Member Article

Landmark Teesside carbon capture plans move forward

Plans to establish a landmark carbon capture project on Teesside are a step closer to being realised after winning government support through the Tees Valley City Deal.

The move was described by one of the region’s most prominent process industry leaders as one of the most important turning points for North East industry in some time.

Process industry cluster NEPIC first mooted its Process Industry Carbon Capture and Storage Initiative (PICCSI) five years ago, to lobby Government into considering Teesside as a location for CCS based on its industrial needs, rather than just for power generation.

Now, thanks to the City Deal, industry on Teesside undertake detailed engineering to determine the actual cost of construction – along with the technology needed to run a carbon capture system.

Once in place the system will enable larger CO2 producing industries – particularly those involved in fertilizer production and steel making on Teesside - to capture and store emissions.

In the future CO2 collected in such a system could be used for other manufacturers; advanced oil recovery or stored in deep saline aquifers.

The project is viable only because of predicted higher levels of carbon taxation that is being imposed on these industries.

Dr Stan Higgins of NEPIC said: “This is a great day for Teesside and the companies collaborating through our PICCSI initiative, as well as our local LEP, TVU. Through the Government’s localism agenda we have at last been able to secure the funding we need to evaluate this technology for our industry.

“Other competing locations in Europe have already begun such work to secure their industries. This announcement should tell the Global chemical and renewables industry that Teesside is here for the long-term and our Government supports this industry’s future.”

Dr Higgins added: “Should the system be built as a result of the work announced today it will have two major impacts. Firstly, it should stop further carbon leakage; that is companies moving abroad to locations where carbon taxes are lower. And secondly, it will be a significant attractant for future process industry investment.

“On behalf of the industry I would like to thank all our local MPs, Local Authorities, TVU and of course our PICCSI members that have worked with us to make this happen.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .