FEATURE
Fertile land – bp operations manager Matt Sims says Teesside has well-developed industrial estates with land available to buy , making it easy for projects to progress .
POWERING AHEAD
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
Energy giant bp has faith in Teesside to help achieve a lower carbon future
This area has been an industrial powerhouse since the 19th century when the first iron ore was extracted from the Cleveland Hills .
But in 2023 , it ’ s not just about keeping industry thriving and developing – it ’ s about helping save the planet too by cutting carbon emissions .
As firms look at new technologies to help them get there , energy giant bp believes its plans for Teesside will see the region become a worldleading low-carbon energy hub .
So what ’ s planned ? And how will bp achieve it ? Tees Business sat down with bp operations manager Matt Simms to discuss what ’ s in store …
Net zero , carbon capture , blue hydrogen , green hydrogen …
They ’ re terms we ’ re all having to become familiar with – but what might they mean for Teesside ?
If global energy giant bp has anything to do with it , it will see Teesside , yet again , at the forefront of an industrial revolution .
In the next few years , bp plans three
major Teesside projects :
1
2 3
Net Zero Teesside Power ( NZT Power ) - an 860-MW , gas-fired power station from which 95 per cent of the CO2 produced , as well as CO2 produced by other industrial users , will be captured and stored under the North Sea , 150km offshore , as part of the Northern Endurance Partnership ( NEP ).
H2Teesside – which aims to be the UK ’ s largest blue hydrogen production facility – will kickstart the UK ’ s hydrogen economy , with an initial phase of 600MW in 2028 . Capturing emissions from H2Teesside will store 2m tonnes of CO2 per year .
HyGreen Teesside – a smaller project at the moment but , as technology develops and the switch from blue to the cleaner but currently more expensive green hydrogen progresses , it ’ s hoped HyGreen Teesside will deliver up to five per cent of the UK government ’ s hydrogen target by 2030 .
94 | Tees Business