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A group of students from the Humber have travelled to Norway to learn about the low carbon technologies that could transform their region.

The winners of The Waterline Student Sustainability Challenge have completed a four day trip to Bergen, courtesy of sponsors Equinor.

During the trip the team from Engineering University Technical College Northern Lincolnshire visited the ground-breaking Northern Lights project, one of the world’s only commercial carbon capture and storage facilities, which imports CO2 emissions from across Europe for safe storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. They also visited Kollsnes, where 40 per cent of Equinor’s natural gas destined for the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Europe is processed, and where a hydrogen transition programme is being proposed.

These two facilities helped the students to learn about low carbon technologies which feature within their curriculum and will play a central role in decarbonising the Humber. They also met with young apprentices to discuss careers within the energy sector.

The group were selected after helping make significant energy consumption reductions at the Scunthorpe site, while improving the environment and encouraging behavioural change.

Anesta McCullagh, UTC principal, said: “This project has not only given students important teamwork and leadership skills through taking part in the competition, but has saved the college thousands of pounds in energy costs, as well as our whole community of families. It has also developed the knowledge and understanding of global issues around sustainability and net zero for all of our students.

“The trip to Norway with Equinor for the winners was an experience they will remember their whole lives, and the information they have brought back to the college about carbon capture and hydrogen production is educating other students and staff. The support we have had from the Equinor team has been wonderful. They have engaged, enthused and inspired our students, ensuring that every moment was meaningful.”

As part of the trip to the city rich in Viking heritage, the team also visited Oygarden secondary school, where they presented their project to students and teachers, and engaged in group exercises to explore and share sustainability options. The students met each other again at VilVite science and technology museum, where they competed in a range of educational tasks. The two schools hope to build a lasting relationship which can lead to further collaboration for many years to come.

Dan Sadler, Equinor’s vice president for low carbon solutions, said: “We are very proud to sponsor the Waterline Student Sustainability Challenge and to support this impressive winning team to learn more about the technologies that can transform their region and potentially inspire their future career choices. It is fantastic to see young people so motivated and engaged in the journey to net zero, we believe that trips like these can only help to further this ambition.”