Industry leaders launch Net Zero North West to drive green recovery

A collaboration of CF Fertilisers, Encirc, Essar Oil UK, Inovyn, the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT), Peel L&P Environmental, Siemens, Storengy and Tata Chemicals Europe have formed Net Zero North West which is aiming to develop the UK’s first low carbon industrial cluster by 2030.

Home to the industrial revolution, the north-west of England still has the highest concentration of advanced manufacturing and chemical production in the UK, producing 40mn tCO₂/y. It is also the only region in the country which already has all the elements required to deliver a low carbon industrial cluster by 2030 – including renewables, hydrogen, carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS), nuclear and smart grids – with a number of projects prime for investment, according to the new initiative. Together, these projects could save over 10mn tCO₂/y, more than the annual carbon emissions of all the homes in the north-west region, making a significant contribution to the UK’s legally binding target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and help to reduce energy costs.

The north-west of England is home to the HyNet hydrogen and carbon capture project, which has been identified by the Hydrogen All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) as ‘the leading hydrogen and CCUS project in the UK’. The project plans to capture carbon from industry and create a pipeline to store it in depleted gas reservoirs in the Irish sea alongside hydrogen production, distribution and storage. Other projects include Mersey Tidal, the multi-billion pound scheme to harness the power of the Liverpool Bay to provide renewable energy – which has been identified as a key project in the Liverpool City Region Economic Recovery Plan – and E-Port, a £500mn smart energy grid around the industrial heartland of Ellesmere Port.

The region is also already delivering on carbon capture, with Tata Chemicals Europe due to complete construction of the UK’s first industrial scale carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) project at its Northwich industrial site. The plant will capture 40,000 tonnes of food grade CO₂ for use as a raw material for high grade sodium bicarbonate manufacture, reducing carbon emissions by over 10%.

Net Zero North West is developing a comprehensive roadmap for how the region will decarbonise industry and protect jobs. The roadmap will identify a coherent and deliverable vision for long-term, sustainable investments in net zero. The organisation recently submitted a bid to the UK government for a share of £8mn funding following a successful bid for phase one of the roadmap earlier this year.

Visit www.netzeronw.co.uk for more information.