Rotork plays key role in net-zero tech milestone
Bath-based industrial manufacturing firm Rotork and United Infrastructure are celebrating the first batch of IQ3 Pro intelligent electric actuators rolling off the production line for deployment on Liverpool Bay CCS Limited’s (LBCCS) CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) project.
An actuator is a machine component that converts an energy source into physical motion or mechanical force.
A critical component of the initiative — the manufacturing milestone was celebrated during a recent visit to Rotork’s facility in Bath by project partners and stakeholders showcasing how UK manufacturing, engineering excellence and collaboration are supporting the delivery of critical infrastructure that will support net zero ambitions.
United Infrastructure is delivering critical elements of the Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) project, on behalf of LBCCS. Rotork is supporting this nationally significant infrastructure through the design and manufacture of its IQ3 Pro electric actuators in Bath, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the CO₂ transportation network that will transport captured carbon dioxide for permanent offshore storage beneath Liverpool Bay.
Developing the next generation
Manufactured in the UK by a highly skilled British workforce, the actuators demonstrate the strength of the UK’s engineering and manufacturing sector, supporting domestic supply chains, creating high-value employment, investing in apprenticeships and developing the next generation of engineering talent.
The Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage (T&S) project forms the backbone of HyNet, one of the UK’s first low-carbon industrial clusters. Once operational, it will enable carbon emissions from industries across the North West of England and North Wales to be safely transported and permanently stored, helping decarbonise some of the country’s most energy-intensive industries while supporting economic growth, inward investment and industrial competitiveness.
United Infrastructure and LBCCS were joined by other trade partners, including valve supplier LFF Valvenco and the trade association Energies Industry Council (EIC), who met the teams at Rotork responsible for designing and producing the IQ3 Pro actuators.
Guests viewed the first units being prepared for the Liverpool Bay project before discussing the next phase of delivery.
Griff Thomas, United Infrastructure’s Executive Director of Energy Transition and External Affairs said, “I’m delighted to see the first actuators come off the production line for the Liverpool Bay CO2 Transportation and Storage project. At United Infrastructure, we are committed to investing in a UK workforce, and not just with our own staff, but wherever we can, we will try to source UK-manufactured parts and components so that we can ensure the next generation of the much-needed, highly skilled workforce is available in the UK for the infrastructure revolution that we are going through.”
Ross Pascoe, Chief Technology Officer at Rotork, said, “It’s fantastic to celebrate this manufacturing milestone alongside our customers and project partners. Seeing products designed and manufactured by our teams in the UK being deployed on a project of this significance is a real source of pride. The Liverpool Bay CO₂ Transportation and Storage project demonstrates how collaboration, engineering expertise and manufacturing excellence can come together to support the infrastructure needed for a lower-carbon future and the UK’s net zero ambitions.”
Bath MP Wera Hobhouse added, “Rotork is part of the crown jewels of Bath business, and I am absolutely delighted to celebrate their continued success. Their investment in local manufacturing capability, engineering excellence and skills development, alongside supporting high-value jobs, apprenticeships and early careers opportunities in our city, makes me incredibly proud.
“On a national level, their design and manufacturing work within the CO₂ transportation network is not only a vital contribution to the infrastructure’s safe and efficient operation, but also to the UK’s critical decarbonisation and net zero aspirations.”
Pictured: Guests viewing the first units being prepared for the Liverpool Bay project [IMAGE: Rotork]
