Humber Freeport has thrown its full support behind a new report which sets out the urgent action needed to deliver the huge benefits of the region’s decarbonisation.
“Delivering the Vision”, by the Humber Energy Board, sets out the short, medium and long-term action needed to decarbonise the Humber.
Included in the vision are technologies which are seen as crucial in the region’s transition to a prosperous, low carbon future, including the development of a carbon capture and storage pipeline and evolution of hydrogen energy.
As the country’s largest-emitting industrial cluster, solving the carbon conundrum in the Humber is essential in meeting the UK’s broader net zero ambitions.
Key highlights in the Delivering the Vision report include:
- A plan to remove 80 per cent of Humber carbon emissions via decarbonisation projects.
- The Humber’s potential to generate 50 per cent of the UK’s renewable power needs.
- Development of a hydrogen storage cluster with capacity to power two million UK homes for a year.
- The creation of thousands of new green jobs and safeguarding of existing industrial roles.
- Unlocking £15bn of private investment in energy-based projects.
The report also outlines the steps needed to tackle what is referred to as the “energy trilemma” – the challenge of the energy transition providing energy security for homes and businesses, while delivering on the region’s net zero targets and also unlocking regional economic growth.
With industry in the Humber supporting more than 360,000 jobs, and contributing over £18bn to the UK economy, getting those three components right is crucial.
Also included in the report is a reference to the important role of Humber Freeport in “accelerating the region as a world-leading hub for renewable energy, clean growth, digital innovation and advanced manufacturing”.
Humber Freeport’s objectives are very closely aligned with those of the Humber Energy Board.
The freeport launched with three key workstreams – innovation, decarbonisation and skills – and works with public and private sector organisations, including the region’s academic institutions, to shape the Humber’s strategic direction and economic model, which is seen as a blueprint for the green transition.
Humber Freeport’s three tax sites, in Hull, Goole and Immingham, have already attracted more than £1bn of inward investment.
Those investments will create much-needed new jobs, while also supporting a broader supply chain and contributing to skills development and fresh innovation.
Humber Freeport Chair Simon Bird said: “The Humber is, quite simply, the UK’s largest industrial decarbonisation opportunity.
“As a region, the Humber emits 20 per cent more carbon than any other industrial cluster. With that comes obvious challenges, but also the potential for significant economic growth in the low carbon transition.
Simon Bird, Chair of Humber Freeport
“We’ve already made enormous progress in renewable energy – a third of UK offshore wind capacity is operating from the Humber today – and now is the time to build on that momentum and deliver a green economy of the future.
“Humber Freeport wholeheartedly supports Delivering the Vision and its call to accelerate the decarbonisation of industry. Achieving that ambition will require the full support of government, business and academia.”
Alongside the development of a carbon capture and storage pipeline, the report highlights the role hydrogen energy can play in the pathway to net zero.
With the potential to remove up to 21 per cent of the Humber’s CO2 emissions by 2040 by switching to hydrogen fuel, the region has a host of natural hydrogen storage assets.
Humber Energy Board Chair Richard Gwilliam said: “The realisation of this opportunity and the delivery of the Vision can only be achieved through partnership.
“At its core, the Humber Energy Board represents partnership; it unites businesses with the public and academic sectors in the region to provide a shared voice to Government.
“Through a broader partnership we can unlock at least £15bn of private investment, create over 20,000 new jobs across the region, achieve carbon targets and turn the Humber into a global exemplar of how the pursuit of industrial decarbonisation can drive economic growth.”
The Delivering the Vision report is available to view online at Humber Energy Board.
