Jonathan Brearley, CEO at Ofgem has emphasised green hydrogen’s “key role” in driving “growth and generating jobs” on Humberside.
Brearley’s statement follows visits to CCS Teesside and Humberside regions to explore how technologies, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage are helping decarbonise heavy -polluting industries.
The benefits of using green hydrogen to displace carbon-intensive grey hydrogen in steel manufacturing was recently highlighted in a new report released by think tank Policy Exchange, which argued the case for using curtailed wind generation for generating green hydrogen.
Brearley also visited the advanced engineering and industrial training facility at Humberside, CATCH, where he was told that 20,000 new jobs are expected to be created by Humberside and CCS Teesside’s low-carbon and carbon capture projects.
One of the latest of these planned projects is a green hydrogen production plant and refuelling station in Stockton-on-Tees, announced by Spanish logistics firm Exolum, following £7 million funding from the Department for Transport.
The plant is set to be fully operational in 2025.
“It’s inspiring to see such ambitious, innovative projects taking shape in Humberside and Teesside, which will help to create thousands of jobs and are critical to achieving the government’s target of decarbonise the power system by 2035, and reach net zero by 2050,” said Brearley.
“These carbon capture and low-carbon projects will play a key role in delivering this cheaper, more secure and cleaner energy system for the country, and these apprenticeships and trainees will be going into the wide range of new, highly-skilled jobs needed to realise the net zero energy transition.”
