Teesside hydrogen and carbon capture schemes selected by Government
A raft of Teesside projects have been chosen for the next stage of a government energy push.
The green schemes are part of an aim to boost hydrogen industries and decarbonisation power systems by 2035. On Friday, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a string of Teesside projects had been shortlisted in a selection of 20 schemes including carbon capture and storage (CCUS), industrial carbon capture and hydrogen.
Officials said the shortlist did not imply the availability of funding for any or all of the shortlisted projects – but did mean the schemes were selected in for the next phase. Whitetail Clean Energy, Net Zero Teesside Power, bpH2Teesside, H2NorthEast, Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility Project (TVERF), Teesside Hydrogen CO2 Capture and Redcar Energy Centre were all listed.
Efforts to make Teesside a clean energy hub have been hailed by politicians in the past and a key part of the Teesworks vision. Redcar MP Jacob Young believed it would be a big step forward.
The Tory MP said: “Each of these projects has the potential to accelerate the economic benefits that are just waiting to be unleashed here in Teesside – together they would be transformational. Not only do these new clean technologies put our region at the forefront of the latest innovations in energy, they would put Teesside at the very centre of the UK’s ambition to decarbonise our power system by 2035, while maintaining security of supply.
He added: “This is exactly the kind of opportunity we need to grasp as we move towards our greener, cleaner and more prosperous future.” It’s understood the shortlisted projects will now move to the next stage of due diligence assessment before final decisions on funding.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen also believed it was a major step forward for Net Zero Teesside and BP’s hydrogen projects – claiming they would bring billions of pounds to the region while supporting Teesworks. He added: “Importantly, they will also help secure our energy sources here in Britain for the future so that we can better protect ourselves against rising prices driven by global events.”