This month we welcome new tenants Eco Heatwave to the CATCH site in Stallingborough, we sat down for a quick chat to find out more.

Hello, please tell us a little about you and Eco Heatwave
Hello I’m Lisa Gibson, Managing Director of Eco Heatwave Limited. My CV is host to a variety of exciting roles from sales and business development, to community development, project management and operation control room management. None more exciting though than my current venture. I met iHelios patent holder Sylwester Raczynski back in January after reading an article on Linked in about his amazing product. in an apprentice style moment, I decided to make contact to see if I could represent the brand. I introduced my current business partners Ben & Mark Rozenbroek to Sylwester and invited them to experience the heating system for themselves. Then the rest as they say is history.

Eco Heatwave Limited incorporated in June 2020 as UK distributers and approved installers, of the iHelios Heating System.

iHelios is a revolutionary infrared heating system that operates with 99% efficiency to heat clients home, office or commercial spaces. It provides a complete blank canvas from a design point of view, as it is completely hidden within the walls floor or ceiling. It is totally silent, maintenance free and extremely economical to run. In an average room or workspace the system reaches temperature within about 15 minutes. It can be controlled manually or via the iHelios app which can enable users to make additional savings on their energy consumption as every room can be controlled independently meaning that they only need to heat the spaces that they know they are going to use.

The themal heat generated is similar to that of the sun. It heats objects rather than the air meaning that the air does not move around nor does it hold a lot of moisture. This is particularly good for clients that experience condensation or black mould as this does not occur with iHelios. Furthermore it is good for those with skin conditions, allergies or breathing difficulties.

Whilst it sounds almost too good to be true, it really isn’t. It has to be experienced to be believed.

What support and services can you offer companies in the region and beyond:
Eco Heatwave can supply and install the iHelios heating system or train those wishing to install it themselves to enable them to become approved installers.

We are keen to hear from anyone within the UK who is experiencing any of the following issues with their home, office or commercial space:

• High heating costs
• No access to mains gas supply
• Frequent use of plug in electric heating devices
• Black mould and/or condensation
• Heatloss due to frequently open doors or roller shutters
• Lack of space caused by unsightly radiators
• Noise disturbance caused by clanging pipes
• Reducing the risk or CO2 poisoning
• Reducing the risk of damage caused by theft or flooding from heating systems
• An appetite for reducing carbon emissions
• Agitation of health conditions caused by traditional forms of heating

Why did you decide to base your business at CATCH:
CATCH presented us with the perfect opportunity to be a part of something  that is already established and integrated within the renewable industry and business communities within the Humber region and beyond, providing us with a credible start to our fledgling business. The location is perfect due to its accessibility & security. Most importantly for us, we believe by being based here, we will benefit from the excellent training facilities they have to offer as we look to train and perhaps even recruit apprentices to become our approved installers in the future. We have exciting plans to showcase the heating system and create an immersive experience for our future customers. The friendly and supportive team at Catch are as excited as we are about this and are open to accommodating our requirements.

For further information in regards to Eco Heatwave please contact –  Lisa Gibson Managing Director on 07734735602 or lisa@ecoheatwave.com

The Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and membership organisation CATCH have submitted a joint proposal with industry for funding to develop a comprehensive plan for decarbonisation in our region – the Humber Cluster Plan (HCP) – which will show how the Humber cluster can achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, potentially making it the first in the world to do so.

A joint bid involving eight private sector partner organisations has been submitted to Innovate UK as part of the Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund scheme, part of the £350m green recovery package the Prime Minister has announced.

If successful, the £2.6m project (including £1.658m sought from Government) could move the Humber closer to achieving large-scale decarbonisation, with businesses across the Humber working to find effective and lasting solutions for the region.

The Humber emits more CO2 than any other industrial cluster (50% more than the next largest), whilst the area is one of the most vulnerable to climate change through flood risk. At least a quarter of the Humber’s economy and 1 in 10 jobs depend on these industries, making safeguarding their competitiveness imperative for the local economy as well as strategically important for the UK.

