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Peak Cluster update

5th November 2026

Peak Cluster is a major infrastructure proposal intended to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by four existing cement and lime factories in Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The project promoters claim that it would make a substantial contribution to the UK’s climate change targets. The captured CO2 would be transported through Cheshire and the Wirral via a newly built pipeline for permanent storage beneath the seabed in the East Irish Sea.

CPRE Cheshire supports efforts to tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions, but wants this to be done in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. For this reason we raised significant concerns about the impacts of Peak Cluster on our area earlier this year.

Our concerns included impacts of the pipeline and associated Above Ground Infrastructure facilities (AGIs) on landscape quality, biodiversity, Green Belt and farming uses within Cheshire. Whilst our concerns focussed particularly on a large gas compression plant and chimney proposed in the Wirral Green Belt, they also covered other elements of the scheme.

Peak Cluster has now indicated that it has refined the pipeline route and the design of the infrastructure, with changes including major reductions to the scale of the buildings proposed for the Wirral. A further round of consultation will take place from 12 November until 18 December 2026. This includes a series of public meetings as well as an online consultation hub.

We will be working hard to understand the full implications of the proposed changes and respond if necessary.

We would also encourage all CPRE members and supporters and members of the public to engage with and respond to the consultation being undertaken by Peak Cluster.