Ben Fletcher, Cheshire Mayoral Candidate sums up the objections to this ill-thought out plan –
Over the last couple of weeks, I have continued to meet residents, businesses and community groups across Cheshire and Warrington.
There has been one topic that has been raised more than any other. Peak Cluster. This is a proposal to build a CO2 pipeline across Cheshire and into the Wirral. I am opposed to this scheme, and I want to set out why.
First, the economics just don’t stack up. The current cost estimate sits at around £5 billion, with a significant taxpayer subsidy needed to make it viable. I have been a Chief Financial Officer for major companies like Boots and the Very Group and can see this project does not have a credible business case.
Second, the risk to our farmland and countryside is real. The proposed pipeline cuts through areas of outstanding beauty, sensitive habitats and fragile ecology that define our villages. Promises to “make good” are no substitute for leaving the countryside untouched.
Third, there is no clear benefit to Cheshire. As with the Adlington New Town, we are once again on the receiving end of a top-down project from the government, asked to carry the cost while the rewards go elsewhere. If this scheme proceeds, Cheshire must have a legally binding Community and Nature Benefit Guarantee, with a recovery fund for impacted communities and landscapes.
I do believe in good environmental stewardship; Cheshire’s natural and rural environment is one of the things that makes it special. We need energy that is secure, cheap, resilient, and green. This would allow costs to fall for families and businesses.
Peak Cluster is a distraction from achieving this, and will only make your bills higher.