Business Secretary Greg Clark has welcomed the Humber’s ambitious target to hit net-zero for carbon emissions by 2040, praising the plans to be a global leader in clean energy generation.
The Local Enterprise Partnership launched its proposals for the industrial strategy as part of the Humber Business Week celebrations yesterday, focusing on the strengths and opportunity afforded by the Energy Estuary.
Key planks are the visible pathway to 8GW of installed offshore wind and the ambitious carbon capture and storage system that could run between Drax and depleted oil and gas caverns beneath the North Sea, with hydrogen provision also to be explored.
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Mr Clark, who is leading government on the efforts to save huge regional employer British Steel, said: “I am delighted that the Humber LEP is launching its Local Industrial Strategy prospectus for consultation, including ambitious plans to be a global leader in clean energy generation.
“This is a critical time for the Humber, and we’ll be working closely with local partners to develop the priorities set out in this prospectus into an ambitious Local Industrial Strategy – alongside the direct support we are providing around the future for British Steel.
“Our modern Industrial Strategy aims to boost productivity across the country by backing businesses to create good jobs and increase earning power. For Humber, this is a great opportunity for the region to come together and plan for a bright economic future for local people, businesses and communities.”
The 20 year target was the stand-out strategy of the document, launched at the LEP annual meeting at DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Hotel, with hundreds of delegates present.
Other highlights include improving the turbine building, operating and maintaining supply chain - enabling more local people to join the sector.
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Lord Haskins, chair of the Humber LEP, said: “The Humber’s transformation over recent years has been remarkable, but continuing that momentum will be hard.
“Our proposals are designed to achieve that. This is a bold plan which has been shaped by business, supported by our local authority partners, and I hope it will be well received.
“It is a distinctive approach, playing to the Humber’s strengths and looking at where we have the biggest opportunities for growth, but also a realistic one recognising that we cannot be the best at everything.”
It was formally unveiled, having been worked it up over a number of months. With the Humber emitting more CO2 than any other 海角视频 region, due to the high proportion of heavy industry, decarbonisation is the most significant challenge for the next two decades.
Tasked with developing the plan on behalf of the region, the LEP has signalled it is now ready to sit down with government to finalise the strategy.
It also announced the Government has agreed to accelerate the production of the strategy by six months, meaning that it will now be in place by the end of September.
Mr Clark, chairing the British Steel Support Group, played a fundamental role in the set-up of the LEP, along with Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dr Ian Kelly, uniting the rival authorities under the Humber umbrella. Such has been the level of work, Lord Heseltine has since commented that disbanding Humberside as an over-arching authority was one of the biggest mistakes made in local government restructuring, while Lord Prescott has praised the momentum as he champions both banks’ unstinting potential.
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Lord Haskins said: “The decarbonisation agenda could be transformational for the Humber.
“We have clean energy, which we can generate a lot more of, an industrial cluster with sectors like steel, oil refining and chemicals that are vital to the 海角视频’s strategic interests, and a geographical advantage.
“We also have the highest emissions in the country, which will need to be tackled for the 海角视频 to meet its international obligations. Bring all that together and we have a big opportunity to make what we have more competitive, attract new investment and create local business and community benefits.”
The Humber’s port network also featured heavily in the proposals. Earmarked as having the potential to relieve congestion in southern England by handling a greater proportion of 海角视频 imports and exports, the Humber’s logistics sector could be further developed, building on the hundreds of millions now pouring in to boost bulk and container handling.
Immingham is the largest port by tonnage in the 海角视频, and immediately west of it a huge swathe of deep-water touching land is also earmarked for a ‘fifth port’ as Able Marine Energy Park remains undeveloped, with owner Able 海角视频 now bringing forward similar plans for the Tees.
Simon Bird, director at ABP Humber, said: “The Humber ports have for many years been at the forefront of driving growth in the regional economy as the gateway to trade. Our future industrial strategy is a fantastic opportunity to set out the Humber’s offer to the Government and other stakeholders about future growth, carving out our role in energy, ports and logistics and decarbonisation.”
Carbon capture and storage unsurprisingly took a starring role in the strategy, along with developing an electric vehicle supply chain in the Humber. Phillips 66’s Humber Refinery at South Killingholme produces materials for batteries, reaching critical mass this past year.
Now a major player in offshore wind, with Hull producing blades, and attracting a supply chain, and Grimsby the 海角视频’s leading operations and maintenance hub, the LEP also wants to put the Humber at the forefront of the next phase of the sector’s development.
The Sector Deal agreed with Government will see installed capacity rise substantially to 30GW by 2030 and 50GW by 2050, or potentially 75GW if the Committee on Climate Change’s advice is followed.
Most of this will be in the North Sea, with the Humber again centrally located, leading to calls from industry chiefs to make it the global home of offshore wind.
The LEP’s proposed ambition is for the Humber to support at least half of the new wind capacity through manufacturing, construction and/or operations and maintenance.
Consultation on the prospectus will run until the end of July, with details available on the LEP’s website at .