Humber sets its sights on being the ‘Silicon Valley’ of green energy
LOW-CARBON REVOLUTION IS ALREADY MAKING WAVES
THE Humber could become the “Silicon Valley of low-carbon technologies”, according to a senior energy company boss.
Speaking at an event in Hull on Monday, Equinor’s vice president for government and regulatory affairs Dominic Martin said the region was currently at the forefront of a green industrial revolution in the UK.
Earlier this year the Norwegian company announced plans to triple its UK hydrogen output by building the world’s biggest hydrogen production plant with carbon capture and storage technology near Hull.
The project will supply hydrogen to the chemicals park and power station at Saltend by extracting hydrogen from traditional fossil fuel gas. Carbon dioxide left from the process will be trapped and stored for future managed use.
Hydrogen is being seen as an important part of the UK’S plan to reduce carbon emissions because it could replace fossil gas currently used in factories and power plants.
Mr Martin said: “As a traditional oil and gas company, Equinor is making its own energy transition.
“We now talk about ourselves as a broad energy company with big plans for growth in renewables.
“We are building the world’s biggest offshore wind farm with out partners SSE in the North Sea at Dogger Bank and we are also developing low-carbon solutions - carbon capture and storage and hydrogen production - and in there we very much see the Humber as the future focus of our growth areas.
“I have seen the technology and it works. There are real possibilities for taking these traditional energyintensive industries and turning them into productive low-carbon parts of our future economy.
“It’s not just about the direct jobs in companies themselves who are involved with this but all the support and service industries that surround them.
“With any set of new industries, the regions that move first have huge advantages by being the incumbents, just look at Silicon Valley with digital technology. I can see the Humber being the Silicon Valley of low-carbon technologies. Why not?
“People are already coming to the Humber to see what is going on.
“It is already creating a buzz internationally.”