The eight partner organisations for this funding bid are: British Steel, Centrica, Drax, Equinor, National Grid Ventures, Phillips 66, SSE Thermal and VPI Immingham. They include the strategically important refining and steel sectors, as well as major energy producers and low carbon infrastructure providers. A wider group of businesses will be involved in developing the plan, with all energy-intensive industries in the Humber invited to take part.

The HCP follows initial funding from Innovate UK in April, which enabled the first phase of feasibility work on the plan to decarbonise the Humber cluster.  This found that the Humber is likely to need both fuel-switching (such as to hydrogen) and carbon capture to achieve the scale of decarbonisation required, as around half of the area’s industrial emissions come from chemical reactions in industry processes (rather than the power that feeds them) and these cannot currently be abated by fuel switching.

The HCP will be informed by ongoing work on proposed industry-led decarbonisation investments and will have access to world-class industrial expertise to demonstrate how decarbonisation can be achieved at the same time as ensuring the local economy continues to thrive.

A phased approach will prioritise near-term deliverable investments that will see quick results, significantly reducing the Humber’s emissions by 2030, mapping out how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and hydrogen infrastructure can be scaled up over time, and identifying the full range of interventions required to achieve net zero by 2040.

The HCP will identify future actions the Humber can take to accelerate the green recovery, including identifying opportunities for inward investment and those looking to diversify to take advantage of low carbon infrastructure. It will also support the UK leadership of decarbonisation technologies and the creation of local jobs and supply chains.

A decision on the bid is expected in the autumn, with the project set to begin in January.  Separate phase two bids for the first deployment projects are due to be submitted in October.

Stephen Parnaby OBE, Chair of the Humber LEP, said: “It is imperative that the Humber region decarbonises on a huge scale – but in a way that safeguards our strategically important industries and creates new jobs and business opportunities.  Nowhere has greater potential to be at the heart of the green recovery than the Humber.

“The Humber Cluster Plan is a significant opportunity to achieve this by creating a clear pathway seeking to position the Humber as a global leader on this agenda.  With the support of our partners, we have put forward a compelling proposition to Government and I look forward to a successful outcome.”

David Talbot, CEO of CATCH, said “The HCP will provide a blueprint for clean growth to drive a green recovery in the Humber, which is vital at this time. Our industries and ports are relying on a clear path to decarbonisation to continue their essential services, remain competitive and provide employment for local people.

“We know this plan can help the Humber to secure the long-term sustainability of our industries and attract more new green jobs and investment, while ensuring the survival of these long-standing industries, which are of importance not just to the Humber but the UK as a whole.”

David Talbot – CEO – ” First of all I would like to pass on my thanks on behalf of the whole CATCH Team to Brendan Conlan who held the position of Chair for some 4 years.  Brendan’s legacy as Chair has been to drive forward the STEM agenda for young people looking for a career in industry, and to raise the profile of CATCH to ensure it   represents the needs of industry at the highest level on a regional and national stage.  As a team we would like to welcome Richard as the incoming Chair.  He brings with him a deep understanding of the region’s economic landscape, coupled with a long standing relationship with CATCH, which means that he is the ideal person to continue to steer CATCH on its growth strategy, supporting CATCH members, wider stakeholders and our regions”.

We asked Richard a few questions about his background and taking on the role of steering CATCH  –

Please tell us about your background:
I have been the CEO of Singleton Birch Limited for almost 10 years. The Company has been based at Melton Ross in North Lincolnshire since the 1850s and was established over 200 years ago. It’s largest shareholder in the early 1900s was Lionel Martin, the founder of Aston Martin, and his ‘hobby’ was funded by his dividends from Singleton Birch. His wife inherited his shares when he died and she subsequently left the shares in her will for the benefit of three charities, Barnardos, The NSPCC and the RSPCA. The Katherine Martin trust which represents these charities still owns 50% of the shares in the company.
I joined Singleton Birch Limited as a Trainee Quarry Manager when I was 21 having received sponsorship and work experience with the company during my student years studying engineering. The company’s sole focus at the time was producing lime, a generic term for calcium carbonate, calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide. Around 90% of the output was going to British Steel at Scunthorpe and as a consequence the Company’s fortunes rose and fell with the cyclic nature of the steel sector. Over the next 30 years the business diversified its product base across many different sectors, lime being a ubiquitous chemical found in most everyday items. In particular the business focussed on developing calcium hydroxide products for water treatment and environmental protection. Today the business supplies around 25% of its products into steel and has developed businesses in renewable energy, waste, chemicals and logistics.
Lime production is energy and carbon intensive and the biggest challenge for the Company is to remain competitive and relevant in an increasingly low-carbon economy. Our diversification drive dovetailed with our need to reduce our environmental impact and the development of an aerobic digestion (AD) plant at our Melton Ross site not only provided the site with low carbon energy but also led to the construction of two more plants for other customers and the establishment of a national servicing business for other AD facilities. We are also involved in several carbon capture projects for our kilns with the ultimate aim of becoming carbon negative as many of the lime products we produce also capture carbon from the atmosphere in use.

