Funding has been secured to roadmap the Humber’s decarbonisation plan.
Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and process industry support organisation Catch have secured almost £100,000 from the public purse through Innovate 海角视频, allowing the first phase of work on detailed delivery proposals for the major industrial cluster.
The aim is to protect jobs and industries while reducing carbon emissions.
An award of £96,000 has been made to develop the plan, which if approved could lead to a multi-million pound bid to bring it forward.
It will bring detail to the proposed carbon capture and storage and hydrogen fuel switching, and is described as complementary to wider work being led by the LEP and partners as the region aims to hit net zero by 2040.
The roadmap project team are working closely with the Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Deployment Project - a scheme to identify and develop potential anchor projects to maximise emission reductions and bring forward a world-leading industrial CO2 transport and storage system and Green Hydrogen for Humber - ITM Power's extension of work with Phillips 66 and Orsted.
As reported, it will lead to the production of renewable hydrogen, at gigawatt scale, eventually to a wide range of users. It is seen as offering a step change in CO2 emissions - with the region the worst offender in the 海角视频. This is due to the industrial cluster of economically and strategically vital steelworks, oil refineries, chemical processing and cement production plants.
Lord Haskins, chair of Humber LEP, said: “The climate change crisis will not be addressed without close collaboration between the Government, industry and places across the 海角视频, so we are pleased to be working with partners on a roadmap to enable this in the Humber.
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“As the highest emitting industrial cluster in the country, our region has the potential to make the biggest difference in the fight to reduce emissions. As today’s announcement shows, businesses are developing projects that will enable us to do that at pace.
“The roadmap will support us to deliver on our ambition to become a net-zero carbon economy in the future, helping the Humber to secure the long-term sustainability of our strategically important industries and attract more new green jobs and investment.”
The Humber LEP set out the region’s ambition to become net zero carbon in its Humber Clean Growth Local White Paper published at the start of November. It is also at the heart of the Local Industrial Strategy it has developed with Government, which is expected to be published shortly.
The roadmap will point to where public and private investment will need to be targeted over the next two decades to reduce the Humber’s industrial emissions.
David Talbot, chief executive of Catch, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Humber LEP and win this bid to solve the biggest challenge facing our industries over the next few decades.
“We need to ensure not just the competitiveness of our much-needed energy intensive industries, but also their survival – we want to see these vital businesses stay in the Humber and decarbonisation is central to this.
“Funding is essential to ensure we have a plan to break down any barriers in the way of the Humber becoming a net-zero economy by 2040 and we are glad the Government has taken note of how serious the Humber is about tackling this.”
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The roadmap will also identify opportunities for attracting new businesses to the region to utilise the low carbon infrastructure that will be developed - with an early example in the carbon capture plug-in ready green jet fuel refinery planned for Stallingborough.
Synergies with related work to decarbonise ports, transport, agriculture and homes are also anticipated.
Bryony Livesey, challenge director for industrial decarbonisation at Government quango 海角视频 Research and Innovation said: “As the 海角视频 goes through trying times we nonetheless must plan for the future. We can announce today the funded projects of the first phases of the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge. These projects are the first stride towards the government’s plans to develop cost-effective decarbonisation in Industrial hubs that tackle the emissions challenge that 海角视频 industry faces. We look forward to the development of these plans and their contribution to meeting the 2050 net-zero target.”