Infrastructure, Investment, and Interconnection: Humber’s Industrial Leaders Call for Joined-Up Delivery on Net Zero

The second session of the Humber Industry Summit spotlighted the scale and urgency of decarbonising the UK’s most emissions-intensive region, with industry leaders warning that a failure to deliver key infrastructure — from hydrogen pipelines to carbon storage and even water — could derail Net Zero goals and regional investment.

Jonathan Oxley of the Humber Energy Board opened the session by underscoring the Humber’s significance: “We emit around 20 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, and if you include biogenic emissions from Drax, we’re looking at a cluster with a 36 million tonne footprint. This is a world-scale decarbonisation opportunity — or risk.”

Infrastructure First: A Call to Action from Industry

Ian Livingstone of Equinor highlighted the historic and ongoing role of the Humber in previous energy transitions, from coal to gas and now gas to renewables. But this time, he warned, progress is stalling. “What’s actually moved forward in the Humber? Not much,” he said, citing delays in CO₂ and hydrogen pipeline infrastructure. “The key to all of this is infrastructure. Most projects remain co-located — hydrogen produced and consumed on-site. Without pipelines, we can’t scale.”

Equinor’s current focus includes the Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder, aiming to store green hydrogen produced from surplus renewables. “It’s not just about physical technology,” said Livingstone. “It’s about proving the business model.”

But without full infrastructure, projects like H2H Saltend — Equinor’s flagship blue hydrogen scheme — are in jeopardy. “There’s only so long you can keep projects alive without infrastructure and government backing,” he warned.

Centrica: System Thinking and Hydrogen Storage

Rosie Plant, representing Centrica Energy Storage, presented a holistic view. “We took a whole-systems approach with a new model that integrates electricity, hydrogen, and gas. It clearly shows how crucial the Humber is — not just for decarbonisation, but for national energy resilience.”

Plant highlighted projects across the hydrogen value chain: a 10 MW electrolyser at Singleton Birch to decarbonise lime kilns; blending hydrogen at Centrica’s Brigg gas peaker with local startup HiiROC; and the ambition to redevelop Rough — the UK’s largest gas store — for hydrogen.

“We want to future-proof Rough,” she said. “Use it for natural gas today, but build it from materials compatible with hydrogen so we can switch when the market is ready.”

Plant also called for a hydrogen business model that supports intermittency. “Electrolysers that run only when renewable electricity is cheap will need a different framework than the continuous-use model we have now.”

Water — The Forgotten Enabler

Colin Robinson of Evides Industry Water reminded the audience that Net Zero technologies like hydrogen production depend on access to water. “People keep saying there’s a water shortage,” he said. “There isn’t — it’s an infrastructure problem.”

Robinson warned that the UK’s aging water network is ill-equipped to support industrial expansion. “If the public water system doesn’t work for you, you’ll need a private pipe solution — just like you’d need private wires for electricity.”

With parts of the Humber facing abstraction restrictions, he urged collaboration: “You need to store water in winter for use in summer. And don’t just accept the rules — challenge the BATs [Best Available Techniques]. If they’re based on water that isn’t available, we need to be flexible.”

CO₂ Monitoring: A Critical Technical Barrier

Neil Ayre from N-Zero gave a technical overview of the emerging world of CO₂ metering. “If you’re injecting CO₂ into a store and expecting £100 per tonne, you need to prove it's actually CO₂, and not just air or nitrogen,” he said.

He stressed the importance of measuring both the quantity and quality of CO₂, especially in mixed-use pipelines: “We’re going to need grid-entry units like in natural gas — only bigger. And we need new analyzers for moisture, impurities, and phase changes.”

On the future carbon economy, Ayre suggested a tolling model akin to the National Grid: “It won’t matter whose molecule it is. If it’s captured and stored, it counts.”

But some policy ambitions may be ahead of science. When asked if monitoring can differentiate between biogenic and fossil CO₂, he was candid: “Not reliably, not online. A CO₂ molecule is a CO₂ molecule.”

Panel Consensus: Time Is Running Out

In a panel discussion, all speakers stressed the urgency of aligning infrastructure, regulation, and investment. “The government says it wants decarbonisation, not deindustrialisation,” said Oxley. “But if we don’t get this right — especially in the Humber — we’ll get both.”

When asked whether current business models could survive a climate-sceptic government, Equinor’s Livingstone said, “If a contract is signed, it’s relatively safe. But for anything still in negotiation, the risk is very real. We’re now back to selling Net Zero all over again.”

Oxley concluded: “This isn’t just about climate — it’s about securing £15 billion of private investment, thousands of jobs, and national energy security. The choice isn’t Net Zero or something else. It’s Net Zero or nothing.”