emissions securely in depleted natural gas reservoirs under Liverpool Bay. These technologies have the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by 10 million tonnes every year by the 2030s – the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road.

We commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) undertaken by independent and suitably qualified environmental specialists to consider the potential effects of the construction, operation and maintenance of the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works on the environment. The EIA demonstrated that, through careful design and use of mitigation measures, it would not result in any long term significant adverse environmental effects.

Given the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works constitutes only a realignment of the foreshore elements of the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works, it is not anticipated that there would be any additional adverse effects to those reported in the original Environmental Statement (ES) for the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works. The ES was submitted with the Marine Licence (ML) application [CML2365] for the offshore works in the marine environment.

An EIA Screening assessment has been conducted to determine whether the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works should be subject to an EIA, by identifying whether it is likely to have significant effects on the environment. The realignment has a slightly smaller seabed footprint in the inter-tidal and sub-tidal areas, due to a more direct, straighter route. In addition, the realigned cable laying, construction plant, equipment area and repositioning of the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) Exit Pit, will be an additional 250m away from the Little Tern colony at Gronant Dunes, reducing potential disturbance during the breeding season. The cable will be routed through an area with lower Tern foraging distribution and activity (<1.5%).

The realignment does not introduce new or additional significant environmental effects and, rather has ecological and environmental benefits in comparison to the original route proposed in the PoA Terminal and Foreshore Works. The Screening Opinion [reference number SCR/000421/25] from Flintshire County Council (FCC) issued on 4 June 2025 confirmed that the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works does not require an EIA; the potential impact on the environment is not considered to be significant because of the localised and temporary nature of the impact. 

Our construction programme focuses on minimising the impact on the environment, wildlife breeding periods, local community, and port movements. To achieve this, we have planned our construction programme and groundworks to avoid the breeding and/or hibernation seasons as far as is reasonably practicable to minimise disturbance to the:

• Little Tern (breeding season is between mid-April to mid-July)   
• Cetti’s Warbler (breeding season is between late March to mid-April)   
• Natterjack Toads (breeding season is approximately April to July)  
• Great Crested Newt (hibernation season is typically October to March)

A pre-construction survey as well as ongoing surveys will be carried out at Warren Farm and the sand dunes to identify and monitor Natterjack Toads, Sand Lizards and Great Crested Newts. Should their presence be confirmed at any stage, works will cease, and the Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) will be contacted to advise on the best way to proceed.

Additionally, the targeted burial depth of the HDD conduit means disturbance to protected species and their dune habitats is not anticipated. For example, Natterjack Toads typically burrow less than 50cm deep, and Sand Lizards up to around 1m, which is shallower than the planned conduit depth.

See our Environment page for more information.

An ECoW has been appointed to support, oversee and monitor Boskalis during the works. The ECoW’s role includes, but is not limited to:

• Undertaking or overseeing pre-construction surveys for protected species
• Providing ecological advice to the contractor to ensure Boskalis staff are aware of their responsibility with regards to wildlife and sensitive habitats
• Monitoring ecological conditions to identify any constraints
• Overseeing the implementation of mitigation measures to ensure compliance with protected species legislation, licensing and commitments in the ES and Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP).

We will use a method of trenchless drilling technique called HDD to install the cables. HDD allows us to lay cables underground by drilling underneath the sand dunes, instead of digging through them. This technique will avoid the removal of any sand and avoids disturbance to the ground surface, and to the ecologically sensitive dune system. We will be excavating the HDD Exit Pit on the beach, but all the material will be used to backfill the Exit Pit upon completion.

We can confirm that the location of the HDD Exit Pit will be below the Mean High Water Spring (MHWS) line and beyond the dune habitat, and there will be no impact on the flood defence characteristics of the dunes.

The UK is home to a range of high-hazard industries and has developed a world-class safety regulatory regime. The UK government regulates all carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, its infrastructure and its operation. The safety of the Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works will be regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). Both regulatory bodies have a long track record of effectively regulating safety in the UK hydrocarbon sector.

The construction will be carried out under the Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations, 2015 to ensure the highest health and safety procedures implemented during the construction phase. A Cable Specification and Installation Plan (CSIP), which demonstrates cable burial to the required depth to avoid hazards and risks, will be developed.

Following submission of a planning application under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) 1990 (as amended) to Flintshire County Council (FCC) in August 2025, the Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works Proposed Development (“the Proposed Development”) was approved by the FCC planning committee in November 2025.

The Proposed Development is classified as a “major development” according to Article 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012, as the Proposed Development will be conducted on a site of one hectare or more.

Therefore, the Proposed Development required the submission of a full planning application pursuant to the TCPA 1990 (as amended) to the local planning authority, FCC. FCC approved the planning application in accordance with the TCPA 1990 in November 2025.

The planning application was approved by FCC’s planning committee in November 2025. LBCCS will work to discharge conditions required under the planning consent and will prepare for construction with our appointed principal contractor, Boskalis. Construction is expected to start in February 2026.

We will liaise with stakeholders and stay in contact with local communities about the upcoming construction works via project updates found:

• on our project website and site and community notices;
• through our stakeholder emails;
• in stakeholder briefings to stakeholders including Llanasa Community Council and local Members;
• in our regular e-newsletter; and
• at a community information event in January 2026.

For coastal or marine developments, a Marine Licence (ML) and a planning application may both be required because they serve different legal and regulatory purposes and are issued by different authorities. The Proposed Development spans both terrestrial and marine environments, crossing the inter-tidal zone.

A planning application under the TCPA 1990 is required for the Proposed Development to cover the land-based, foreshore and inter-tidal works (down to the Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) line) and assess impacts on land use, visual amenity and local infrastructure and communities. An ML is required for the Proposed Development to regulate and authorise the activities from the Mean High Water Spring (MHWS) line, including any seabed disturbance or marine construction.

You can view the detailed proposals, including the submitted planning application documents on our website here. You can also view the approved application by visiting FCC’s Public Access Website and searching the reference number: FUL/000705/25.  

You can view the detailed proposals for the Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works, which ran from 16 June to 14 July 2025, analysed and summarised it in the PAC report. The PAC report was submitted with the planning application, which you can view on FCC’s planning portal by searching the reference number: FUL/000705/25. It has also been published on the HyNet Hub website here, so that you can see what you told us, and understand in greater detail how we are taking that information on board.

To register for up-to-date news and information about the planning application and the project, you can subscribe to our regular e-newsletter here.

We will manage your data in line with UK Data Protection Guidelines. See how we will use and store your data here.

Detailed information on the PoA Cable Route Foreshore Works and updates on our progress can be found on our webpage: hynethub.co.uk/poa, and on our dedicated Latest News section. You may also like to receive our regular bi-monthly e-newsletter, which features the latest information on the Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) infrastructure. Sign up for the e-newsletter by clicking here.

We are committed to making project information accessible to all users. If you have any specific project questions, or suggestions regarding the accessibility of this site, please email us at: hello@hynethub.co.uk or by calling 0113 395 4495. 

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at: hello@hynethub.co.uk or by calling 0113 395 4495.