Humber Zero is a ground-breaking gateway project on the Energy Estuary. The carbon capture storage project was awarded £12.5m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), investment equally matched by the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery and Vitol’s VPI heat and power plant, both in the Immingham industrial cluster.
Energy intensive industries account for more than 20% of the Humber’s economy and one in 10 jobs. The Humber Refinery’s General Manager and Phillips 66 Director Darren Cunningham, who is also a member of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP Board, said Humber Zero will capture and safely store up to 8-million tonnes of CO2 per annum by the late 2020s.
“Humber Zero is ready to be a major part of the energy transition in the region," said Darren. "The Humber region represents 40% of the nation’s industrial emissions. This needs to change. Decarbonisation in the Humber is crucial to hitting the Government’s zero carbon emissions target by 2050. Humber Zero presents a gateway project for further decarbonisation across the region.”
Vitol’s Project Director Jonathan Briggs said: “The Government’s confidence in the project is a sign of the Humber’s significance as an epicentre to decarbonise UK industry. It is cost effective and presents an opportunity to decarbonise strategic industries around Immingham.”
He said carbon capture storage was an imperative for a Green Industrial Revolution: “We have a world-class partnership ready to meet the goals and ambitions of the Paris Agreement and there is an opportunity for the Humber to become a CCS global technology leader.”
A further phase of the project aims to produce hydrogen at scale for fuel switching from natural gas for the Immingham industrial cluster; this will enable the future decarbonisation of natural gas systems to homes.
Humber Zero is a partner in the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan, which sets out the region’s decarbonisation journey. The refinery and combined heat and power plant are close to gas storage fields in the North Sea.
The Phillips 66 Humber Refinery is a global leader in the manufacture of premium grade graphite coke for electrical vehicle batteries and constitutes around 20% of the UK’s refining capacity. VPI is one of the largest combined heat and power plants in Europe, capable of generating 1,240MW – about 2.5% of UK peak electricity demand and up to 930 tonnes of steam per hour, used by the nearby refineries.
Humber Zero’s location and more details can be seen on a short film here.
