Whitetail Clean Energy

The Whitetail Clean Energy project was a proposed net-zero natural gas power plant developed by 8 Rivers Capital and Sembcorp Energy UK at the Wilton International industrial site in Teesside, England. The project was designed to deploy the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, an advanced oxy-combustion power technology that uses supercritical CO₂ as the working fluid instead of steam. This design enables near-complete capture of CO₂ at the point of combustion while producing approximately 300 MW of dispatchable, low-carbon electricity for the UK grid. The plant would have reused existing infrastructure from the former Teesside Power Station, including grid connections, gas supply, cooling water systems, and utility corridors, significantly reducing development risk and construction complexity Captured CO₂ was planned to be exported at pipeline pressure and routed to offshore storage sites in the North Sea, with multiple transport and storage pathways evaluated during development. The project was positioned as a key anchor facility for the Teesside industrial decarbonization cluster and designed to provide both baseload and fast-ramping peaking power to support renewable integration. FEED and Pre-FEED Results Summary The government-supported pre-FEED and feasibility studies confirmed technical viability, site suitability, and commercial readiness for UK deployment. The project defined a single-unit 303 MW design with nearly 100 percent CO₂ capture, identified Wilton International as the preferred site, secured preliminary CO₂ transport and storage agreements, and produced a Class IV capital cost estimate of approximately £359 million for a commercial-scale plant. Engineering studies showed no major deployment barriers, validated reuse of existing permits and grid connections. Despite strong technical progress and government backing through the UK CCUS Innovation Programme, the Whitetail project was ultimately cancelled and did not proceed to final investment decision or construction.