Energy and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng will make a 鈥榲irtual鈥 return to the Humber region as a key speaker at The Waterline Summit.
Next week鈥檚 event brings together significant elements of the region鈥檚 role in the transition to a zero carbon future, with environment and the economy intertwined.
It further underlines the Humber鈥檚 vital role, as the most carbon intensive area that also holds many of the answers.
Mr Kwarteng will address the Sustainable Finance Day on October 23, which sets out to outline the opportunities for larger-scale hydrogen and CCS projects in clusters, as well as the funding challenges and opportunities.
Dr Diana Taylor, managing director of event organiser Marketing Humber said: 鈥淲e are excited to welcome the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP to The Waterline Summit.
鈥淢r Kwarteng is knowledgeable in the potential that lies in the Humber鈥檚 infrastructure, assets, technology and innovation through his visits to and written endorsement of our region.
鈥淗e has seen for himself the enormous potential of the renewable energy sector here, and how our carbon intensive industries are collaborating to define a new net-zero energy network for the future. This sets the platform for whole-place decarbonisation.
鈥淲e are delighted to receive his opening speech to set the scene for how we truly unlock the potential here and become an exemplar for other estuarial and industrial regions worldwide.鈥
It comes as bids for tens of millions of pounds have just been submitted to government for emerging schemes.
The minister has previously taken in both Drax and Orsted while in position at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, using the latter to launch hydrogen initiatives which are progressing on the Humber.
He met consortium representatives behind the flourishing Gigastack project from ITM Power, Orsted and Phillips 66 as it was awarded early stage funding to look at offshore wind power being used to produce green hydrogen to change out supply at the refinery.
Drax is a key part of Zero Carbon Humber, the pan-regional scheme to take emissions from there, as well as Scunthorpe鈥檚 steelworks, Saltend Chemicals Park and the South Bank refining cluster,and sequester them in depleted oil and gas caverns beneath the near North Sea, via Centrica Storage.聽
The anchor project is Equinor's Hydrogen to Humber Saltend production plant.
Mr Kwarteng has also met Velocys director Dr Neville Hargreaves while visiting the region. The company is behind the consented green jet fuel refinery at Stallingborough, near Immingham, and is another major project in the financing sphere.
It is thought all will be discussed, with the session led by HSBC and IP Group.
Andrea Griffin of the HSBC Centre for Sustainable Finance will speak as part of the webinar.
