Time the Government supports Humber as key cluster to net zero - The Yorkshire Post says

The Government was told that it will not reach its net zero by 2050 target without investing in carbon capture and storage facilities in the Humber.

Energy firms in the region stand ready to cut emissions from the UK’s largest industrial cluster by 80 per cent while creating tens of thousands of jobs, as part of the Humber 2030 scheme.

But with any nascent technology, governmental support is needed to get it off the ground and that is the case with carbon capture and storage.

If there were any doubts about the significance of Humber to the net zero fight, then Ministers should remind themselves that this part of the region accounts for 20 per cent of the country’s electricity and is also home to major gas terminals and oil and coal refineries. And it emits more carbon dioxide (CO2) than any other industrial cluster in the country.

That is why the region’s industries need to be better equipped to decarbonise. The will is certainly there but the Government support is lacking. Harnessing the net zero capabilities present here would also benefit the rest of the country.

Lord Martin Callanan, during his visit, was told investors are prepared to pump £15bn into decarbonisation projects if they receive government backing.

Business leaders on the Humber Energy Board have already set out plans to deliver several hydrogen production plants and carbon capture and storage facilities.

But as Richard Gwilliam, the chair of the Humber Energy Board, says, “The thing with carbon capture and storage is that it requires, like any form of new technology such as wind or solar, some degree of support to get that technology up and running.”