BP
Decarbonizing the UK’s industrial north

The UK’s first zero-carbon industrial centre took another step closer to reality with the formation of a consortium to accelerate the Net Zero Teesside project.

BP with Eni, Equinor, Shell and Total have assumed leadership, transitioning the Net Zero Teesside project from OGCI Climate Investments. BP, which in February 2020 announced its ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, will take on the role as operator of the scheme, previously known as the Clean Gas Project.

The project will use carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology to decarbonize local industry. In this case, building a transportation and storage system to gather industrial carbon dioxide (CO2), compress it and store it safely in a reservoir under the North Sea. It’s hoped that the transportation and storage infrastructure will encourage new investment in the region from industries that wish to store or use CO2.

In addition, a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility with carbon capture technology will provide low carbon power as a complement to renewable energy sources and underpin the investment in the infrastructure.

With a start-up date of around five years, the project aims to capture up to six million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year – equivalent to the annual energy use of up to two million homes in the UK. It will also deliver an annual gross benefit of up to £450 million for the Teesside region and directly support up to 5,500 jobs.