23rd July 2026 – Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), the UK’s first carbon dioxide transportation and storage network, has reached a major milestone with the launch of its offshore construction campaign at PD Ports’ Port of Hartlepool.
The campaign is being delivered in partnership with Saipem, a leading company in the engineering and construction of major projects for the energy and infrastructure sectors.
The arrival of linepipe joints at the Saipem Logistics facility signals the start of a major construction programme that will create the infrastructure needed to transport captured carbon emissions from industry across Teesside and the Humber for safe and permanent storage beneath the North Sea.
The pipes will be used by Saipem to construct a 149km-long 28-inch offshore pipeline, with associated landfall, forming a vital part of the network that will carry carbon dioxide from local industrial facilities to offshore storage sites deep beneath the seabed. The campaign represents a historic step forward for the UK’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry and the development of one of the country’s biggest decarbonisation projects.
The benefits of the project are already being felt across Hartlepool and the wider Tees Valley. More than 60 per cent of the linepipe joints have been manufactured at the Liberty Steel pipe mill in Hartlepool, now operated by Corinth Pipeworks, supporting around 150 skilled jobs and creating a further 35 roles, including apprenticeship opportunities.
The fact that the pipes have been produced locally demonstrates how NEP is driving economic activity across the region, with businesses and workers benefiting from the project’s supply chain long before operations begin.
NEP is playing a key role in the reindustrialisation of the North East and Humber regions. Together with Net Zero Teesside Power, the project is expected to support around 3,000 jobs and has already awarded more than £2 billion of contracts to over 260 UK-based companies, ensuring the economic benefits of the energy transition are felt across the country.
The offshore construction campaign marks another big step forward for a project that is already around one-third complete, with significant onshore construction activity well underway.
PD Ports and Saipem are central to the successful delivery of the offshore construction campaign, with Port of Hartlepool serving as a strategic hub for the handling and mobilisation of materials that will help establish the UK’s first carbon dioxide transportation and storage network.
PD Ports will be managing a total project cargo made up of around 12,000 individual concrete-coated linepipe joints weighing approximately 170,000 tonnes in total. Between 40 and 60 PD Ports colleagues will be directly involved in delivery of the NEP contract, with opportunities across engineering, logistics, procurement and communications. It also creates an exceptional opportunity for the company’s apprentices to gain hands-on experience on a major offshore project.
Furthermore, more than £1 million has already been invested in pipe handling equipment at the Port of Hartlepool to strengthen PD Ports’ pipe handling capabilities, both for the project and for its wider customer base.
Once operational, the Northern Endurance Partnership network is expected to be capable of transporting and storing up to 23 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. If fully realised, that would be equivalent to around 20 per cent of the UK’s annual carbon dioxide emissions, making NEP a necessary piece of infrastructure in the country’s journey towards net zero.
Rich Denny, managing director of Northern Endurance Partnership
“Seeing the first pipes arrive in Hartlepool is a huge milestone for NEP and a clear sign that construction of this nationally significant project is now underway. The infrastructure we are building will enable industries across Teesside and the Humber to reduce their emissions while continuing to grow, invest and create jobs. This work demonstrates the scale of ambition that exists in our region and the vital role it will play in delivering the UK’s first carbon dioxide transportation and storage network.”
Roberto Pellegrini, managing director of Saipem UK Ltd.
“We are proud to support NEP in the delivery of this strategic infrastructure, bringing Saipem’s offshore engineering and construction expertise to a project that will play a key role in the decarbonisation of UK industry. The start of the offshore campaign marks a significant milestone for both the project and the wider CCS sector.”
Paul Foreman, chief operating officer at PD Ports, who last week was announced as the company’s incoming chief executive officer from September 1
“This is a once-in-a-generation project for Teesside, an opportunity to redefine the region’s industrial future.
“PD Ports is proud to play a role as a key enabler in the project, using decades of operational experience across offshore, energy and project cargo at Port of Hartlepool to support the onshore logistics operation that will underpin the deployment of the offshore pipeline for NEP.
“Ongoing investment in our infrastructure and our skilled workforce means we stand ready to support transformational projects of this scale, not just as a logistics provider but as a long-term partner committed to our region’s growth.”