TAGS：#industrial automation #process control systems #DCS #PLC #carbon capture #CCS automation #Honeywell ICSS
Honeywell Brings Advanced Automation to UK’s Flagship CCS Projects
Honeywell wins contract for UK’s major CCS deployment
Honeywell has been selected by Technip Energies to supply integrated automation and safety solutions for two landmark UK carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts: Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power) and Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP).
These projects represent two of the UK’s most ambitious efforts to combine power generation and large-scale CO₂ capture. Honeywell’s role centers on delivering its Integrated Control and Safety Systems (ICSS), which unify process control with safety functions under a single automation architecture.
What Honeywell’s ICSS brings to CCS operations
The ICSS platform integrates control logic, safety interlocks, and process monitoring — aspects crucial for industrial automation in complex facilities. By doing so, it supports robust, real-time control over CO₂ capture, compression, transportation and injection in the storage network. This unified control system reduces risk and enhances reliability across all operational stages.
Given the high safety and regulatory demands in CCS, combining control and safety in one platform simplifies maintenance, reduces chances of control‑system misconfiguration, and ensures compliance under strict standards.
Significance of NZT Power and NEP for UK’s energy transition
The NZT Power facility aims to deliver more than 740 MW of dispatchable low-carbon power — enough electricity for over one million UK homes. Simultaneously, it will capture up to two million tonnes of CO₂ annually.
The NEP will then transport and store that CO₂ via a new onshore-offshore network linked to saline aquifers in the North Sea. Together, these projects form the UK’s first large-scale CO₂ transportation and storage infrastructure, setting a global benchmark for future CCS schemes.
Why robust automation matters in CCS facilities
Implementing CCS at industrial scale brings complex technical challenges: continuous monitoring of flue gas streams, high-pressure CO₂ compression, pipeline integrity, and safe injection underground. Industrial automation and control systems (DCS/PLC/ICSS) play a critical role in managing these tasks reliably.
With Honeywell’s ICSS, operators gain centralized control, real‑time safety management, and data visibility — all vital for preventing incidents and ensuring process stability. Moreover, such automation opens the door for predictive maintenance and data-driven optimization, which improve long‑term operational efficiency.
Broader implications for industrial automation and energy decarbonization
This contract underscores the growing intersection between conventional industrial automation (PLC, DCS, control systems) and climate‑critical infrastructure (carbon capture, transport, storage). As more CCS and low-carbon projects emerge, demand will rise for automation vendors that can deliver high‑integrity control, safety, and data systems.
I expect this trend to accelerate — we will likely see more large‑scale CCS, hydrogen production, and carbon‑reduction plants relying on integrated automation architectures. For automation suppliers, this represents a growth area, but also a test of reliability, safety, and scalability.
“Application Scenario” — How This Automation Solution Fits in Real-World CCS
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In the NZT Power plant, the ICSS will monitor gas-fired boiler output, control CO₂ scrubbers, and coordinate CO₂ compression and injection in real time.
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On the NEP pipeline and storage network, the same system will supervise pipeline pressure, leak detection, and injection safety protocols.
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The unified DCS + safety design reduces need for separate safety systems, thus simplifying maintenance and audits, which is critical in regulated industries.
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Long-term data logging supports emissions reporting and regulatory compliance.
Author’s Take: Why This Matters for Industrial Automation
Honeywell’s involvement marks a milestone where industrial automation meets climate action. By embedding control, safety, and data functions into CCS infrastructure, the automation industry proves it can support decarbonization at scale.
In my view, such integration will become standard for future energy transition facilities — especially those dealing with high-risk fluids or gases. Automation vendors that understand both process control and environmental safety will dominate this emerging market.