Called the Humber Cluster Plan, the study will illustrate how the Humber region can achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, potentially making it the first industrial cluster globally to do so.
The organisations have already submitted a joint funding proposal for the plan to Innovate UK as part of the Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund scheme. If successful, the plan will act as a roadmap for large-scale decarbonisation, mapping out how carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen infrastructure can be scaled up over time.
“We know the Humber has the potential to lead the way in the UK’s transition to net-zero, and it’s crucial that we’re working across the various industries in the region to turn this vision into a reality,” said Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Thermal.
“We need a coordinated and comprehensive plan to deliver large-scale decarbonisation, which in turn will safeguard and create local jobs, and open up new growth opportunities for the region.”
Alongside SSE Thermal, Equinor, Drax, National Grid Ventures, Centrica, VPI Immingham, British Steel and Phillips 66 are also involved in the project, representing a variety of important sectors in the region.
As part of its commitments, SSE Thermal has already announced plans to develop a major clean power hub in the Humber region at Keadby, North Lincolnshire, utilising CCS and hydrogen solutions.
“In SSE Thermal, we are working to create a clean power hub at Keadby, which would deliver huge investment and hundreds of jobs in the coming years, as well as acting as a key anchor for the wider decarbonisation of the region,” Wheeler concluded.