Hull’s three MPs have given their backing to the Zero Carbon Humber project, writing to Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng in support of the £75 million bid.
Dame Diana Johnson, Emma Hardy and Karl Turner have united behind the transformative scheme that aims to play a huge role in the cleaning up of the 海角视频’s most carbon-intensive industrial cluster.
The bid, led by Equinor in collaboration with 11 partners, is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
The Labour trio said the project was a “world-first opportunity to decarbonise the region whilst promoting local industry, attracting future inward investment and creating new jobs”.
Their letter referred to their party’s Green Economic Recovery policy paper, unveiled by Shadow BEIS spokesman and former Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in the past few weeks, and highlighted how Zero Carbon Humber supports many of the paper’s proposals.
It included using carbon capture, usage and storage to decarbonise energy intensive industries; producing hydrogen to decarbonise industry, heating and transport; offering decarbonisation options including CCUS and hydrogen to heavy industry such as steelmaking; and transitioning skilled workers from the oil and gas sector into low carbon alternatives.
The MPs also welcomed the Government’s aim to ‘build back greener’ and address the impact that Covid-19 is having on the regional economy, saying it would “send a strong and positive signal if the Government backed an exciting ground-breaking project like Zero Carbon Humber at this difficult time.”
Ms Hardy, who represents Hull West and Hessle, said: “The Zero Carbon Humber project offers the opportunity to decarbonise the region whilst promoting local industry, attracting future inward investment and creating new jobs. This project will also enhance the Humber region’s reputation as the 海角视频’s Energy Estuary driving investment in green energy and growth in our region.
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“Hull already employs a large proportion of workers in the energy sector and is placed in a prime location with industries such as engineering, manufacturing and logistics in our area.
“It is of paramount importance that we look towards decarbonising our industries whilst ensuring their future sustainability. Zero Carbon Humber will maintain this employment, provide high skilled jobs and provide new opportunities for local employment and economy.”
With the recent publication of the Ten Point Plan, highlighting the importance of CCUS and hydrogen in the pursuit of Net Zero, the 12 organisations behind Zero Carbon Humber welcomed the cross-party support.
Humber Conservatives Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) and Lia Nici (Grimsby) have already championed it.
Dan Sadler, 海角视频 low carbon strategy director at Equinor, said: “This project is a no-brainer for the Humber and for the 海角视频. It is vital to tackling emissions regionally and nationally, whilst also future-proofing industry, securing and creating jobs. We’re delighted to see the Government and the Opposition agreeing on the technologies needed to meet the net zero challenge, and we’re grateful to our local MPs for the public support they’re putting behind our bid.”