We wish to extend a warm welcome to Tricoya UK and are delighted to welcome back Kevin Briggs to our board of Directors.

Tricoya UK and its parent company Accsys are changing wood to change the world: enhancing the natural properties of certified sustainable wood to create high performance building products to give the world a choice to build more sustainably.

The Tricoya UK plant (currently under construction) is a world-first: directly acetylating wood chips for use in Tricoya MDF panels. These combine exceptional durability and dimensional stability – even in wet conditions – with the sustainability of wood and the ease of use of traditional MDF, opening new opportunities in architecture, design, building and construction.

Combining chemistry, technology and ingenuity to create these products for a more sustainable built environment, Accsys and Tricoya UK are pleased to be a part of the community of businesses in the Humber region.

Kevin Briggs, Site Manager for the Tricoya UK plant, said: “I’m delighted to be rejoining the CATCH board.  It’s an organisation with a great purpose and potential for meaningful impact, and I, Accsys and Tricoya UK support the continued development of the skills and competencies vital to these industries.”

We are pleased to release the following opportunity – We are looking for a creative and innovative company to design and build our new project website – The Humber Industrial Cluster Plan.

The requirement is to create an engaging, accessible, and adaptable website that will describe and promote the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan, evolving as the Plan is developed and with a legacy that will support future implementation. The website is expected to include a combination of reproduced and bespoke components.

For further information please contact Lisa – lisa.buck@catchuk.org or download the Invitation to Tender here.

Vacancy
Apprentice Junior Content Producer

CATCH is a small team – but we like to create a big impact, and we are looking for a positive, driven person who isn’t afraid of getting stuck in!

Due to the continued growth of HCF CATCH Limited, we are looking to recruit an apprentice Junior Content Producer, within our marketing function. We are seeking a highly motivated and confident apprentice looking to take the first step in their career.

Do you have an interest in Content Production? Can you tell a story, either through the written word or video? Do you know your LinkedIn from your TikTok? If so, we are looking for you!

In your role as Junior Content Producer,  you will work across all departments to put together exciting content, whilst having the confidence and ability to engage those you are working with. You will work closely with and assist our Stakeholder Engagement Manager to implement our engaging marketing plan across the CATCH business.

In return, you will learn from and work with a positive and friendly team who will support you in every step of your apprenticeship.

The role will be based at the CATCH facility in Stallingborough. It will consist of 37 hours a week – Monday to Thursday 08:00 – 16:00 and Friday 08:00 to 15:30. The salary will be based on the Apprenticeship Rate and will be subject to the completion of a successful probationary period. For further information, please email lisa.buck@catchuk.org.

Closing date for applications: 1st March 2021. Interviews w/c 8th March. With a view to start w/c 5th April 2021.

To apply please click here

An Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Thursday 11 February at 10am

The presentation will provide oversight on one of the most popular problem solving techniques that meshes the principles of Lean with those of Six Sigma to create a powerful tool. We will look at the 5 Principles of Lean, why the Voice of the Customer is all-important and where Waste can be found using simple tools and techniques.  We will look at Six Sigma and understand why reducing variation and the cause of defects will improve the quality of your product or service. Finally, the talk will explain DMAIC and introduce you to the structured methodology that complements Lean Six Sigma.

To register or for further information, please contact jill.mooney@catchuk.org

CATCH hosted the first Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Network of the year on Wednesday 27 January via TEAMs.  With 80 delegates drawn from CATCH membership and wider stakeholders from public, private and academic communities the meeting welcomed a number of new members to the group.

In the first presentation Dr Geraint Evans, from BeaconTech consultancy, gave an informative journey through the steps required to meet net zero for an industrial cluster.  The various technologies available to bring the Humber industrial cluster to a net zero or even net negative position were explored.

Geraint highlighted that the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan will have 2 years to demonstrate routes to net zero for different combinations of decarbonisation technologies and will be able to demonstrate the impact of new technologies on the cost and pace of decarbonisation.

Barriers to deployment cover a wide range from technical, social, economic and policy.  It could be argued that technical barriers are easiest to solve.  The way Covid has impacted our lives may see behaviours in the population shift to embracing lower carbon choices and wider social acceptance of the need to change.

