Campaigners opposing the proposed Peak Cluster carbon capture and storage (CCS) project have announced a relay walk along the planned route of the project’s underground pipeline to raise public awareness. The event, known as The Great Pipeline Walk or Pipewalk, will take place on Sunday and covers an estimated 200 kilometers from the High Peak area to the Wirral.

The Peak Cluster Project aims to capture carbon dioxide emissions from four cement and lime production plants and transport the captured CO2 via an underground pipeline network to storage sites beneath the Irish Sea. The planned pipeline is approximately 120 miles long and will traverse parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, and the Wirral.

Organized by the group Action Against Carbon Capture Storage, the Pipewalk will be conducted as a community relay, with walk leaders guiding participants through sections ranging from three to six miles in length. The event invites local residents and concerned parties to join for one or multiple segments along the route, or simply to meet at designated gathering points.

Ruth George, one of the event organizers, explained that the objective is to highlight the potential environmental impacts of the Peak Cluster scheme and to draw attention to the fact that the pipeline would run beneath numerous communities. She emphasized the accessibility of the walk and encouraged anyone interested to participate.

The Peak Cluster Project is part of broader efforts to reduce industrial CO2 emissions by deploying carbon capture and storage technology. However, it has faced opposition from local campaigners who cite concerns about environmental risks, community disruption, and the appropriateness of the pipeline’s route.

The relay walk represents a grassroots initiative to engage communities along the proposed path and to foster dialogue around the implications of large-scale CCS infrastructure projects in the region.