Severnside Carbon and Exolum have signed an agreement to advance a carbon capture and shipping hub at Avonmouth Docks, giving industrial emitters across southwest England, the Midlands, and South Wales a route into the UK carbon capture and storage ecosystem.
Under the agreement, Exolum will create a new subsidiary, Exolum 7CO₂, to invest in and lead the next development phase for a major carbon dioxide storage terminal at the Port of Bristol. Técnicas Reunidas will act as engineering partner, building on its existing collaboration with Exolum around carbon capture, transport, and storage services.
The project will provide open-access CO₂ logistics for industries outside the main UK government-backed carbon capture clusters. The partners say around half of UK industrial emissions fall outside those areas, with South Wales alone responsible for 5% of UK carbon emissions.
The Avonmouth terminal is planned as the UK’s first large-scale CO₂ hub designed around flexible, modular transport by rail and ship. Exolum 7CO₂ expects operations to start from 2031, with the terminal ultimately able to handle up to six million tonnes of CO₂ a year from existing emitters.
The rail and shipping model would make pipeline access one option rather than the only route into storage infrastructure. Dispersed industrial sites could participate in carbon capture where geography, scale, or project timing makes pipeline connection difficult.
Paul Davies, co-founder of Severnside Carbon, said: “Exolum’s investment in the 7CO₂ terminal is a significant step forward, giving regional emitters and wider stakeholders confidence to invest in carbon capture and related industries. Exolum brings the operational excellence, specialist capability, and financial strength to reduce delivery risk and take the terminal from development into operation.”
Severnside Carbon will continue to advise Exolum 7CO₂, maintaining continuity with public and private stakeholders while separately progressing capture-as-a-service opportunities and regional sustainable aviation fuel plans. Técnicas Reunidas will support engineering design through track, its low carbon business unit.
“The energy transition needs resilient, future-ready infrastructure that gives industry access to the carbon capture ecosystem. Through Exolum 7CO₂, we are using our energy logistics expertise to create an independent, open-access CO₂ terminal that can scale over time – accelerating carbon capture across England and South Wales, with the reliability and high standards customers expect from Exolum,” said Nacho Casajús, senior vice president at Exolum Global Energy Logistics.
The terminal could also support emerging demand from data centres seeking 24/7 carbon-free power and sustainable aviation fuel projects under development in the region. Energy-intensive businesses facing tighter decarbonisation requirements would gain a physical route between capture investment and long-term storage.