Helen Sanders, Head of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at SSE Thermal, gave delegates a chance to understand how Keadby Clean Power Hub is moving forward in their ambitions to establish lower carbon energy production in the region.  Helen outlined their Keadby 2 plans and future plans for Keadby 3 which could become the first power station equipped with carbon capture technology.

Helen highlighted a recent socio-economic report which can be found here: https://www.ssethermal.com/media/ls5odlcw/powering-progress-keadby-2-socio-economic-impact-report.pdf

SSE Thermal are partners in both the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan and Zero Carbon Humber – a significant deployment project supporting an onshore CCS system and hydrogen production for the Humber.

Katie Hedges, Head of Membership & Low Carbon Strategy at CATCH, detailed the recent success of the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan which has secured £1.7million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to develop a plan for net zero by 2040.  The plan supports a range of deployment project bids that could see first end to end CO2 storage achieved by 2025-2027.

The next Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Network meets on 28 April and we are excited to announce the first Humber Hydrogen Network will be held on 10 March.

Please contact katie.hedges@catchuk.org or lisa.buck@catchuk.org

The General Manager of the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery at South Killingholme has joined the board of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  The appointment of Darren Cunningham, who is Lead Executive at Phillips 66 in the UK, strengthens representation on the LEP’s Board of Directors from northern Lincolnshire.

Last year North and North East Lincolnshire chose to remain in the Greater Lincolnshire LEP area, while the Humber LEP is being renamed the Hull and East Yorkshire LEP.  A chemical engineer by training, Darren has more than 30 years’ experience in various refining and commercial roles and has been General Manager of the Humber Refinery since 2017.

He began his career with Conoco at the Humber Refinery in 1985, where he held various roles in engineering and planning and economics.  In 1993 he transferred to the commercial office in London as a crude oil trader. He then took assignments in Singapore and across the United States, working in business development and corporate strategy roles.  He is now leading the Humber Refinery and Phillips 66 UK decarbonisation agenda.

“I’m honoured to join the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and look forward to working together as our region looks towards the future in these most challenging times,” he said.

Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, welcomed Darren to the board.

“On behalf of the board I am delighted to see an individual with Darren’s vast experience and capability in such an important sector to the LEP economy, with its change agenda, joining us. Having a key south bank employer on board is also important to fully represent the LEP geography.

“I know the board is looking forward to Darren’s valuable contribution and shares his enthusiasm for the numerous opportunities evident in the north of our area.”

Phillips 66 is an American multinational energy company based in Houston, Texas.

The Humber Refinery was built at South Killingholme in 1966 and has a crude oil processing supplying 24% of UK fuels. Humber is leading the way in low carbon fuels production and was the first in the UK to produce fuel, at scale, from used cooking oil.

The Humber Refinery is a key partner in two leading decarbonisation projects for the region, Humber Zero and the Gigastack, and is one of the most complex refineries in the Phillips 66 portfolio and one of the most sophisticated in Europe.

Pensana Rare Earths Plc announces that Saltend Chemicals Park near Hull has been selected as the proposed site to build the UK’s first rare earth processing facility with a view to helping create the world’s first fully sustainable magnet metal supply chain.

Working with Wood Group, the UK engineering consultants, the processing facility would become one of only two major producers outside China of rare earth oxides used in the manufacture of powerful permanent magnets, critical to the offshore wind and electric vehicle industries. Lynas Corporation of Australia is currently the world’s largest non-China producer of magnet metal rare earth oxides from its facility in Malaysia.

Gerry Grimstone, UK Minister for Investment said: “We very much welcome the proposal to establish a fully sustainable rare earth oxide magnet metal processing facility in the Humber region. This facility is an important step in the establishment of a permanent magnet supply chain in the UK which could support a range of industries important to building back greener and our Net Zero ambitions.”

The Saltend Chemicals Park is a cluster of world class chemicals and renewable energy businesses including BP Petrochemicals, Ineos, Nippon Gohsei and Air Products, strategically located on the Humber estuary, a gateway to Europe and the UK’s busiest ports complex.  The 370 acre site, which is managed by the px Group, has had £500 million of investment over recent years. The px Group provides a range of services including power, water, reagents, waste disposal, centralised control and administration which will allow the Company to focus on the operational aspects of the facility.

