BUILDING WHAT COMES NEXT
Innovation – NEP’ s CCS project will store industry emissions safely beneath the North Sea.
Powering growth
Northern Endurance Partnership at CCS forefront
securing the future
Carbon capture and storage( CCS) is a brand-new industry in the UK. That industry is being built today, in the North-East, where developments on Teesside are helping reindustrialise the region and position it as one of the UK’ s most prominent examples of successful CCS delivery.
At the centre of this transformation is Northern Endurance Partnership( NEP), a landmark CCS infrastructure project that will transport emissions from industry and store them safely beneath the North Sea.
Based in Darlington, NEP is building a 12km onshore gathering network on Teesside, along with a 145km offshore pipeline. This infrastructure will deliver clear environmental and economic benefits for the businesses on Teesside that connect to it as part of the East Coast Cluster. However, it will deliver far more than that – its very presence will act as a catalyst for regional growth and reindustrialisation.
Business leaders across the region have been clear: the presence of NEP’ s infrastructure strengthens the case for investing locally. This extends beyond facilities connecting directly to the network, into the wider supply chain, where firms are already preparing for increased demand. By encouraging this investment, NEP will deliver meaningful benefits for the local economy, from job creation and new apprenticeship opportunities to further rounds of investment across the industrial landscape. In doing so, it supports business growth today while helping cement the North-East’ s reputation as a hub for clean energy innovation.
In short, NEP’ s infrastructure will enable businesses to significantly reduce their carbon footprint while continuing to operate, grow and compete in a rapidly evolving global market. That’ s why there is strong interest in accessing NEP’ s network from a diverse range of projects across different sectors, including hydrogen projects, energy from waste, sustainable aviation fuel( SAF) initiatives and existing industrial sites. By bringing this safe and proven technology to the region, the economic impacts for the North‐East will be substantial. NEP, together with partner project Net Zero Teesside Power( NZT Power), the UK ' s first net zero gasfired power station, is expected to support more than 3,000 jobs across construction, engineering and the supply chain. Together, the two projects have also generated around £ 2bn worth of contracts to approximately 260 businesses.
Alongside job creation, the project is driving significant infrastructure investment, helping to modernise industrial assets and create long-term stability for local businesses. This combination of growth and resilience is key to ensuring the region remains competitive in a low‐carbon world. Each project connecting to NEP’ s infrastructure will also bring its own economic benefits.
Beyond the economic upside, NEP is also delivering real environmental benefits. By helping cut emissions from energy‐intensive sectors such as steel, the project will support the UK’ s net zero ambitions while contributing to cleaner air and more sustainable operations across the region. This shift is helping build a stronger, more resilient industrial base that balances economic growth with environmental responsibility. It shows how industry can adapt, modernise and future‐proof itself, securing long-term success while playing its part in the transition to a low-carbon economy. That is why so many countries are looking to develop their own CCS pipelines and are visiting Teesside to see first-hand how a world-leading carbon capture, usage and storage( CCUS) cluster can be delivered at scale.
NEP’ s infrastructure is one of the UK government’ s first CCUS clusters. Bringing together a diverse mix of projects across Teesside and the Humber, the cluster spans industrial carbon capture, low-carbon hydrogen production and negative emissions power generation. Full deployment of NEP’ s infrastructure across Teesside and the Humber could enable the permanent storage of around 23m tonnes of CO₂ per year from future capture projects. If this capacity is fully realised, NEP could be storing more than 20 % of the UK’ s annual emissions by 2038.
Ultimately, the infrastructure NEP is building will shape the future of industry on Teesside and across the East Coast Cluster. It combines innovation with the region’ s proud industrial heritage, creating new opportunities while protecting existing strengths. With key milestones already being reached and significant progress underway, NEP is building confidence, driving investment and supporting skilled job creation. Startup is expected by early 2029 – a true milestone for industry in the region.
The message is clear: the North-East isn’ t just adapting to change, it’ s leading it.
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