Plans for Yorkshire to 'lead the way' in helping UK meet climate targets

It’s hoped Yorkshire can lead the way in going green - with multibillion pound plans to lock carbon dioxide under the North Sea.

The Humber region is the UK's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases - but Drax power station in Selby is hoping to turn that around and make it the first region to hit net zero carbon.

They’ve submitted multibillion pound plans for ‘carbon capture’ – which would see the creation of two large pipes which will capture millions of tonnes of carbon from 2030 and essentially store it under the North Sea.

It’s hoped the plans would create 43,000 local jobs, and the company have worked with Selby College to develop the UK’s first carbon capture course to develop the engineers of the future.

Plant director Bruce Heppenstall says it's one of the 'big ticket' items that'll help Yorkshire meet its climate targets:

“I think there’s a huge opportunity here for both Yorkshire and the Humber but also the UK. If we can be the first to capture carbon on an industrial scale, we then can export that to other places in the world.

“Yorkshire and the Humber together represent the biggest concentration of carbon dioxide in the country, and therefore the biggest prize.”