Chairman Paul Atherley commented: “The Saltend Chemicals Park offers an exceptional range of services allowing us
to plug into power, water, reagent supplies and services and to recruit a highly skilled local workforce at internationally competitive rates.  It is very clear that it is no longer acceptable for British and European companies to import the raw materials critical to the Green economy from unsustainable sources.  The Saltend facility has the potential to become a world class producer of rare earth oxides and to help establish a sustainable supply chain for the manufacture of powerful permanent magnets critical for the offshore wind and electric vehicle industries in the UK and Europe.”

Full details can be found here

Please tell us a little about Equinor

Equinor has been operating in the UK for over 35 years. Headquartered in Norway, the company employs 22,000 people globally, and over 650 in the UK. As a broad energy company, Equinor is committed to long term value creation in a low carbon future and aims to reach net zero emissions globally by 2050.

Equinor is the UK’s leading energy provider and supports the UK economy by investing billions in crucial energy infrastructure, working with over 700 suppliers across the country. Its energy supplies from Norway meet more than one quarter of the UK’s demand for natural gas and around one fifth of its demand for oil, both produced with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry. It operates the Mariner oil field, one of the largest and most digitally advanced offshore investments in the UK over the last decade, and is progressing Rosebank, the largest undeveloped field in the UK. Both projects support hundreds of jobs and economic activity in Scotland.

Equinor also operates two offshore wind farms off the East Coast of England, Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal. It is a pioneer in floating wind technology with Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm off the coast of Peterhead, which is partnered with Batwind, the world’s first battery for offshore wind. And with its partner SSE Renewables, Equinor is building the largest offshore wind farm in the world, Dogger Bank, off the North East coast of England. It is also a leader in carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen, developing the H2H Saltend hydrogen production plant at the heart of the Zero Carbon Humber alliance, and partnering in the Net Zero Teesside project and the Northern Endurance Partnership.

What does the future look like for Equinor and how can CATCH support this vision in the Humber Region and beyond?

Equinor is committed to a low carbon future and to achieving net zero, as a company and in the regions that it works. Through Zero Carbon Humber and H2H Saltend it aims to support the decarbonisation of the Humber, the UK’s largest emitting industrial cluster. Achieving this goal will require buy-in, support and active engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry, politics and the public. With big projects like this, it is important to win ‘hearts and minds’ and to stimulate engagement and discussion around the dinner table. We need the support of organisations like CATCH to achieve this.

 How did you find out about CATCH membership and why should others consider joining?

We are familiar with CATCH through working alongside them on the ISCF Industrial Decarbonisation fund and The Humber Industrial Cluster Plan. CATCH offers knowledgeable expertise, business support and resources, and access to other relevant stakeholders.

How can the CATCH membership support Equinor’s vision and how do they contact you?

We’ll continue to work closely with CATCH on the The Humber Industrial Cluster Plan and the decarbonisation agenda, and will want their ongoing support in our stakeholder engagement plans. They can contact myself or Ian Livingston.

A total of £1.7m government funding has been secured for the Humber Cluster Plan – a comprehensive plan for decarbonisation in our region, 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.

This joint bid by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and CATCH also involves eight private sector partner organisations and was submitted to Innovate UK as part of the Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund scheme, part of the £350m green recovery package announced by the Prime Minister in July.

The project, totalling £2.6m, will 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 eight partner organisations supporting the Humber Cluster Plan 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.

Stephen Parnaby OBE, Chair of the Humber LEP, said: “We are thrilled our funding bid for the Humber Cluster Plan has been successful. This is a significant opportunity to achieve industrial decarbonisation at a large scale in our region, which has the potential to protect important jobs while helping us to achieve our Net Zero ambitions by 2040.

“This successful outcome has only been possible with the support of our industry partners, who have illustrated there is a huge appetite in the Humber to innovate, collaborate and strive for solutions to create a cleaner, greener future for our vital industries.”

David Talbot, CEO of CATCH, said: “We are delighted that our collaboration with the Humber LEP and industrial partners to form the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan has been successful in securing funding to deliver a route to net zero by 2040 for the regions industrial decarbonisation activities.

“CATCH membership represent some of the UKs highest CO2 emitters and we look forward to developing the regions ambitions to deliver a plan that is central to tackling the net zero challenge.

“Our industry in the Humber region is strategically important and today’s announcement will ensure that existing industry is sustainable, whilst attracting new innovative green businesses to the region and upskilling, protecting and creating jobs for the local community.”