Our story
This Tees Valley Combined Authority project is part funded by UKRI and is part of the wider ISCF IDC challenge to decarbonise industrial clusters around the UK with the target of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The Tees Valley industrial cluster currently emits up to 4.6 Mt of CO2 each year. This is the ‘Scope 1’ CO2 that is passed directly to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels to generate heat, power and in other industrial processes.
The 'Cluster Plan' is a roadmap to decarbonise the Tees Valley industrial cluster by 2040 and includes all of the major Industrials in the region that can provide the most significant contributions to decarbonisation.
We evaluated over 40 Industrials in this process, including existing assets and assets that are likely to be operational by 2040. In this context "decarbonisation" is any activity that helps meet the goal of Net Zero by 2040 – whether this is carbon capture and storage; energy reduction; feedstocks & fuels switching; increased use or generation of renewable energy; and any other similar activity or technology.
What the Cluster Offers:
The Tees Valley presents a ready-made and cost-effective cluster which can achieve long-term decarbonisation at affordable cost. It is geographically and industrially suited for large-scale decarbonisation, it is also home to Teesworks, the UK's largest Freeport, and Net Zero Teesside, the UK's premier net zero project.
The region produces more than 50% of the UK's hydrogen, and is home to the UK's first Hydrogen Transport Hub, as well as two huge "blue" hydrogen project, bp's H2Teesside and Kellas' H2NorthEast, as well as Protium's flagship green hydrogen project. It has the world's largest biomass power plant, and the UK's first Net Zero power plant.
Multimillon-pound investments in a new deep-water quay to service the offshore wind industry and SeAH Wind's £450million offshore manufacturing facility, as well as investment to create the Teesworks Offshore Manufacturing Centre round off the region's extensive cluster.
Our advice
Our project is in progress, but a key learning point is that early and persistent engagement with all stakeholders is important: it is vital to recognise the different perspectives and priorities of different stakeholders.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the inward investment and economic growth from industrial decarbonisation; over 30,000 new jobs in the region; building up the future workforce by enhancing employability through new training opportunities; and by the “green” chemicals, steel and fuels made in the Tees Valley that are exported outside of the region to help decarbonise the rest of the country.
