Mayor Welcomes Government’s £20 Million Commitment To Carbon Capture And Storage

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has welcomed a commitment by the Government to invest up to £20 million in a Carbon Capture and Utilisation demonstration programme.

The commitment comes as part of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy, which gives the green light to vital new technologies to modernise carbon intensive industries for a low carbon future.

Carbon Capture technology has been spearheaded by Teesside Collective, a cluster of energy-intensive industries with the shared vision of establishing Teesside as the go-to location for future clean industrial development, by creating a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) equipped industrial zone.

Teesside Collective predicts that building such an industrial zone could future-proof local industries from the rising costs of emitting and bring about substantial growth in Teesside’s process industry workforce, which currently stands at 12,000 people.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, said: “Over the past few months I’ve met with numerous Ministers to push for Teesside to be included in the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy. I’m over the moon that £20 million has now been committed to drive forward this ground-breaking project.

“Teesside’s concentration of industry along the coastline means our area is perfectly suited to be the starting place for Carbon Capture and Storage. Today’s commitment from Government will allow areas like ours to crack on with our vision, which could transform Teesside into a high-value, low-carbon economy, and one which properly supports energy intensive industries.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues in Government to prove that the project can be developed and deployed on Teesside cost-effectively, and one that can drive inward investment, job creation and reduce emissions.”