Costain to take important role in shaping UK industry’s journey to net zero by 2050
30 April 2020
UK Research and Innovation recently announced funding for the first phases of the Deployment and Roadmap programme for industrial decarbonisation strategies, run on behalf of the UK government. The projects awarded funding are focused on helping the UK achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, a key component of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy.
Costain is to take important roles in both the South Wales and Scotland clusters, leading the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) Deployment Project, partnering in the SWIC Roadmap Project, and partnering in Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) Deployment Project and Roadmap Project.
Demonstrating progress in delivering a core component of Costain’s leading-edge strategy to grow its future shaping strategic consultancy capability, the projects will look at the infrastructure required for the development of the hydrogen economy, for large scale carbon(CO2) capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and transport as well as onsite strategic opportunities specific to each industry in the clusters. Costain’s involvement is testament to delivering on its Climate Change action plan, launched in February 2020, which commits to playing a leading role in the development and delivery of both carbon capture and clean and renewable energy generation to reduce carbon footprints across every sector.
Alongside partners such as Tata Steel, Tarmac, RWE, Valero Energy, University of South Wales, Progressive Energy and CR Plus in Wales and Pale Blue Dot energy and NECCUS in Scotland, Costain will play a key role in developing plans that will help to establish the world’s first net zero carbon industrial cluster by 2040 and demonstrate how Welsh and Scottish industry can support the UK’s journey to a net zero carbon future.
Not only will the projects make a vital contribution to the UK’s journey to net zero by 2050, they have the potential to strengthen the economic resilience of UK industry and communities by ensuring operations in the regions are sustainable for the long term.
If the projects proceed successfully through the various phases of the UK government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, they would stimulate significant clean growth, developing new skills, creating more jobs and opening up opportunities nationally and internationally for UK businesses. It would also enhance the UK’s ability to locally manufacture low or net zero carbon cement and steel products, helping to drive the low carbon future of UK construction and other sectors.
“Bringing together global industrial partners, specialist consultants and academia will produce exciting innovations that have the potential to decarbonise these industries not just nationally but internationally. This bodes well for the expert potential of UK know-how and the clean growth agenda.” “By playing a key role in these projects, Costain can not only bring our experience of engineering and delivering major programmes as well as evolving carbon capture process technology but also our deep understanding of the wider implications for decarbonising UK infrastructure.”
These projects build on the deep decarbonisation work Costain is already undertaking on CCUS and hydrogen projects such as Acorn CCS, the North West Hydrogen Alliance and pioneering the deblending of hydrogen, to help bring the UK much closer to a net zero carbon future.
To meet some of our experts in CCUS and hydrogen visit our Climate Change Solutions hub.