Statement on the proposed Peak Cluster pipeline and its environmental impacts

Earlier this year, we published an open letter outlining our concerns about the proposed Peak Cluster carbon dioxide (CO₂) pipeline and the impact the current route could have on some of the most ecologically important land in our care and across the region.

The pipeline as currently proposed will jeopardise our commitment to manage at least 30% of our estate for UK biodiversity by 2030, our £4+ million regional conservation and habitat recovery programme, Networks for Nature, and environmentally sensitive habitats, including irreplaceable wetland habitats that support wildlife, store carbon and cannot simply be recreated once lost.

We’ve engaged with representatives of the Peak Cluster project to raise these concerns with the expectation of seeing the route amended. To date, we have not seen such action taken. Our lived experience of the impacts of the construction of the HyNet CO₂ pipeline project lead us to believe that the cumulative impact of both major infrastructure projects would represent a significant level of environmental impact.

As a leading conservation charity in the UK, we have a responsibility to speak up. Whilst we recognise the importance of investing in infrastructure that supports the UK's transition to net zero, decarbonising industry should not come at the expense of nature. We therefore believe the regional environmental impacts of the Peak Cluster pipeline, as proposed, are unacceptable.