Peak Cluster

About Peak Cluster

Peak Cluster is an industrial decarbonisation project focused on the UK's cement and lime manufacturing sectors. The initiative is a collaboration formed by four major producers—Tarmac, Holcim, Breedon, and Buxton Lime—which together account for approximately 40% of the UK's cement and lime production located in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The project's primary objective is to build the necessary infrastructure to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions directly from four cement and lime plants and transport it via a new underground pipeline for permanent storage. The captured CO₂ will be securely stored in depleted gas reservoirs beneath the eastern Irish Sea, a site managed by the Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ) project.

The project utilizes established Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology to prevent over three million tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere annually. This initiative addresses the high-emission nature of cement production, which is responsible for about 7.5% of global CO₂ emissions due to both the high-temperature heating of limestone and the chemical reactions involved. By creating a network linking multiple industrial facilities to a single transport and storage system, Peak Cluster aims to provide a collective solution for a hard-to-abate sector. The project's CEO is John Egan.

Financially, Peak Cluster is supported by both public and private investment. The UK's National Wealth Fund (NWF) has provided US$38.9 million (£28.6 million), complemented by US$42 million from private partners, as part of an expected total capital investment of US$6.8 billion. The project is intended to create a domestic supply of low-carbon cement, bolstering the UK's economic resilience and creating export opportunities. It is projected to safeguard over 2,100 existing jobs while creating 1,200 temporary construction roles and 300 permanent positions.