UnionDAC is developing the UK's first commercial direct air capture project.
It will harness the UK’s world-leading expertise in low-carbon technology to create a transition-economy jobs engine on Teesside while making the UK a global leader in greenhouse gas removal.
The Project at a Glance
Technology
Direct Air Capture (DAC), a leading carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology that removes greenhouse gas emissions directly from the atmosphere.
Partners
UnionDAC combines technological and project expertise from Progressive Energy, Airhive, and Mission Zero Technologies.
Infrastructure
Connection to the Northern Endurance Partnership CO₂ transport and storage network.
Storage
Permanent geological storage beneath the North Sea.
Scale
More than 50,000 tonnes of net atmospheric removals per year.
The Market Opportunity
01.
Global Demand
Up to 980 million tonnes of Direct Air Capture (DAC) carbon dioxide removal is required annually by 2050 to help stabilise the climate (International Energy Agency).
02.
International Exports
UnionDAC will export scaled, established DAC technologies and bespoke project development expertise, as other regions turn to proven technologies to meet their own mitigation targets.
The UK Opportunity
01.
National Targets
The seventh and latest carbon budget from the UK Climate Change Committee calls for 8 million annual tonnes of Direct Air Capture carbon dioxide removal by 2050. UnionDAC will deliver the first commercial scale DAC plant, using both liquid solvent and solid sorbent technologies developed in the UK.
02.
Supportive UK Policy
The UK is among the world's most attractive places to develop DAC and other carbon dioxide removal projects. Adapted from policies that fostered the rollout of renewables, the Greenhouse Gas Removal Business model provides a robust financeable framework for investment in DAC. It is also expected that the UK Emissions Trading Scheme will be updated to include DAC and other CO₂ removals, stimulating further build-out.
03.
National Advantage: Infrastructure & Skills
The northeast of England is an established, highly developed industrial area with excellent transportation links as well as infrastructure for handling industrial gases. The regional workforce is highly skilled in speciality areas essential to UnionDAC's development, and more people will be trained in these skills as the project progresses.
Project Timeline
UnionDAC is being developed through a phased project delivery programme designed to support commercial operation in the early 2030s. The project timeline will continue to evolve as engineering, permitting, commercial agreements and allocation processes progress.
Project Partners
UnionDAC brings together leading UK DAC technologies, industrial project development expertise and world-class carbon storage infrastructure. Together, the partners aim to support deployment of commercial-scale Direct Air Capture-enabled carbon removal activities in the UK.
Teesside Allocation Process
UnionDAC is participating in the UK Government's East Coast Cluster Teesside selection process for carbon dioxide removal projects.
The process is intended to allocate access to the Northern Endurance Partnership's carbon transport and storage network and support the development of engineered carbon dioxide removals within the UK.
The UnionDAC project has been designed specifically for integration into this infrastructure and is expected to connect into the Northern Endurance Partnership network through dedicated pipeline infrastructure.
The UnionDAC Advantage
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