Talking about your new role, what excites you the most about your position as chairman of CATCH?

Having been involved with the Humber Chemical Focus in its early days its very satisfying to see how the organisation has developed and grown in recent times both in terms of the facilities and the services provided, throughout the Yorkshire and Humber regions. Notwithstanding the Covid crisis the organisation is on an upward trajectory and these are extremely interesting times to be involved with the leadership of Catch.

How can cluster organisation like CATCH ensure we are responsible and continue to contribute to the success of the industry we represent?

The board is made up of senior leaders from member companies representing some of the biggest businesses across the Humber region. This provides a powerful voice for industry which can help influence and shape industrial strategy for the area and attract much needed investment, particularly in relation to the decarbonisation of the economy.

What would you like to achieve with CATCH in the next few years?

As well as see the development of a nationally recognised centre of excellence for our industry I think the current involvement of CATCH at the heart of the Industrial Decarbonisation Network represents an important development for the organisation. It would be fantastic if in a few years time we are seeing significant decarbonisation of energy intensive industry in the Humber region and CATCH has been a significant contributor to that transformation and a forerunner for the UK.

Work started at the CATCH site in March, using a portion of the £195,000 grant from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by the Humber LEP and part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.

We quickly realised that due to the pandemic, unfortunately this area of the project was to be delayed.  However, we are now proud to have made improvements to the site that enhance the customer experience when on site here at catch. Starting with the improved signage, which include signposts to our on site tenants and providers, plus a visual map for ease of navigation across the site.  We are also making improvements to those arriving by car, with a new number plate recognition barrier and new road markings.

Once inside our buildings, we have made further progress to improve the look and feel of the site, such as redecorating the training and meeting rooms and installing new carpets.  To improve delegate comfort we have installed air conditioning throughout.  Catering is always a key requirement, therefore to reduce waiting times we have extended the dinning toom to accommodate extra diners. Adding to the above, we have installed a state of the art CCTV system to secure the site further.

If you have any questions about the CATCH site improvements please contact Paul – paul.snowden@catchuk.org

This week we sat down with CATCH Technical partner Paulo Oliveira to discuss our partnership and the CT service.

Paulo, please tell us a little about yourself and ESC?
ESC Limited is a global technical safety, functional safety management consultancy and safety systems design provider. Its primary function is supporting clients in the technical safety aspects of the processes, systems and equipment deployed in the oil and gas, petrochemical, biohazard, utilities (including green technologies), military and manufacturing industries.
I’m one of Associate Directors for ESC Ltd , based in Humberside at CATCH. Chartered Engineer (CEng) with more than 10 years’ experience in asset management and safety applications focusing on IEC61508/61511 compliance, competence and certification. Member of BSI GEL 065/01 committee (British committee for the implementation of IEC61508 and IEC 61511) and of Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) System Safety Technical Professional Network (TPN).

Why did ESC become a CATCH Technical partner?
The opportunity to work closely with the region’s number one technical competency focused provider and deploy our capability to support the industry needs, in knowledge based technical solutions.

 What do you think CATCH Technical and ESC can achieve together?
Ultimately the partnership is about delivering solutions to problems with excellent client satisfaction. The synergy between CATCH TS and ESC provides an excellent opportunity to achieve this.

What are the benefits of having a full CATCH Technical Service delivery?
Having the ability to engage multiple skillsets with one focal point is definitely an advantage , especially for more complex projects, which allow a level of independence between each area of delivery.

