Spur Pipeline Drone Surveys

Introduction

HyNet is the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation project which aims to unlock a low carbon future in the North West of England and North Wales by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industry and supporting economic growth in the region. As part of the project delivery for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system to serve the HyNet industrial cluster, three spur pipeline developments are proposed. The spur pipelines will allow for compressed CO₂ to be safely transported between industry sites and the CO₂ storage facilities in Liverpool Bay.

What are we doing?

At times during the project, we will complete a series of aerial surveys in a linear route between Ellesmere Port and Runcorn.

The intention of these surveys is to inspect the proposed pipeline route by looking at the general topography and condition of the land within the proposed route. Aerial photography using drones is a non-invasive type of survey, meaning it will not cause any lasting interference with the environment.

A drone, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle or a UAV, is a small to medium sized remotely controlled aircraft, that is mostly used for aerial photography, surveying and mapping. Drones are versatile in appearance and come in many different shapes and sizes, with varying levels of technology and features.

For the HyNet Spur Pipeline proposed developments aerial surveys, we will use these drones:

What can you expect?

During our aerial surveys, you may see and/or hear a small multi rotor drone in the sky over the identified pipeline route between the hours of 8am to 5pm.

During the survey, you may also hear a high-pitched buzzing or humming noise, of around 64 dB (Anafi) and 70dB (Mini 3 Pro), when hovering at a 1m distance. When flying at height the noise is negligible. Our drone will fly at a height of 30-70m above the ground, covering a 40m corridor of the identified area and will capture aerial photographs specifically of the proposed pipeline route.

This height will allow us to capture the images we need whilst minimising the level of disturbance for residents and livestock.

Protecting your Privacy

We understand how important your privacy is and we are taking several steps to limit the impact of any aerial surveys.

Our surveys will be conducted by a fully trained and insured commercial pilot with Civil Aviation Authority License (CAA), General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) and A2 Certificate of Competence (A2CofC), ensuring the safety of the public and nearby property.

The drone will only begin capturing images when operating above the pipeline corridor, not whilst in transit.

We will only collect data for the specific purpose of inspecting the proposed route. This data will be held securely and be used by engineers in relation to the project.

Once the survey has been completed and the collected information has served its purpose it will be deleted in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions or concerns about the use of aerial surveys in your area, please email us at hello@hynethub.co.uk.

If you would like to download this page as a PDF factsheet please click here.