The Humber’s zero carbon ambition has been laid out before the nation’s business leaders.
Drax Group director Clare Harbord addressed the British Chambers of Commerce annual conference in London on Thursday, underlining the massive initiative it is spearheading, to loop the 海角视频’s biggest industrial region into a carbon capture and storage network it will anchor.
The scheme, with hydrogen production alongside, complements the world-leading position in offshore wind.
Mrs Harbord, group director of corporate affairs, heralded 2020 as a year of unprecedented opportunity for businesses as Britain takes the lead in tackling the climate crisis.
As well as the huge carbon capture scheme - taking harmful CO2 emissions from industrial flues to depleted oil and gas caverns beneath the North Sea - Drax is also leading on a zero-carbon skills taskforce in the North, aimed at ensuring the region has a workforce which is ready to reap the rewards of a net zero economy.
She said: “By investing in the skills and new technologies needed to get the country to net zero, businesses can be world leading, creating new opportunities to develop and grow.
“Despite all of the challenges we face – this is a year of great opportunity for British business to take a world leading role in tackling the climate crisis. We can seize the opportunities of infrastructure and new technology and investment that will put our country and our businesses at the heart of a global green economy.”
Through the Zero Carbon Humber initiative, being delivered in partnership with National Grid Ventures and Equinor -with Humber LEP fully behind too - Drax aims to establish the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040.
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The Humber employs 55,000 people in energy, manufacturing and engineering and as the most carbon intensive region in the country – taking steps to decarbonise the area would make a more significant impact on addressing the climate crisis than anywhere else in the 海角视频.
“Our vision is to put the Humber back on the global stage as an example to the rest of the world of climate leadership in action, creating green jobs and clean growth,” she said.
“As the world’s attention turns to Glasgow and the COP26 conference this Autumn, there is no better time for government to show its support for British businesses and the British technology that is leading this fight.”
Eyes are on Wednesday’s Budget for a potential next step in the funding of the carbon capture ambition.
Last week Drax announced it is going coal free from next March, which will involve a huge restructure at the North Yorkshire site.