£22bn for CCUS and hydrogen in northern clusters

According to the government, newly backed projects at the north west and north east clusters will create up to 4,000 direct jobs, with a further 50,000 jobs supported over the long term. It’s also claimed that industrial decarbonisation enabled by the sites will help remove over 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

“Today’s announcement will give industry the certainty it needs – committing to 25 years of funding in this groundbreaking technology – to help deliver jobs, kickstart growth, and repair this country once and for all,” said prime minister Keir Starmer.

The announcement is the latest chapter in the UK’s ongoing carbon capture saga, which began back in 2009 under the last Labour government. The intervening decade-and-a-half has seen the UK fail to deliver a single carbon capture project at scale, with environmental groups and some scientists raising doubts about the technology’s viability as well as its compatibility with net zero.