Peak Cluster £59m carbon capture pipeline route change fails to ease safety fears in North Staffordshire

A £59.6m carbon capture pipeline project in the Peak District has revised its route after consultation, but a local councillor says the changes mainly cut construction costs and do not answer safety worries about unstable ground and old mines. The Peak Cluster scheme would carry CO2 from four cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire to a storage site under the Irish Sea. The project says the new boundary shortens the pipeline by around 15% and avoids difficult terrain near Dove Holes. It still faces opposition over landslip risk, impact on farmland and wildlife, and concerns about a CO2 pipeline rupture. Public funding of £28.6m has been awarded, with the rest coming from private firms. More consultation is planned for November and January.