Yorkshire’s carbon capture capabilities hold the key to sustainability - Yorkshire Post Letters

I was delighted to see your articles on page 21 and the Post Script page of today’s YP in which, at long last, the vast potential for developing Humberside as the vital part of the county’s and country’s decarbonising project is being recognised.

In my letter to The YP editor dated September 26, 2022 and March 24, 2023, I bemoaned the failure of top party politicians to support the CCS scheme at Don Valley Power Project based on Hatfield Colliery (which was judged by the EU to be the best and most advanced scheme in Europe).

They failed to persuade Parliament to match the Euros 420 million grant. Thus Norway stepped in to benefit and, of course, Hatfield closed.

Fortunately Drax who, similarly lost out on their White Rose CCS, have worked hard and invested £millions over the intervening 10 years in reducing significantly their carbon emissions by switching from coal to biomass pellets to reach the point where they are the largest single contributor of renewable energy in the UK and possibly Europe as its BECC process comes on stream with its international investors.

The reduction of carbon emissions is further enhanced by the massive development of the container port at Immingham and its ability to reduce significantly the number of HGVs on the motorways of Yorkshire by transferring containers by rail from Hull and Goole to Doncaster Free Port to be delivered to various destinations on smaller vehicles or by rail via the ECML to benefit the import/export requirements of a very large slice of the North, as well as reducing, considerably, carbon emissions. Before Doncaster Airport was closed to flights, it had a year on year increase in Air Freight and this should be recoverable.

If the exciting development by Phillips 66 of the Humber Refinery at South Killingholme goes ahead, the plans it has for increased processing of UK road fuels and production of the key components in the manufacture of electric cars are likely to place the UK at the front of European competitors in this market.

Phillips has a 40 year history of producing graphite coke and a recent seven year history of providing sufficient of this coke in the EV battery market to cover production of 1.3 million vehicles.

We need to strongly support Phillips in seeking out UK companies capable of acquiring or developing the technology to process the coke into batteries, a process currently restricted to China.

Over many years we have produced talented innovators capable of contributing successfully to acquiring this technology and developing it for the benefit of the UK and the planet if Carbon Capture can be linked to all levels of production.

In the meantime we need to make full use of renewable, low carbon energy through Drax BECCS, Ferrybridge (pelleted black bag waste), off-shore wind, nuclear, tidal and pumped water and solar farms (on non-agricultural land).

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are a reminder that we need to further develop indigenous oil and gas fuels as a safeguard.

In all of this we need the positive support of all our MPs irrespective of Party, particularly those in Yorkshire and the North.