Hogan Lovells advises The Crown Estate on UK’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage lease

Press releases | 26 January 2026

26 January 2026 – Global law firm Hogan Lovells has advised The Crown Estate on a landmark transaction for the UK’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector, supporting the signing of the lease for the UK’s first commercial-scale CCS project, led by the Northern Endurance Partnership.

The Endurance store, located approximately 140 kilometres off the north east coast of England, will provide up to one billion tonnes of CO₂ storage capacity, enabling heavy industry to decarbonise at scale and marking a major milestone in the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

The project represents a significant step forward for the UK’s CCS ambitions and directly supports the government’s clean energy and growth agenda. It is expected to contribute substantially to UK GVA and the creation of highly skilled jobs, with more than £1 billion in UK subcontracts competitively tendered and £1 million invested in local skills. Following the execution of the lease, the project will now move into its construction phase.

The Hogan Lovells team comprised of senior associate Sanjay Davé, and partners Nicholas Roberts and Scott Tindall.

Nicholas Roberts, partner, Hogan Lovells commented: “It has been a pleasure, once again, working with The Crown Estate in completing another first for the UK. Granting a lease of the Endurance store is a major step in achieving the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions while helping enable investment, growth and creating high-quality jobs linked to the UK’s clean energy transition.”

Scott Tindall, partner, Hogan Lovells added: “Alongside expanding renewables, CCS capacity at scale is essential to meeting net zero and supporting hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonise. This agreement is another example of the transformative work Hogan Lovells is doing to help shape the UK and global energy transition markets.”