Zero carbon project on the Humber gets backing from the Government

The project – which is getting £1.7m from the taxpayer and £900,000 from industries – aims to protect jobs and achieve net zero by 2040.

Putting in new infrastructure – including a trans-regional pipeline connecting to under-sea storage for carbon emissions – will cost billions.

The bid by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and non profit organisation Catch, which also involves eight private sector firms, was submitted to Innovate UK as part of the Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund scheme, announced last July. Other organisations have separate bids in to develop the infrastructure.

One in every 10 jobs on the Humber is dependent on energy-intensive industries which put 12.4m tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Including energy producers the total climbs to around 20m tonnes.

David Talbot, CEO of Catch, said: “There really is an opportunity to become world leaders in industrial decarbonisation.

“Catch membership represent some of the UKs highest CO2 emitters and we look forward to developing the region’s ambitions to deliver a plan that is central to tackling the net zero challenge.

“Our industry in the Humber region is strategically important and today’s announcement will ensure that existing industry is sustainable, whilst attracting new innovative green businesses to the region and upskilling, protecting and creating jobs for the local community.”

Chair of the Humber LEP Stephen Parnaby said: “We are thrilled our funding bid for the Humber Cluster Plan has been successful.

“This successful outcome has only been possible with the support of our industry partners, who have illustrated there is a huge appetite in the Humber to innovate, collaborate and strive for solutions to create a cleaner, greener future for our vital industries.”