Most research and policy focus globally has been on decarbonising large coastal industrial clusters of energy intensive industry. However, in the UK, around 50% of industrial emissions come from thousands of typically smaller industrial sites dispersed across the country.
This project will use an updated modelling framework to explore options for decarbonising these sites given different assumptions about access to low-carbon electricity, hydrogen and CO2 transport. The outputs will provide inputs to the SSEP. It will also explore related policy and governance issues associated with decarbonising sites. This will include reviewing the outcome of the recent Local Industry Decarbonisation Plans call, interviewing dispersed industry, local authority and other stakeholders on their needs, and synthesising these findings with the results of the modelling analysis.
Working closely with Theme 4, The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) and DESNZ, the outputs will identify issues to consider when developing future policy support.
This paper addresses the gap in knowledge around meeting increased industrial electricity demands by quantifying the requirements for additional electricity network capacity to support the decarbonisation of industrial sectors across Great Britain.
The policy brief calls on government to ensure that electricity networks are strengthened according to new demands, and anticipatory investment is enabled to support industrial decarbonisation. It also recommends that policymakers provide clarity on plans for industrial electrification, while strengthening data on future industrial electricity demand to create an accurate picture of future needs.
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UKERC research on the availability of future electricity network infrastructure has been cited in...
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