Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Decarbonising the UK: Role of Shipping Emissions

14 September 2021 · 1 other contributor · 2,670 words

Opened by Alexander Stafford Con Rother Valley

Responding minister: Michael Tomlinson

Climate

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Alexander Stafford raised concerns about decarbonising the uk: role of shipping emissions in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • MP is concerned about the need for significant progress towards net zero targets in hard-to-abate sectors.
  • MP mentions the importance of CCUS technologies and the potential of North Sea infrastructure for these projects.
  • MP asks for policy support to develop shipping infrastructure for CO2 transportation and hydrogen and to support multiple industrial clusters across the UK.

Key requests to Government

The MP asks for policy support to develop shipping infrastructure capable of transporting CO2 emissions and hydrogen. He also suggests supporting multiple industrial clusters across the UK, beyond the current focus on four designated ones.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Alexander Stafford Con Rother Valley

The MP is concerned about the need for significant progress towards net zero targets, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors like cement, glass, steel and petrochemicals. He mentions the importance of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies (CCUS) to decarbonise these industries. The MP highlights the potential of existing North Sea infrastructure to support CCUS projects, citing specific examples such as the Acorn Project in Scotland and innovative power stations like Whitetail clean energy NET power station in Teesside.

Other contributors (1)
  • Christina Rees Lab Neath

    Encouraged Members to wear masks, adhere to social distancing guidelines, and submit speaking notes by email due to Government guidance.

Government Response

Michael Tomlinson

I apologise on behalf of the Minister who was going to respond to the debate due to unforeseen circumstances. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Alexander Stafford) on securing this important debate, highlighting the timely nature as it coincides with London International Shipping Week and acknowledging the UK's role in decarbonisation efforts. We have made significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 13% from 2018 levels in 2019 and published the UK's industrial decarbonisation strategy to further this goal, focusing on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and low-carbon hydrogen technologies. The phase 1 CCUS cluster sequencing process aims to provisionally sequence clusters for deployment by the mid-2020s, while the UK's first hydrogen strategy positions the country at the forefront of developing low-carbon hydrogen to drive innovation and investment. Shipping can play a crucial role in enabling the decarbonisation of industrial sectors such as steel, cement, and chemicals, facilitating carbon dioxide transportation for deep decarbonisation across clusters like south Wales, the south coast of England, the Thames estuary, and the firth of Forth. The government is working with industry and devolved Administrations to incorporate non-pipeline transportation and shipping within a UK carbon dioxide network to support these efforts.

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