Ardent, a UK and Ireland land, consent management and stakeholder engagement consultancy, has been appointed to manage the Development Consent Order (DCO) process for Peak Cluster, a flagship carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Peak District.

The Peak Cluster unites four leading cement and lime facilities—Tarmac, Breedon, Buxton Lime, and Holcim—in a partnership supported by the National Wealth Fund and private entities such as Summit Energy Evolution and Progressive Energy. This initiative is poised to become the largest cement decarbonisation project globally, establishing a landmark public-private collaboration to advance the UK’s net-zero ambitions. 

The project will capture carbon dioxide (CO2) generated during cement and lime production at purpose-built facilities located at the plants. The captured CO2 will then be transported via underground pipelines to a permanent storage site in a former gas field beneath the Irish Sea, currently under development by Peak Cluster partner Spirit Energy. Ardent’s Consents Management Consultancy team will oversee all activities required for the DCO submission and assist throughout the acceptance and examination stages. When fully operational, the Peak Cluster is projected to avoid three million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year, playing a major role in advancing the UK’s net-zero goals.