Work is underway to realise Humber Zero, days after the funding was confirmed from Westminster.
The refinery-focused South Bank strand of the huge carbon capture and storage proposals for the Energy Estuary has received £12.5 million to match fund investment from Phllips 66 and Vitol, owner of the VPI Immingham power plant.
It aims to sequester eight million tonnes of CO2 from one of the most emission intensive industries. A further phase could then see hydrogen production.
Project director Jonathan Briggs said: “We are pleased to have been selected for the funding which allows us to go through to the front-end engineering design stage.
“The Government’s confidence in the project is a sign of the Humber’s significance as an epicentre to decarbonise 海角视频 industry.
“It is cost effective and presents an opportunity to decarbonise strategic industries around Immingham.
“We now look forward to working with Innovate 海角视频 and transportation and storage operators who are developing sites.”
He said carbon capture and storage was not just an option but an imperative and its importance was recognised by the Prime Minister in his recent 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution.
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“We have a world class partnership ready to meet the goals and ambitions of the Paris Agreement and there is an opportunity for the Humber to become a CCS global technology leader,” he said.
Design stage starts with immediate effect and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023 for VPI and the end of that year for Phillips 66. The project could start to capture carbon in 2027.
The project is a partner in the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan, which sets out the region’s decarbonisation journey and was awarded £1.7 million at the start of the year.
Jonathan Oxley, plan manager for Humber LEP, said: “The Humber is the largest industrial cluster in the 海角视频, and represents a significant opportunity to advance the 海角视频’s Net Zero ambition. Working with our partners across the Humber region to develop the Humber Cluster Plan, we will deliver this dynamic roadmap to decarbonise existing industries and attract new businesses to the area.
“Humber Zero’s capacity to capture eight million tonnes of C02 per year - the equivalent of removing around four million cars from 海角视频 roads - is a significant project to put the 海角视频’s Energy Estuary at the heart of the transition to a more sustainable industrial future.”
Process industry organisation Catch is at the forefront of mapping the Humber’s decarbonisation too.
Chief executive David Talbot said: “We believe Humber Zero offers an excellent opportunity to deliver early CCS deployment in the 海角视频, capturing an initial 4.9 million tonnes of industrial CO2 emissions per annum.
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“The adjacency of two world scale plants, owned by Phillips 66 and Vitol, can result in a scale of CO2 reduction that is nationally significant, while offering a highly competitive levelised cost of abatement.
“The Humber Industrial Cluster Plan and Catch is committed to supporting a range of deployment projects in our region and looks forward to working with Humber Zero to support its ambition that the Humber Refinery and Immingham CHP present an exciting opportunity for Government to become a global leader in industrial heat and power decarbonisation and deliver the world’s first ‘refinery of the future’.”
Working on the project is Aberdeen-headquartered energy services firm Wood - the lead contractor over the fence at Lindsey Oil Refinery - with Imperial College London-linked Imperial Consultants having played an integral role thus far.
Tim Abbott, senior study manager at Wood, said: “It is exciting to be working at the forefront of the emerging CCS and hydrogen economies, with partners who are fully engaged and have real ambition to decarbonise their assets.
“This project has a place for a wealth of technologies to come together and meet the challenge, with commercialisation of green hydrogen electrolysers, deployment of blue hydrogen at scale, and post-combustion CO2 capture on large emitters.
“A unique feature of this scheme is the existing baseload combined heat and power plant at VPI Immingham, and the opportunity that creates to further integrate the sites to maximise the overall benefit.”
The proposal sees existing infrastructure repurposed for transportation and storage, via Chrysaor-acquired assets linking the Killingholme complex with Theddlethorpe on the Lincolnshire coast, and out to the near North Sea’s depleted oil and gas reservoirs.
Paul Fennell of Imperial Consultants said: “This was an exciting opportunity to put our research skills into practical application, investigating the costs of green hydrogen from local curtailed wind, and also how a CCS network would potentially evolve in the Humber area.
“The resulting evidence base has been shared widely with policymakers to support policy and regulatory alignment towards net-zero.
“We hope to continue collaborating in this exciting project as it moves into reality.”
Industrial interest and civic satisfaction
Progress is welcomed by those watching on from an industrial and civic standpoint.
海角视频 Petroleum Industry Authority Director-General, Stephen Marcos Jones, welcomed the involvement of both Phillips 66 in Humber Zero and Shell in the ultimate storage for Zero Carbon Humber.
He said: “海角视频PIA is pleased to see that our member companies are actively involved in so many of the £171 million Industrial Decarbonisation Fund projects that will receive funding – a vital next step towards Net Zero and bringing strong ambitions from our sector one step closer to delivery.
“The funding will help companies to progress their projects from concept phase towards final investment decision and ‘metal in the ground’ at a time when investment hurdles are still extremely high and are compounded by the impact the pandemic has had on industry.
“The importance of 海角视频PIA members in almost all of these projects should not be underestimated and this is proof that the sector is a committed and needed partner in the 海角视频’s efforts to reach Net Zero.”
Dr Ian Kelly, chief executive of Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, said Humber Zero would help further the region’s ambitions “to reduce the region’s carbon footprint and make our area cleaner and safer for everyone,” welcoming the job creation as the local economy gets to grips with Covid-19 and Brexit challenges.
“We look forward to working with all the key stakeholders in the Humber to realise these ambitions in the coming years,” he said.
The cluster sits in Cleethorpes and Immingham MP Martin Vickers’ constituency.
He said: “Humber Zero is a vitally important initiative that promises great benefits to my constituency and the wider area. It is a significant part of the 海角视频 commitment to reach its ambitious emission reduction targets whilst at the same time providing well-paid jobs for local people.
“That major companies such as VPI and Phillips 66 are leading the project is an indication of the level of support.”
While it draws much of its workforce from the Grimsby area, the site sits just in North Lincolnshire. Local authority leader Rob Waltham MBE said: “North Lincolnshire has a fabulous opportunity to lead the world in carbon capture and storage technology.
“I understand Humber Zero will create 2,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent ones, creating significant investment in the local economy.
“The project will also help protect thousands of industrial jobs in North Lincolnshire that would otherwise be at risk.
“North Lincolnshire Council is determined to play its part in helping the Government meet its 2050 net zero ambition while looking after residents’ interests. I support the efforts of those behind Humber Zero.”
For North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson, it is a step towards being a “super place”, building on a world-leading position in offshore wind. in Grimsby. Cleethorpes, also part of the borough, is used in the promotional video to outline the wider benefits - not least the quality of life offered for those seeking green collar jobs.
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He said: “The Green Industrial Revolution is happening right here, right now.
“The Government’s recently published 10 point plan looks to bring together technologies such as offshore wind, hydrogen production and carbon capture in areas which will become ‘super places’ in which green industries prosper.
“It’s those green industries that will help to provide long-term jobs in our area in both offshore wind and on-shore waste to energy industries.
“All of this doesn’t happen overnight – it’s through working with businesses over a number of years, and investing in the long-term, that we can make a difference and benefit in terms of jobs and the economy in North East Lincolnshire.”
Both South Humber Bank authorities are now part of Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership. Chief executive Ruth Carver said: ”The LEP's ambition is to pioneer whole-system and place-based approaches to dealing with energy and decarbonisation, both industrial and rural, while delivering valuable outcome-based impacts, thus creating an exemplar for other areas.
"Supporting the decarbonisation route map for the Humber Estuary industrial cluster is vital to this ambition. Following the very good news that significant Government investment has been made to Humber Zero, this is a great start in facilitating delivery at a local infrastructure level that is clearly aligned with the Government’s objectives for the 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
"We look forward to working with all of the partners."