Following many months of lobbying from local MP Andy Carter, HyNet has been selected in ‘Track 1’ of the industrial Cluster Sequencing process and will now proceed with decarbonising the North West and creating thousands of jobs by 2025.
The decision is the final outcome of Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) process to determine the sequence in which it would support the decarbonisation of clusters of industry across the UK. This process has placed the regional clusters in the following ‘tracks’:
- Track 1: begin decarbonising industry from 2025
- Track 2: begin decarbonising industry from around 2030.
Not only is HyNet the most advanced of the industrial clusters, but the project is also led by strong demand from organisations and businesses across Warrington, who all want to reduce carbon emissions to Net Zero as soon as possible.
The MP for Warrington South Andy Carter has been leading the charge in Parliament, making the case for Hydrogen and for the Hynet project to be delivered sooner. He commented:
This is absolutely fantastic news, Hynet is a game-changing project for the North West that will create thousands of jobs and help us decarbonise many homes and businesses.
For the past year I’ve been speaking with businesses from Warrington and the wider North West about Hynet and what it would mean to them, they are desperately keen to support with its development and are already thinking of taking people on. It will have a massive boost to the supply chain, and critically will work with younger people and apprentices to upskill and make the energy sector a more attractive sector to work in.
I’d also like to thank the many partners involved, it is collaboration across industry and Government that has made this to happen and I’m now looking forward to seeing spades going in the ground.
HyNet North West is a regional project with national and global benefits. According to a 2020 report from the UK Hydrogen Taskforce, scaling up hydrogen solutions in the UK could support 75,000 jobs by 2035. This would offer opportunities for people in North West England and North Wales, and further afield, to develop new skillsets and train to work in exciting new sectors.
