Project Director: Phil Northall
Project Duration: 2023-2024 

Hydrogen and Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) are two of the ways that heavy industry are being encouraged to decarbonise and contribute to the UK goal to be Net Zero by 2050. These forms of industrial decarbonisation (ID) are receiving considerable government support and funding, as referenced by the recent UK Hydrogen and ID strategies, and funding provided through the ID Challenge Fund. This policy and funding, along with academic research, is targeted at industrial ‘super clusters’ (e.g. Humber, Teesside, Wirral, Grangemouth, Swansea Bay) with little attention paid to more Dispersed Industrial Places (DIPs), such as South Yorkshire and North Norfolk. This is despite them being the site of major industries and energy resources that offer the potential for significant environmental gains, along with the protection of large numbers of workers in fossil fuel-based activities.

By examining activity in three case study locations in the UK and Europe, and speaking to stakeholders in each, the aim of this project is to support transformative change for ‘green and just’ industrial decarbonisation in dispersed industrial places.

The project team also includes Laurie Heykoop (Sheffield Hallam University).