Contractors sought for £1.2bn carbon capture scheme

Construction firms have been alerted to a £1.2bn scheme to retrofit energy production sites on the banks of the River Humber in North Lincolnshire.

It represents the first stage of a bumper plan to reduce carbon emissions from energy sites on the Humber, known as Humber Zero, which aims to reduce the site's carbon dioxide emissions by eight tonnes by 2030.

The initial phase involves the retrofitting of two combined cycle gas turbine trains, two auxiliary boiler stacks and a catalytic converter.

All five facilities will be fitted with carbon capture technology, which is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 3.8m tonnes every year.

Contractors have been invited to a supply chain engagement day on 29 June, which they can sign up to here.

The fluid catalytic converter is based at the Humber Refinery, which is operated by US-based energy company Phillips 66, while the gas turbines and boiler stacks belong to the nearby 1.2 gigawatt heat and power plant called Immingham Power Station, which is owned by UK power company VPI Immingham.

The companies are working in a consortium to find suppliers.

Final decisions over investment into the scheme are expected by the end of 2027, which is set to create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and a further 2000 permanent jobs following completion.

Phillips 66 technical manager and decarbonisation lead in the UK Chris Gilbert said: “The Humber region is the largest industrial emitter in the UK but provides much of the energy and many of the products used by society.

“It is the ideal place to build the first large at-scale carbon capture projects.

“We look forward to working with the supply chain on this vitally important project to help the UK meet its net-zero obligations.”

VPI project director at Humber Zero Jonathan Briggs said reducing carbon dioxide emissions was “vital” to maintaining the competitiveness of the industry in the Humber region.

More than a fifth of the region's economy comes from energy-intensive industries.

The UK government is committed to reaching net-zero by 2050.

Last month, Galliford Try chief executive Bill Hocking told Construction News the built environment was due a “debate about standards and innovation”.

“We’ve got to unleash innovation through the supply chain, through the big suppliers, the big manufacturers, the tier twos,” he said.

Galliford Try is one of a growing number of major contractors signed up to the Construction Leadership Council's  CO2nstructZero campaign, which aims to shift firms towards modern methods of construction, zero-emission vehicles, energy-efficient builds and construction using low-carbon materials.

Skanska and Graham joined the campaign earlier this month.