Decarbonisation Technology May 2026 Issue

Together, these projects demonstrate that CCUS is not only a crucial climate technology, but an industrial opportunity capable of strengthening domestic supply chains and boosting regional economic growth. Building the workforce of the low-carbon economy The benefits of CCUS extend beyond infrastructure and investment. The first CCUS projects are already benefitting communities with a clear focus on local hiring, apprenticeships, and skills development, while helping to build the workforce Britain needs for its low-carbon economy. Helping deliver clean power alongside renewables, Net Zero Teesside Power – the world’s first commercial-scale gas-fired power station with carbon capture – is also supporting 175 young people entering clean energy careers through local training initiatives, alongside a £1 million investment in regional skills programmes. Across the HyNet cluster, more than 75 apprentices are already working on connected sites, developing expertise in areas such as pipeline construction, industrial engineering, and carbon transport infrastructure. And these projects are only just getting started. By 2050, HyNet and the East Coast Cluster could be contributing more than £20-30 billion to the local and UK economy, supporting thousands of new jobs. The Government must accelerate plans to build out these clusters, connecting more emitters, for these benefits to be unlocked. More broadly, for Britain’s industrial heartlands, CCUS is already creating the jobs of the future, enabling young people to build skilled careers in the communities they grew up in rather than feeling they must move away to find opportunities. It also provides a practical transition for workers in the oil and gas sector, whose decades of expertise in engineering, offshore operations, and major infrastructure can help power the growth of low- carbon industries like CCUS. That is why CCUS can help renew pride in the community, ensuring places with long industrial histories are not left behind by the transition, but are instead at the forefront of a new era of industrial growth. A strong pipeline – but growing policy risk With the CCUS industry now on the cusp of

CO captured at source from industry

Power plants

Fertiliser production

Heavy industry

CO injection platform

Cement production

CO transport by ship

Permanent oshore geological storage of CO 1-3km below the seabed

Chemical production Carbon usage

Building materials Food & drink production

Figure 1 Carbon captured from source at industry

Once complete, the East Coast Cluster in the North East and HyNet in North West England and North Wales will demonstrate how the shared cluster model can work in practice. By enabling multiple industrial sites to connect into common CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure, this cluster approach reduces costs and helps industrial regions decarbonise simultaneously having developed the full CCUS value chain from capture to storage. With spades now in the ground and significant private investment committed, substantial contract awards are already flowing to British businesses. Across both clusters, CCUS project developers have committed to, and are currently exceeding, 50% UK local content across engineering, procurement, and construction. They have also already contracted with nearly 250 UK companies to support delivery. Within the East Coast Cluster alone, around £4 billion of construction contracts have already been awarded to companies across Britain’s engineering and manufacturing supply chains. As part of this Cluster, the Northern Endurance Partnership, which is developing the transport and storage network, recently reported that the project had reached 25% completion. Liverpool Bay CCS, HyNet’s transport and storage network, has also now reached 25% completion, showing that both clusters are making real progress in construction.