Teesworks carbon capture scheme approved by government
Our reporter Jenny Henry has been on Teesside finding out more about the investment.
Work on a £4 billion carbon capture scheme on Teesside will get underway before the end of the year after being approved by the government.
The Net Zero Teesside project at Teesworks will create 1,000 permanent jobs, with 3,000 jobs being created during the construction phase, the Tees Valley Combined Authority says.
The project will establish the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) facility - one of two 'carbon clusters' to be given a share of almost £22 billion in government backing .
It will include a power station with the capacity to generate up to 860 megawatts of low carbon electricity – enough to power up to 1.3 million homes in the UK.
Up to two million tonnes of CO2 emissions from the power station will be captured every year and will then be transported by pipeline to a geological storage site beneath the north sea.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This is a monumental day for Teesside and my proudest achievement since becoming Mayor, and I want to thank the Government for giving the green light to this project .
“The NZT project will provide power to 1.3million homes, help with energy security, but more importantly it will give generational job opportunities to local people as Teesworks becomes the new ICI – providing investment, training and well-paid jobs for local people.
“Teesworks has already transformed the site, secured billions of pounds of private investment and created thousands of good quality local jobs including the SeAH monopile offshore wind factory, the largest single investment by a South Korean company in the UK
“But this investment is on a scale not seen on Teesside since ICI. Teesside is no longer seen as an old industrial heartland in decline – we are now a global player leading the world once again and I’m delighted to deliver another promise as Mayor.
“This is a day that we look back on as the start of a golden generation for Teesside.”
Chris Musgrave OBE, Chairman of Teesworks Ltd, said: "This is fantastic news for Teesside. The Government’s support for Net Zero Teesside means real opportunities for local people – creating jobs, attracting investment, and making our region a leader in clean energy.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been clearing the former steelworks and preparing the site for projects like this. It’s a huge step towards a greener future for us all, and I’m proud that the Teesworks site will be at the heart of it."
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