North-east MEP says region is in 'danger of falling behind' in CCS race

A North-east MEP says the region is in ‘danger of falling behind’ in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) race - as it’s estimated the technology could bring thousands of new jobs to Teesside.

Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North East Jude Kirton-Darling said Teesside is “ideally suited” for CCS - and has called for the technology to become a ‘central element’ in emerging European plans.

CCS stops carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere by transporting it, via pipelines, for storage in underground voids.

Local Enterprise Partnership Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) has labelled it a ‘gamechanger’ for local industry - and Teesside could now become the UK’s ‘industrial CCS’ test-bed, after the Government allocated £1m to investigate the feasibility of a network.

But Jude said: “While the UK and the North-east in particular could be a leader in this area, we are in danger of falling behind. Last month, a CCS facility opened at Boundary Dam in Canada.”

At a key CCS event in Scotland this week, TVU said the technology could create thousands of jobs in the Tees Valley - and protect 12,000 local chemical and steel sector jobs.

It made the claims at the ‘Carbon Capture Future for Europe’ event in Edinburgh, held by Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage - the largest carbon capture and storage research group in the UK.

Stephen Catchpole, Managing Director at TVU said: “CCS will be a game changer for vital industries like those here in Teesside which are major emitters but also major employers.

“The technology will be a crucial part of decarbonising the UK economy, whilst also maintaining a strong industrial base, jobs and competitiveness.”

CCS could not only help the environment, added Jude, but create and maintain jobs in the development, manufacture and installation.

“By making industry and manufacturing more environmentally sustainable, CCS can also protect tens of thousands of well-paid jobs in local industries.

“The Tees Valley is ideally suited to use this new technology and local industry could benefit from environmental improvements.

“The Government has allocated Tees Valley Unlimited £1m to investigate whether Carbon Capture could be used in the area.

“Together with my Labour colleague Paul Brannen we have made the deployment of CCS in Europe one of our key regional priorities for the next five years.

“I believe that the Tees Valley has a particularly strong interest in CCS for three reasons: we have industrial, geographic and, most importantly, social interests that see CCS as part of our future.

“The development of CCS and the associated infrastructure further develops our long history of heavy industry and energy production which today employs thousands in the region, particularly across the Tees Valley - my home area - and our North Sea position and the offshore oil and gas network links.

“Carbon Capture and Storage must be a central element in the emerging European plans if we are to tackle climate change and rebalance our economies. CCS investment can create jobs today and protect jobs for decades to come”.