CBI's Humber decarb strategy can spearhead UK net zero push and unlock £15bn investment

A new strategy aiming to accelerate decarbonisation of the Humber industrial cluster can transform the regional economy by unlocking billions of pounds of new investment while playing a key role in the UK’s push for net zero.

That is the view of the CBI, which alongside members and partners at The Waterline Summit in the Humber has launched the Humber 2030 Vision – a blueprint for uniting public and private sector to turbocharge the cluster’s evolution.

The Humber decarbonisation project will be the CBI’s first demonstrator cluster, where it aims to showcase benefits and future potential of the UK’s excellence clusters, where businesses sharing a specialism congregate and thrive.

The ambition is to signpost a cluster journey from ‘good’ to ‘great’ which other regions and sectors can follow, igniting new investment and opportunity in all parts of the UK.

The Humber cluster was chosen as the trailblazer because of the area’s critical importance to net zero ambitions, as well as the enormous economic prizes which can be won by those who move early in developing new green skills and tech.

The region’s businesses are firmly behind the project, already pledging around £15billion in investment to deliver the cutting-edge facilities and skills required to bring the ambitions to life.

CBI Director-General Tony Danker said:

"There are plenty of reasons why the CBI is partnering with firms in the Humber cluster. It’s a critical piece of the jigsaw in decarbonising the UK: with almost half of all industrial emissions coming from the Humber and Teesside, the collaboration with the broader East Coast Cluster will be pivotal.

“Second, it’s a win-win for jobs and growth. It will help maintain the viability of traditional industry sectors and, at the same time, create new jobs in innovative, green technologies.

“And, critically for us, it’s a blueprint for fostering economic clusters in the UK – a demonstrator that the CBI wants to champion and learn from in equal measure as the best way to bring private sector leadership to bear on levelling up."

Alongside publishing the Humber 2030 Vision, the CBI has stepped up its regional presence by opening a new office in the area and recruiting Jonathan Oxley to oversee its new Humber Cluster team.

Jonathan has held a number of previous roles in the energy and chemicals sectors in the UK and France, most recently leading the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan.

CBI Humber Cluster Director Jonathan Oxley said:

“The Humber is home to the largest industrial cluster in the UK – an area recognised globally as crucial to the world’s efforts to decarbonise.

“Right now, energy production and energy-intensive industry in the Humber represents around 6% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions. Quite simply, net zero cannot be achieved without decarbonising the Humber.

“The eyes of the world will therefore be on us as we look to utilise the CBI’s neutral convening power to unite public and private sector in a lighthouse project designed to light the path to a decarbonised, clean growth future.

“Decarbonisation is not only about the environmental impact and protecting existing industries and jobs, but also about growing new opportunities. It can drive new inward investment and create export opportunities for experience, materials and services.

“Getting this right will bring big rewards for the UK, for the Humber, and for the people who live and work here.”