Achi news desk-
Decarbonising Dalton has been awarded £129,064 by Innovate UK for a £201,763 12-month study to see how the Dalton Industrial Estate near Thirsk can reduce the use of transport, heat and materials to reduce carbon emissions.
Business leaders hope the solution will find a way to net zero for other industrial estates across the country.
According to estimates, the demand for electricity in the estate of 28 businesses, including nine larger companies, will more than double in the next three years and beyond, when planning permission has already been granted to expand the area by an additional 22 dunams.
The project will conduct detailed assessments for each business and propose an action plan that will lead them to net zero while reducing offsets. This will be delivered in five phases – business needs assessments, rapid win mitigation, shared on-site opportunities, off-site interventions, and knowledge gathering and sharing.
Executive member for climate change Cllr Greg White said: “There is growing enthusiasm among Dalton business leaders to tackle carbon emissions, but there are also constraints on the electricity grid. The owners of the big businesses – and the users – are working together to find a solution that will help everyone grow more sustainably.
“They are looking at innovative ways to maximize the benefit for the environment as well as themselves. They aim to design a net-zero pathway for Dalton, which will become a decarbonisation program for smaller industrial estates, particularly rural ones across the UK.”
The project is being led by a partnership comprising ourselves, six Dalton businesses – Cleveland Steel and Tubes Limited, Wetherby Stone Products Limited, Severfield plc, Inspired Pet Nutrition Limited, Citivale Group Holdings Ltd and National Tubes shareholders – and Northern Powergrid.
Partnership spokesperson and head of ESG at Severfield plc, Michaela Lindridge, said: “We are all committed to decarbonising our industries through our normal business, so we are thrilled and excited to be able to potentially lead on carbon for the wider industry.
“Sustainability plays a vital role in the way we do business. Together we can support our ambitions for carbon neutral production in the region, as well as share experience and expertise in green technologies and actively work together to reduce our carbon footprint through sustainable production methods and energy efficient production.”
“This project presents a unique opportunity to drive sustainability forward for many different businesses and we are excited to see what opportunities lie ahead”
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. It works to create a better future by inspiring, engaging and investing in businesses that develop life-changing innovations. Its mission is to help companies grow through their development and commercialization of new products, processes and services, supported by an exceptional, agile, inclusive and easy-to-navigate innovation ecosystem.
Dr Bryony Livesey, UKRI Challenge Manager, Industrial Decarbonisation said: “This project shows the willingness of businesses to collaborate on carbon reduction schemes by creating local industrial clusters and working together to reduce emissions. This is a crucial step in tackling the decarbonisation of scattered sites in the UK’s journey towards net zero by 2050.”
