Humber skills leaders say carbon capture project decision is critical

CLEAN-UP OF SECTORS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN SURGE OF JOBS IN AREA

- By MARK PAGE

A CARBON capture project aiming to future-proof heavy industry in the Humber region is the right call to make right now, local skills leaders have said.

Plans are currently at a critical stage for Viking CCS, a carbon capture and storage proposal that would extract emissions from the UK's most carbon-intensive cluster before they reach the atmosphere. The gases would be transported via new and repurposed pipelines to be permanently stored under the North Sea.

The clean-up of one of the most carbon-intensive sectors is expected to result in a surge of jobs across vital engineering disciplines, with unprecedented levels of demand on the horizon.

If fully supported by Westminster, it could trigger a significant regional economic boost.

In light of the recent government intervention required at Scunthorpe steel works, which sent shockwaves across the South Bank, a boost in confidence for the wider region's ambition to decarbonise rather than deindustrialise is seen as crucial.

The wider scheme build-out is expected to create a total of 20,000 jobs, with many hundreds of high-value careers also being created to operate and maintain new facilities, while ensuring existing power stations, chemical plants and refineries thrive for decades to come.

David Talbot, chief executive of Catch - the leading training facility spearheading expansion plans to serve industry from the heart of the cluster said: "The Humber is the biggest carbon emitting industrial cluster in the UK, with some 20 million tonnes of carbon emitted every year, and we have around £15 billion of investment identified as part of the transition to Net Zero. You can't build that infrastructure, operate it or maintain it, without the workforce.