US infrastructure giant Aecom has been appointed to lead the consenting of the huge Humber Zero project.

The major carbon capture and storage plan aims to decarbonise refining and power generation on the South Humber Bank.

The Fortune 500 member will work on permits and other regulatory requirements to integrate the technology into process units at Phillips 66 Humber Refinery and VPI Immingham combined heat and power plant.

Read more: How the Humber can become the industrial equivalent of Silicon Valley

It aims to capture up to eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, linking in with the V Net Zero proposal to transport the greenhouse gas via pipeline to permanent storage sites under the North Sea.

Aecom, supported by planning consultants DWD, will take both the infrastructure projects on the neighbouring sites through the consents phase, preparing planning and permit applications and supporting environmental impact assessment. This will include a detailed review of the impact the projects will have on the local environment and community. Once all consents have been obtained, final investment decisions can be made, ahead of further detailed design and construction.

Dr Richard Lowe, Aecom’s energy sector lead, said: “Heavy industry has to decarbonise, so by integrating world-class CCS technology into the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery and VPI Immingham plant, we are not only helping to future-proof the region’s economy and jobs by ensuring the plants are transitioning towards a decarbonised future, but we are also working towards the greater goal of reaching net zero emissions.”

He will speak as part of Humber Zero’s contribution to the region’s Waterline Summit next week.

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Jonathan Briggs, VPI’s project director for Humber Zero, said: “Humber Zero will secure critical industry in the Humber region, which is home to more than 25 per cent of the UK’s refining capacity. Decarbonising industry will ensure its competitiveness and help secure tens of thousands of jobs in the region and beyond.”

Aecom delivers professional services throughout a project lifecycle, from planning, design and engineering to programme and construction management. and last year it generated revenues of almost £10 billion.

As reported, Harbour Energy-headed V Net Zero - which is also looking to factor in a shipping terminal to enable neighbouring Port of Immingham to become a carbon trading hub - has just been granted its storage licence by the Oil and Gas Authority.

Prax Lindsey Oil refinery and South Humber Bank Power Station, operated by EPUKI, have also joined the V Net Zero collaboration, with a new pipeline replacing a gas line from Theddlethorpe to Immingham planned as part of a £500 million investment.

It is one of two schemes being brought forward in the Humber, with Zero Carbon Humber planning a hydrogen and carbon capture dual network to serve major emitters and energy intensive operations across the region.

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