On Wednesday 19^th November, CATCH hosted the latest meeting of the CATCH Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Network at Aura Innovation Centre. Joe Howe, Chair and Net Zero Humber Professor, University of Lincoln, welcomed delegates in the room and those that joined the meeting online.

Joe welcomed our first speaker, Nigel Greatorex, Global Industry Business Manager – CCS, ABB, who talked about CCS Clusters and how they differ from oil and gas. He then highlighted the challenges, including CO2 emission impurities which can cause issues with pipelines, compressors and aquifers.  One of these major issues faced is corrosion, which is due to typical CCS impurities reacting to form strong acid. Nigel explained that severe corrosion to pipelines can occur in less than 3 months. ABB have the ability to predict the likelihood of corrosion to support both operators and operations, as well as to maximise uptime, ensure safety and save money. Nigel then introduced Pace CCS – Experts in CCS Design and CMG, who specialise in sub-surface modelling. Nigel continued by showcasing CCS 360, which models the mass and energy balance of the CCS process stream, highlighting the corrosion dashboard and the potential impact of solids in the pipeline amongst other features. Nigel concluded by taken questions from delegates both online and in-person.

Joe then introduced David Kipling, Chief Executive Officer, On-Site Energy. David introduced On-Site Energy, before speaking about the significance of energy to company margins and sustainability. David then introduced Aquifier Thermal Energy Storage (ATES), which is a technology that seeks to use the ground as a large thermos flask – creating both cold and hot wells. ATES has a small footprint and can be placed under car parks or green spaces. The Netherlands are one of the earliest adopters of ATES at scale – they have over 3000 systems in operation. David explained that within the UK, large areas of England are suitable for ATES, however geological studies are required to check suitability. David then shared examples of savings that companies have achieved from adopting this technology, including a pharmaceutical plant that saw a 92% CO2 reduction on cooling and £1.25M saving per year, with a payback of the investment in just two years.

The last presentation before the coffee break saw Tom Glyn – Jones, Senior Advisor, Environment Agency, discuss their latest report – Environmental Capacity for Industrial Clusters. Tom discussed pressures on the environment that already exist, which pose a possible risk to industrial decarbonisation including the availability of water, air quality and the risk of flooding. Tom explained that the Environment Agency had engaged with government, resulting in a part-funded study through a four-year programme and was recently acknowledged in the recent Clean Power 2030 Mission Report. Tom then discussed the key findings of the report and the recommendations, which can be found here.

Tom concluded by highlighting that the Environment Agency are committed to supporting government and industry to deliver on Net Zero targets, with appropriate strategic planning and system-based interventions to support long term sustainable growth and unlock future investments.

After the coffee break, Joe welcomed Beau Grey, New Energies Project Manager, Centrica Energy Storage, who spoke about the use of hydrogen fuel for low carbon lime production through a project with Singleton Birch. Beau told the group that the project, which was submitted into the hydrogen application round, was waiting for an update from DESNZ on the project status to see if they can move into the next stage.

Beau explained that the Singleton Birch project has a focus on green hydrogen, and that the government is looking at proposals that demonstrate value for money. Centrica’s aim is to develop hydrogen storage that will complement other renewable technologies in the area. Singleton Birch is a leading lime producer, and the project tested hydrogen as a combustion fuel within the industry. Centrica and Singleton Birch are also supporting the energy transition journey within UK industry, working with the likes of Tronox and British Steel.

In order to support the decarbonisation of the lime industry, Centrica are taken stops to design and construct a 10Mwe Green Hydrogen Production Facility at Singleton Birch, where the hydrogen production rate will allow a hydrogen blend of up to 60%. Beau then discussed the technology behind the project and challenges faced, as well as the impact of strike price and demand.

Joe then introduced our last speaker, Arran Taylor, Partner, Deloitte. Arran began by taking the group through their recent Pan-European and UK survey, which focused on the hard-to-bate industrial sectors, including chemical, steel, lime and more recently, data centres. The survey found that decarbonisation is an important commitment in the long term, with 90% of those who took part in the report being on track or ahead of schedule, and 80% plan to increase investment in decarbonisation. Arran advised that respondents said that the UK has 87% higher costs than the rest of the world, and 74% compared to Europe. Most respondents do see lower carbon products as a competitive advantage; however it does cost more to create sustainable products with the challenge being the price customers are able to pay. The survey went on to report that energy cost is the main barrier to growth.

Next, he discussed the respondent’s confidence in their own ability on start-up, engagement and scaling new technologies, finding that taking ideas from pilot thought to scale was where support was needed the most. The survey then gave recommendations to refresh your investment and innovation strategy and can be found here.

Chair Joe Howe closed the network and thanked all for attending both online and in person. The next meeting of the CATCH Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Network is Wednesday 28^th January 2026, to be held at Aura Innovation Centre in Hull.

For more information about CATCH Membership and other networks, please contact Katie Hedges, Chief Strategy Officer, katie.hedges@catchuk.org.