Existing brine wellhead at Holford Brinefield
Keuper Gas Storage Limited (KGSL) is planning to develop a new underground gas storage facility and associated development at the southern end of the Holford Brinefield and surrounding area, to the north of Middlewich in Cheshire, adjacent to existing gas storage facilities. The development will involve creating underground cavities in salt rock that are used to store gas to help meet our growing energy needs in the UK.
Because of the project’s importance in helping the UK meet its increasing energy needs, the KGSP is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that rather than going through the local authority like most planning applications, the KGSP required a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This was granted in March 2017. This process was managed by the Planning Inspectorate. The KGSP has a webpage on the Planning Inspectorate website.
For information about the KGSP, download the Proposal Summary Document from the ‘Library’ page by clicking here.
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On 15th March 2017, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for Keuper Gas Storage Limited to build an Underground Gas Storage Facility, and associated development at the Holford Brinefield, north of Middlewich, Cheshire.
All documents submitted as part of the DCO application are available to download from the Library page by clicking here.
Keuper Gas Storage Limited has now begun the process of starting the development of the project. The first stage of this process is working through the precommencement conditions of the DCO and supplying additional information to the local authority.
Keuper Gas Storage Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of INOVYN Finance; set up to allow the delivery of the proposed development.
Keuper Gas Storage Limited is the Project Developer and was granted consent to build the Project. INOVYN Enterprises Limited is the land owner and would be responsible for the solution mining of brine to facilitate this proposed development.
INOVYN Enterprises’ Brine & Water Business, and its predecessors, have been solution mining the Holford Brinefield for over 80 years and has over 20 years’ experience in the underground storage of natural gas.
INOVYN has strong ties in the region and employs over 1,000 people in Runcorn and Northwich and produces a range of essential chemicals for use by industry in the UK and overseas.