From 2027, carbon dioxide captured on the South Humber Bank will be permanently stored in depleted gas reservoirs 9,000ft below the North Sea.
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster will have a significant impact on carbon emissions in the Humber industrial area and will provide a major contribution to the UK’s Net Zero targets.
Across the UK, carbon capture and storage (CCS) clusters are engaged in a process with the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that will ultimately launch a Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) industry – deploying CCUS at scale in two of the UK’s industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, and a further two by 2030. This new industry is critical to meeting the UK’s Net Zero and Carbon Budget 6 targets and will deliver valuable technology-led jobs to the UK economy.
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster is one of the clusters engaged in the BEIS process. We are on track and progressing towards first capture and storage from 2027.
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster
A diverse range of Primary Emitter capture projects across industrial, power, hydrogen and energy from waste have united as the V Net Zero Humber Cluster. Our aim is to deliver carbon capture and storage technologies to serve the heavily industrialised Humber region. With the potential to single-handedly deliver the UK Government's carbon capture target of 10MTPA, we can form a key pillar of the UK's national decarbonisation strategy.
*UK Government's Ten Point Plan 2030
Through this collaboration, Harbour Energy, Humber Zero (Phillips 66 and VPI Immingham), EP UK Investments and Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery, will demonstrate that the Humber region can make the UK a global leader in carbon capture and storage, all while creating and safeguarding low carbon jobs and maintaining vital, but hard to decarbonise industries.
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster has the potential to capture, safely transport and securely store >50% of the existing industrial emissions (19.8MTPA) in the Humber region. By 2030 we can capture up to 11MTPA, and by 2034 over 12MTPA. The CO2 will be securely stored 140 kilometres offshore from the Lincolnshire coast. It will be held 9,000ft below ground in deep geological formations in high-quality depleted gas reservoirs in the Viking Area of the UK southern North Sea. This area has multiple high-quality storage opportunities, providing diversity, long-term storage resilience and additional capacity to support the UK Government's Net Zero targets. First injection from Humber Zero is anticipated in 2027.
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Removing over 300 million tonnes of CO₂
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Supporting the UK’s Net Zero commitments
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Working together to reduce industrial emissions
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster establishes a substantial CO2 transportation and storage solution with the potential to store over 300MT. We have a defined plan, access to existing infrastructure and a resilient series of CO2 removal projects across a range of decarbonisation technologies and industrial sectors. These elements are crucial to reducing industrial emissions from the hard to decarbonise, but vital-for-our-economy industries throughout the UK. Our Cluster provides a material and near-term route to decarbonising the UK's most carbon intense industrial region. Given the scale, the V Net Zero Humber Cluster is uniquely placed to support the UK's Net Zero journey.
Advancing industrial decarbonisation while preserving high-quality jobs is a significant challenge. The UK requires multiple technology pathways to achieve it.
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Strategic location
The V Net Zero Humber Cluster infrastructure is strategically located. The concentration of major CO2 emitters in the Humber are close to significant and resilient offshore storage capacity in the Viking Area of the UK southern North Sea.
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Cost effectiveness
Harbour Energy will re-use the existing 120-kilometre Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) pipeline. This positions the Cluster for rapid deployment and offers a high transportation capacity of two to three times the forecasted 2030 demand.
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Security of storage
CO2 will be stored in depleted gas reservoirs in the Viking Area, which have been operated by Harbour Energy for over 40 years. The storage reservoirs are located 9,000 feet below the seabed, 140 kilometres from the Lincolnshire coast. They lie underneath an extensive and proven seal (or cap rock) known as the Zechstein supergroup. This high strength rock consists of approximately 1,000 feet of salt. It has proven its strength over time as the reservoirs initially contained natural gas.
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Scalability
The re-purposed pipeline has a CO2 transportation capacity of 30MT of CO2 per year. This is significantly greater than forecasted capture rates and future build-out capacity offered by the multiple diverse storage reservoirs in the Viking Area. The development can scale capacity for injection and storage in step with the deployment rate of carbon capture. This ensures a cost-effective and flexible route for the development of the carbon capture and storage industry in the UK.
Engaging the UK supply chain in the deployment of industrial carbon capture is critical to meeting the UK’s Net Zero goals. The V Net Zero Humber Cluster will work with local businesses, communities, and education providers to deploy the critical infrastructure and other low carbon technology to decarbonise the UK’s largest industrial cluster. We will promote sustainable value to the regional economy and a route to high-quality, technology-led jobs.
Multiple high-capacity storage opportunities, developed from the mid-2020s, are needed to decarbonise the Humber and meet the low carbon investment potential of the region. We believe that Clusters working together and individually will provide greater capacity, resilience and security for emitters to encourage investment in carbon capture infrastructure.
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Merits of the V Net Zero Humber Cluster
Watch Harbour Energy's Graeme Davies, VNZ CO2 Transport and Storage Project Director discuss the merits of the V Net Zero Humber Cluster at the CCUS 2021 conference hosted by the Carbon Capture and Storage Association.
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OGA grants carbon storage licence to Harbour Energy
The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has awarded a carbon dioxide (CO2) appraisal and storage licence (CS licence) to Harbour Energy, boosting the drive to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
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How carbon capture can seal the Humber's emergence as the industrial equivalent of Silicon Valley
The Humber could be the industrial equivalent of Silicon Valley according to a leading figure behind one of the region's huge carbon capture and storage plans.
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Landmark study to explore potential of Humber to emerge as carbon shipping hub
To mark World Maritime day, and demonstrate the unique potential of the V Net Zero Humber Cluster, Harbour Energy, HumberZero and Associated British Ports (ABP) have entered into a jointly funded CO2 shipping study.
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UK's Lindsey refinery joins Humber carbon capture plans
UK-based Prax Group has joined a project seeking to reduce carbon emissions from energy intensive industries in the Humber region of northeast England.