Member Article

Green technology could create thousands of jobs across Yorkshire & Humber

New green technology could create thousands of jobs across Yorkshire, Humber and the Tees valley

Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) could create thousands of jobs across Yorkshire, the Humber and the Tees Valley, according to the TUC and Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA).

The TUC and CCSA argue that the concentration of coal and gas-fired power stations, energy intensive industries and proximity to a significant carbon dioxide storage capacity located deep under the North Sea makes the area well placed to benefit from CCS technology.

CCS would enable both power stations and heavy industry to reduce their carbon emissions and could also help maintain the UK’s coal industry.

A report published by the TUC and CCSA earlier this year showed that CCS technology could create 6,000 jobs across Yorkshire, adding £245 million to the regional economy, as well as help to secure the future of jobs in energy intensive industries such as the Tata steel works in Scunthorpe.

The long-term economic benefits to the region could be as high as £26 billion by 2050.

The report also shows that a CCS project in the Tees Valley could create over 1,000 jobs and secure the future of many thousands more – especially the 30,000 manufacturing jobs across the region.

TUC assistant general secretary Paul Nowak, said: “CCS technology can reduce our carbon emissions, bring down energy bills and create thousands of high quality, skilled jobs across Yorkshire, the Humber and the Tees Valley.

“This is exactly the kind of technology needed to rebalance our economy and generate strong and sustainable growth outside London and the South East.

“Despite the clear benefits of CCS technology, it has yet to be fully embraced by the government. It’s important that unions, industry and local business champions work together to persuade ministers to get these CCS projects off the ground and helping industry before it’s too late.”

Chief executive of the CCSA Dr Luke Warren said: “The UK is very fortunate in that we have some of the best regions in the world to develop CCS – including Yorkshire, the Humber and Teesside.

“We are already forging ahead with the White Rose project in Yorkshire as well as the Peterhead project in Scotland and plans are advancing to develop an industrial CCS hub in Teesside – providing the only option to significantly reduce the region’s industrial emissions.

“It is now vital that the government puts in place an enduring policy to bring forward additional power and industrial CCS projects in these regions and across the UK, if we are to maximise the opportunity to create an industry that could deliver potentially 10,000s of jobs and tens of billions of pounds by 2030.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .