Humber Zero, a ground-breaking, £1-billion-plus carbon reduction project, is on schedule to start construction next year, stakeholders were informed.
The project, which will look to remove up to 8-million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 from the Immingham industrial cluster, is a collaboration between the Phillips 66 Limited Humber Refinery and the nearby VPI Immingham combined heat and power plant. 
A recent meeting at Healing Manor Hotel, near Grimsby, gave an update on the next stages of the project and how the proposed carbon capture technology, to be integrated at both sites, is progressing to planning applications.
Chris Gilbert, Technical Manager at the Phillips 66 Limited Humber Refinery, told local stakeholders it would be the first, industrial scale carbon capture project of its kind on a refinery in the world.
Humber Zero aims to create around 2,500 construction jobs, 200 permanent roles and is estimated to sustain more than 20,000 jobs directly or indirectly.
Chris Gilbert explained, “The Humber is the largest industrial emitter of CO2 anywhere in the UK. It emits up to 50% more than the next largest, in South Wales.
“It is a huge industrial hub, comprising a lot of energy-intensive businesses.”
The Humber region has a big role to play in the Government’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions target with the added advantage of being and is close to the proposed storage locations for the captured CO2.
VPI project director Jonathan Briggs described the proposed carbon capture facility and the process involved at VPI Immingham and that a similar carbon capture facility is also planned to be built at Phillips 66 Limited’s Humber Refinery.
“Stacks on both sites will be retrofitted with technology to capture carbon using a solvent,” he said.
“The carbon in fluid form will be taken by pipeline and stored safely and permanently in the depleted gas fields under the seabed of the North Sea.”
Dr Richard Lowe, director and energy sector lead at consultants AECOM, is leading on the environmental works to support Humber Zero.
“We are currently progressing with consenting for the two post-combustion carbon capture plants,” he said.
Adding two planning applications would be submitted towards the end of the year but not before comprehensive environmental impact assessments.
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MPs Lia Nici and Martin Vickers attended the Healing Manor event, alongside councillors, parish councillors and council officers.
Martin Vickers MP was enthusiastic and said it would play a key role in the levelling up agenda.
“We are keen to work with the project and the Government to ensure the area and its people benefit from this opportunity,” he said.
Humber Zero was awarded £12.5-million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK, to progress with Front End Engineering Design (FEED) with Humber Zero partners matching a further £12.5-million in total