The Industrial Clusters Mission has set an ambition to establish at least one low-carbon industrial cluster by 2030 and the world's first net-zero carbon industrial cluster by 2040\.

The Tees Valley is the UK's most compact and integrated industrial cluster with a radius of 5 miles. The cluster includes several of the UK's top CO2 emitters and is responsible for 8.8 million tonnes of CO2; the Tees Valley industrial cluster generates £12bn of exports annually, employs over 12,000 people and currently contributes some £2.5bn to UK GVA.

This project will produce a plan which outlines how the Tees Valley Industrial Cluster can become net zero by 2040\. It will identify the concepts required both on a 'plant by plant' basis and the technologies and infrastructure that would then be needed to integrate and link them together into a net-zero cluster. It will indicate the expected costs and highlight the key enablers and barriers to implementation together with suggested timelines and the need and opportunity for innovation.

The project will provide the evidence base that will support industrial companies corporate decisions on decarbonisation as well as regional and national Government in making the most focussed and effective policy decisions; it will provide the information needed for companies to build on, when undertaking more detailed design and piloting of technologies. The project will share its findings with other industrial clusters and more widely to ensure lessons learned are shared across the UK.

This project follows on from the successful stage 1 bid, during which an approach was developed to produce a Cluster Plan for the Tees Valley Industrial Cluster.

The cluster plan to be developed is expected to identify the most appropriate range of technologies and potential pathways for the various industrial producers and energy generators in the Tees Valley, considering both existing and future new entrants. It is expected that this plan will combine carbon capture at scale, fuel switching to Hydrogen, integration of renewables, low carbon energy sources, feedstocks changes, together with improved process and energy efficiencies.