Strange metal constructions seem on UK seaside and go away Brits fully baffled
A huge array of steel supports has appeared on Talacre beach in Flintshire as part of the multi-billion-pound HyNet carbon capture project, leaving visitors bemused by the temporary structures
The weird structures appeared on a beach(Image: Vicki Smith)
A vast network of steel supports has emerged on a beloved beach along a UK coastline. Stretching across the Flintshire coastline into the horizon, signage identifies them as components of a “pipeline welding highway”.
Holiday-makers and locals have been left puzzled by the construction work on Talacre beach, with some branding them a “right eyesore”. They are merely temporary installations and will be cleared away in April.
A fresh pipeline is being installed to the neighbouring Point of Ayr gas terminal as part of the multi-billion-pound HyNet project. Carbon emissions (CO2) seized from industrial facilities in North Wales and northwest England will be transported to the upgraded terminal, then channelled beneath the ocean to exhausted offshore gas reserves in Liverpool Bay.
Point of Ayr’s current natural gas pipeline, which extends from Flint to the offshore Douglas platform, will be repurposed to carry CO2 out to sea. Nevertheless, a new “conduit” is required between the terminal and platform – this will house a combined electric and fibre-optic cable.
“This cable will supply the power and upgraded telecommunications needed to support the receipt and distribution of CO2 to the storage sites,” said a HyNet spokesperson.
The steel supports will allow portions of the underground conduit to be joined together, reports North Wales Live. Utilising “trenchless” horizontal directional drilling (HDD), the finished conduit will then be fed back beneath Talacre’s towering dunes to Point of Ayr terminal.
HyNet said: “Trenchless techniques are used to lay cables under rivers, roads, and areas of conservation like sand dunes, without digging a trench through them.
“HDD allows us to lay cables underground without disturbing the land above and means that we only need to dig small exit and entry pits on either side of the area.”
One of these excavations is already visible on the shoreline. A cofferdam is being constructed using temporary steel sheet piles to contain any drilling fluids.
It will be dismantled once the work concludes at the end of August 2026. This summer, cabling will be transported from the platform to the shore by vessel.
This will be drawn through the conduit by a cable-laying ship moored offshore. A public footpath around Point of Ayr has been shut for the conduit work.
A spokesperson said: “The conduit for the cable installation will take place between February and April 2026. Following this, a cable-laying vessel will be used to connect the cable from the beach area to the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform.
“This cable pull is expected to take place from June 2026 to August 2026.”
Temporary barriers have been erected to shield walkers from dust, and to prevent people from looking in. HyNet said all equipment, including fencing, screens and signage, will be removed once the works are finished.
On the beach, the conduit will be buried beneath sand, and any remaining equipment will be recovered. “This means that there will be no visible infrastructure on the beach when construction is complete,” stated HyNet.
Another current focus of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) programme is the “Main Onshore Pipeline” between Stanlow, near Ellesmere Port, and Flint. This will involve the installation of a 36-inch diameter pipe stretching from Deeside to Ewloe Green, then passing Northop Hall and Flint Mountain.
Three spur pipelines are also in the pipeline, including a connection from Northop Hall to the Hanson Padeswood cement plant near Mold. Topsoil stripping – to facilitate future reinstatement – is set to commence this month on the Main Onshore Pipeline route.
Traffic management is already operational at Northop Hall. Additional drop-in community information events are being organised for the project team to provide updates (see dates below). Drop-in community information events (all 4pm-7pm).
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