The world is watching and we all need to work together, says Humber energy boss
ENERGY PLANS WELCOMED
PLANS for the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled electricity-generating power station have been welcomed by the new man overseeing the plethora of projects on the Energy Estuary.
Jonathan Oxley has just been appointed as Humber Industrial Cluster Plan manager, taking his post at the helm of the £2.6m project as three huge decarbonisation plans were backed by government last month.
He said: “This announcement from Equinor and SSE Thermal is another exciting development in the Humber’s journey to Net Zero, and one which is aligned to our Humber Industrial Cluster Plan’s ambitions. “Not only could carbon capture and storage technologies be used by Keadby Three to reduce emissions in the near term, but the proposed Keadby Four hydrogen power station could become a world first in power generation. It’s inspiring to see companies across the Humber working together on these projects – which are vital for achieving the decarbonisation of our region’s heavy industries and transforming the energy estuary into a green and clean centre for economic growth.” Humber Industrial Cluster Plan (HICP) is a comprehensive roadmap for decarbonising industry in the region, which will show how the cluster can achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, potentially making it the first in the world to do so. Successful securing of funding for it was led by the Humber LEP, with industry organisation Catch, and it becomes a legacy project that has been adopted by Hull and East Yorkshire LEP - albeit pan-Humber. It is being delivered in conjunction with eight private sector partner organisations, with Equinor and SSE joined by British Steel, Centrica, Drax, National Grid Ventures, Phillips 66 and VPI Immingham. It is funded by InnovateUK as part of the Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund scheme, part of the £350 million green recovery package.
Mr Oxley, who will be joined by three new team members - with recruitment under way - will move the Humber closer to achieving large-scale decarbonisation, with businesses working together to find effective and lasting solutions. A chemist by training, having worked for BP for over 20 years - including a secondment to the Energy Technologies Institute where he led national and international projects - it was followed by a period working with the World Energy Council.
Of his role, Mr Oxley said HICP was a “lighthouse” project, which would not only show how the Humber and the UK can successfully decarbonise industry, but also highlight how this could be achieved worldwide.
“With global attention on the potential for the Humber industry to decarbonise, now more than ever we have the incentive to work together on this ambitious programme to deliver for the businesses and people of the Humber area, to shine a light on what can be done at a national and international level – and to play our part in tackling climate change,” he said.
“We all recognise the huge potential there is for industrial decarbonisation here in the Humber and there are lots of organisations working on their own strategies, but the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan brings all of this ambition together in one place – to show how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“This is not just the opportunity to meet our net-zero ambitions and help fight climate change, but by creating a carbon neutral cluster we can also support inward investment opportunities for the Humber too – demonstrating that new businesses that choose to locate here can more readily align their operations with the UK’s net zero ambition.”
The additional roles will complement a joint LEP and Catch team. David Talbot, chief executive at Catch, said: “There is a huge appetite for change in the Humber and a great deal of collaboration already taking place.
“We are thrilled to see Jonathan appointed as the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan manager - his experience leading internationally renowned energy projects will support the development of our own roadmap and the team and I look forward to working with Jonathan to propel the region’s decarbonisation agenda.”