The Solent Pipeline Project is underway with ExxonMobil (otherwise known as Esso Petroleum Ltd), and this could affect landowners in the South of Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.
This is a Co2 project to help capture and store carbon in an aquifier under the English Channel, which will supposedly store the equivalent amount of Co2 that taking 5 million petrol cars off the road would! It will be very interesting to see how this develops.
A preferred route for the pipeline will be announced later this year from Fawley refinery to the English Channel. There is a consultation taking place for public views on three proposed routes and this can be found here:
ExxonMobile Solent CO₂ Pipeline Project – Corridor consultation
We recommend anyone who could be affected by this to review and complete the consultation. There is an interactive map, video and document library with all the information you will need. You can also leave feedback.
Inevitably, some landowners will bear the disruption of a pipeline being run under their land, and our team at Moore Barlow is well placed to advise landowners on the legal requirements for this. We had a team supporting landowners in 2018-2020 with the Esso Southampton to London oil pipeline and the Options for Deeds of Easement required for that. We are anticipating a similar need for this Co2 project. Once the route is designated and landowners notified that their property will be affected, we expect heads of terms and incentive payments plus any compensation due for the disruption from ExxonMobil to be offered in return for early sign ups to be negotiated. Negotiations for landowners should be dealt with by land agents specialising in infrastructure projects of this nature. We are happy to recommend land agents.
ExxonMobil will have its own legal team who will prepare a suite of designated papers for the legal work, these will need to be refined and scrutinised by lawyers acting for landowners. Landowners will be given the option of instructing their own legal advisers to review all the contracts and paperwork before they commit to signing them, and this is where we come in and would be happy to support and guide anyone affected by the pipeline through this. ExxonMobil should be covering reasonable landowner surveyor fees and legal fees plus VAT and disbursements – this will form part of your agent’s negotiations for you.
How Moore Barlow can help
If you would like any early support or advice with this please get in touch with Sarah Jordan on the Rural law team who will be happy to help and will be keeping abreast of how the consultation develops this year.
