Letter: Quite concerned over carbon pipeline plan for New Forest

I am writing as a concerned local resident regarding the proposed CO2 pipeline across the New Forest. While I believe ExxonMobil will restore the land post-construction, my primary concerns are with the broader implications of this project.

The pipeline is intended to capture exhaust gasses from Fawley as the refinery transitions to blue hydrogen production. However, this method, while a marginal improvement over grey hydrogen, raises serious environmental issues. The process releases additional methane during the conversion of natural gas to hydrogen and does not fully account for the CO2 emissions generated to produce the necessary superheated steam.

As a result, this project seems more like an accounting manoeuvre, designed to create the appearance that Fawley is addressing greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, the initiative may be, at best, neutral, and could potentially lead to further greenhouse gas emissions, including both CO2 and methane.

Given these concerns, I urge the community to carefully evaluate whether this project truly supports our shared environmental goals.

Dominic Hyland

Hordle