Why should a Client use Catch Technical for their next project or business improvement?
Local, industry focused service with recognised diverse capability in delivering technical solutions.

If you would like further information on CATCH Technical Services, please contact Jill – jill.mooney@catchuk.org

In this webinar, Geraint provided an overview of the work Catch and the Humber LEP have been doing recently in preparation for delivering the Humber Cluster Plan (HCP). The HCP will set out a route map to decarbonising the energy intensive industries such as steel, refining and chemicals within the Humber cluster. The HCP will be funded by the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) which is also funding several large scale deployment projects in the region alongside the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre at Heriot Watt University which, in collaboration with other Universities, is tasked with developing and sharing new knowledge.

Decarbonisation will lead to profound changes in the way industry uses energy  – using outputs from energy system models, Geraint showed how the UK energy system is anticipated to change over the next 30 years. He explained that the industrial sector is one of the most difficult to decarbonise and that this will drive investments into a set of technologies covering demand optimisation, energy efficiency, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture with CCS (DACCS), bioenergy and hydrogen. Of these, two of the most crucial are CCS and hydrogen, especially given the need to address process feedstock emissions and emissions from internal industrial fuels.

Finally, Geraint provided an overview of the deployment initiatives underway in the Humber region including H2H Saltend, Humber Zero (Immingham), Keadby Clean power hub, British Steel Scunthorpe, Zero Carbon Humber and Green Hydrogen for Humber, followed by an overview of the next steps for the HCP project.

Due to popular demand the webinar will be re run live on the 13^th August at 11am  – to register email jill.mooney@catchuk.org

CATCH, the multi million pound industry led-centre has been supported with £195,000 from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by the Humber LEP and part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse to further cement its status as a National Centre for the Process, Energy Intensive and Renewable Industries.

The world class facilities continue to be developed to ensure that the provisions meet the needs of the local and national industrial community. The £195,000 grant, along with significant matched funds from partnering organisations has enabled the site to accelerate an improved customer journey, such as clear site signage, new road markings, air conditioning, redecorating of classrooms, a new extended dining room and improved security with the installation of ANPR barrier and state of the art CCTV.

A key deliverable from funding was to provide a boost to project partner Reynolds Training Services, who have invested over £220,000 and co-managed the installation of a UK first fully modernised Tank Farm training facility. The additional components and wider upgrade bring ‘real world’ experience to the provision, providing the ability to train and practice core control room operations and process operations in a realistic fully emulated work environment whilst removing hazards. The state-of-the-art equipment and associated control align directly with the industries not just within the Humber region, but UK wide and internationally.

Additionally, Maersk Training has invested in exciting improvements to the Working at Height facilities through a complete refurbishment of the area and the fabrication of two dummy Nacelle units for training purposes this will allow Advance Rescue and Enhanced First Aid training along with other courses to be delivered.  Maersk Training also has plans to invest in the workshop space on site to further increase the offshore winds skills capability by constructing a Wind Turbine Blade Repair Workshop.

In total, over the last two years, total investment at the site amounts to over £400,000. With the addition of 4 jobs created and 7 new apprenticeships and 30 other learners supported. Looking forward over the next 5 years we are anticipating to put through and additional 160 apprenticeships and up to 600 other learners supported through level 3,4 and 5 qualifications and advanced apprenticeships directly as a result of this investment.

David Talbot, CEO CATCH, Said, “The continued investment in the CATCH facilities means that we are one step closer to cementing our vision to be a national skills centre, membership and technical services hub for energy intensive and energy producing industries in the clean growth era. The fact that the investment has not only been matched by CATCH, but also by significant funding from our onsite partners such as Reynolds Training Services and Maersk Training shows the commitment to the site.  The CATCH site and community is seen as a fantastic asset for the region and our industrial sectors; supporting the protection and creation of jobs, driving inward investment and allowing key industries to boost their skill set to meet the needs of the ever-changing landscape. I am excited for our future development plans and encourage industry professionals to engage with CATCH to be a part of a collective voice and work together to ensure the industry is sustainable and strong for the future”

To find out more visit www.catchuk.org