UK plans CO2-neutral industry hub:

Britain plans by 2040 to develop the world’s first net-zero carbon industrial center by teaming up emitters with industries that can reuse their polluting gases or by moving to lower carbon fuels such as hydrogen, it said on Thursday.

The government said it will commit up to 170 million pounds ($215 million) to the project, which could include capturing emissions from factories and reusing them in industries such as brewing to put the fizz in drinks.

Britain has been making progress in cutting emissions from the electricity sector by increasing renewable power generation as it seeks to phase out coal-fired generation by 2025.

“But to sustain this track record we need to tackle emissions from energy intensive sectors and bring clean growth to our great industrial centers,” Energy Minister Claire Perry said in a statement.

Industrial emissions, such as from the production of steel, ceramics and chemicals account for 25 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases.

The hub could be developed in existing industrial regions such as Grangemouth in Scotland, in South Wales or in England at Merseyside, Teeside, Humberside or Southampton.