On Delivering Net Zero The UK has committed to decarbonising its electricity system by 2035 and delivering Net Zero emissions by 2050. To achieve these goals, what are the main challenges facing UK industry, including the Teesside cluster? ‘The main challenge is around the systems that enable businesses to work together. Decarbonisation is a complex project and needs to be considered at scale – at the level of cities or industrial clusters.

Teesside is at the heart of the UK's Net Zero 2050 Strategy. Here, Sembcorp Energy UK's Andy Koss and Matthew Scrimshaw, and PD Ports' Jerry Hopkinson, talk about ambitious decarbonisation goals and investments for Wilton International and Teesport - working with customers to demonstrate a clear road map to net zero carbon... ';" class="embed-container" style="background-image: url('https://res.cloudinary.com/wilton/image/upload/v1635934237/rising-to-the-decarbonisation-challenge.jpg');background-repeat: no-repeat;"

Global factors are driving the growth of innovation in food production. Forecasters suggest that there will be a 70% increase in calorific demand by 2050 due to growth in world population2. At the same time, countries are committing to decreasing the output of greenhouse gases, more than 25% of which come from agriculture, forestry, and land-use change2. Additionally, in developed nations there is demand for alternative proteins led by a swing towards plant based vegetarian and vegan diets, with research showing that about 30% of UK adults plan to eat more meat-free products in 2021 than in 20203.

Whitetail Clean Energy is poised to be a 300MW NET Power station at Wilton International, Teesside, capturing and storing its carbon emissions offshore,creating a Net Zero emissions power plant. Major contribution to the ‘Levelling-up’ agenda with construction planned to commence following conclusion of engineering and the Governmental support process, potentially creating over 2,000 jobs during construction and 200 indirect and direct highly skilled jobs during operation. First backed by UK Government in 2012 for research and development, the project intends to scale up technology to full commercial deployment, supercharging UK progress towards becoming a Science and Technology powerhouse.

“This is a massive infrastructure project and Sembcorp are delighted that Wilton International has been chosen for part of this major investment,” Matthew said. “It’s one of the largest construction projects that Wilton International has seen in recent years and it’s very much in alignment with our commitment to decarbonise our industrial site. Two converter substations will be built on a 20-acre plot – the first for the Sofia Wind Farm, the second for the adjacent Dogger Bank C Offshore Wind Farm.

A challenging year for biotech and pharma companies Since early 2020, supply chains globally have been under great strain due to the effects of the pandemic on both trade and production. Biotech and pharma companies have faced the challenge of producing new vaccines, tests and treatments at a rate that would previously have been unthinkable, at a time when countries across the world have been under lockdown, with increasingly tight borders.

To reach Net Zero 2050 we’re likely to need hydrogen “Hydrogen is likely to be a key piece of the decarbonisation puzzle,” says Sembcorp’s Natalie Lowery. “Government, National Grid (NG), the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) and many others agree that hydrogen is needed to reach Net Zero, and internationally big commitments are being made to it. “In the UK, the Government’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution sets a target for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, which they’re supporting with a range of measures including a £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.

The pressure on industry is coming from several directions. Consumers, inspired by media coverage including the BBC’s Blue Planet series, are demanding action on marine and other plastic waste. Government legislation and targets, including the UK’s 2050 goal for net zero carbon, mean that reducing waste and emissions is imperative. And now shareholders are adding to the pressure, by demanding increasingly robust sustainability and decarbonisation strategies from the businesses they invest in.

Teesside’s Winning Freeport Bid Covering more than 4,500 acres of land, the equivalent of 2,250 football pitches, Teesside’s will be the largest of the UK’s 8 new Freeport zones. And the successful bid provides an excellent example of what can be achieved when Teesside’s industrial cluster, with public and private sector partners including local authorities and ports, work together. The Freeport zone includes ten distinct areas on or close to the River Tees, with forecasts estimating the attraction of more than 18,000 jobs to the area over five years, and a £3.

Sembcorp, who provide utilities including power, steam, various grades of water and industrial gases to customers on the site, are committed to ongoing decarbonisation and to being a key player in Net Zero 2050. They are currently engaged in a strategy process and evaluating technologies to achieve their sustainability goals. There is a way to go but here is the story so far: 2004: Efficiency improvements and a move away from oil One of Sembcorp’s first actions back in 2003 was to approve £20 million of funding to continue a project to integrate a 40MW gas turbine into the existing power station, improving efficiency and enabling the station to respond quickly and effectively to customer demand for large quantities of power and steam.