The postponement follows an influx of late objections from residents in neighbouring English authorities, including Wirral and Cheshire. These communities were recently alerted to the proposals via media coverage and a highly successful social media campaign featuring localized pipeline walks led by Laura Beveridge-Muircroft via the Action against CCS Campaign, alongside the coordinating team at Defend Wirral's Green Spaces.
During the Flintshire committee meeting, it became apparent that neighbouring authorities in England had not been formally consulted. Councillors expressed serious concerns that residential areas in Shotwick and Puddington are physically closer to the proposed facility than Welsh residential zones, yet received no formal notification.
Campaigners have expressed gratitude to the members of the public whose flood of portal comments and emails forced the committee to acknowledge the lack of cross-border consultation.
Questions are also being raised regarding potential conflicts of interest, given the existing 25-year waste-supply contract between Welsh councils and Enfinium.
Vicki Roskams, National Director for Wales at Great British PAC, commented on the decision:
"This is a good result! The decision has been deferred owing to a lack of consultation in bordering areas and the councillors not fully understanding the science, implications, and impact. We must use common sense and experience with both this and the Uniper planning, which is being pushed through by those who do not understand the long-term and wider implications to the region."
The local cross-border resistance is rapidly expanding to target broader HyNet infrastructure projects across the region, including Uniper’s proposed gas-fired carbon capture plant at Connah's Quay.
Carolyn Thomas, campaigner and former MS for Flintshire, welcomed recent federal pushback on the broader infrastructure network:
"I've just received a letter regarding the proposed Connah's Quay low Carbon power project, which is part of Hynet. The Secretary of State has asked for a lot more information regarding the environmental impact on the Dee Estuary SPA RAMSAR site! That's good news! But we need more people to sign our petition to Protect the Dee Estuary and both Flintshire and the Wirral."
Campaigners are urging the public to sign the Change.org Petition to Stop the Connah's Quay Low Carbon Power Project to maintain pressure on decision-makers.
Key Environmental and Health Concerns Raised by Objectors:
• Proximity to Protected Habitats: The proposed Parc Adfer industrial development sits just 160 metres from the environmentally sensitive Dee Estuary, which holds triple protections as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Protection Area (SPA), and a Ramsar site.
• New Toxic Emissions: While applicant dispersion modelling predicts "not significant" human health impacts, the operational plant will route emissions through a new exhaust stack. This process will release Chemicals of Potential Concern (COPCs), specifically dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, alongside newly introduced chemical air pollutants including nitramines and nitrosamines.
• Unproven Efficiency Claims: Enfinium claims the facility will capture 95% of its carbon emissions. However, independent energy sector data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reveals that real-world carbon capture efficiency averages closer to 50%, with no global project consistently exceeding 80%.
• Net Atmospheric Impact: Due to the massive energy penalties required to run heavy CCS machinery, even an unprecedented 80% capture rate would still result in nearly 50,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere annually. If the plant performs at the global average efficiency rate, it will vent 120,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, while the remainder is piped via the HyNet network for sub-sea storage in Liverpool Bay.
The deferral marks a temporary halt to a project that opponents describe as a costly, high-risk endeavour that compromises public health and local ecosystems for unproven technology.
Media Contact:
• Organization: Great British PAC / Action against CCS
• Contact Person: Vicki Roskams – National Director for Wales (Great British PAC)
• Email: vicki.roskams@greatbritishpac.com
• Planning Application Reference: FUL/000916/25 (Flintshire County Council)