Hampshire Wildlife Trust welcomes Fawley CO2 pipeline update

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said all three of the proposed routes would have posed a threat to highly protected sites.

The pipeline would have transported carbon dioxide from Fawley refinery to a CO2 dump south west of the Isle of Wight.

But ExxonMobil has abandoned the scheme, blaming what it described as "the continued lack of government policy certainty and timelines".

The pipeline would have transported CO2 from Fawley refinery to a carbon capture site under the English Channel (Image: Stephen Bath)

The multi-million-pound project had sparked widespread opposition on both sides of the Solent.

Thousands of people signed protest petitions which claimed the project would cause "irreversible damage" to the environment as well as harming marine life.

Debbie Tann, chief executive of the wildlife trust, said huge credit should go to everyone who "stood up to defend nature".

She added: “We had raised major concerns about the lack of critical ecological data in the consultation, which made it impossible to provide valid feedback or to be able to ensure crucial habitats would not be damaged beyond repair. 

“We understand that carbon capture technology may be required to decarbonise hard-to-reach sectors, but this must never be used as an excuse to prolong and expand fossil fuel use, and it should never come at the expense of nature.   

“Whilst we’re relieved to see the scrapping of the Solent scheme, it’s concerning to see the announcement of major government investment in similar CCS schemes elsewhere, especially when there’s no equivalent investment in restoring nature, which is so urgently needed.

“Healthy ecosystems are not just vital for biodiversity – they are also a key tool in combating the climate crisis.  

“The Trust will always remain committed to safeguarding the local environment and ensuring that any future developments do not come at the cost of wildlife and wild places.”

Debbie Tann, chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has welcomed the decision to scrap the pipeline project (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust)

Under the  scheme, millions of tonnes of CO2 would have been dumped underground instead of being released into the atmosphere.

All three of the proposed routes would have affected the New Forest.

One would have resulted in the pipeline going west before diving under the Solent between Milford and Barton. The other two have involved land south of Fawley, plus parts of the Isle of Wight.

Campaigners complained that construction corridors in the countryside would have been the width of an eight-lane motorway.

The pipeline would have been between 24km and 33km long, depending on which route was chosen.