In 2018, the UK government committed to bring all greenhouse gas (GHG) emission to net zero by 2050. In doing so, the UK became the first major economy to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming.

Reaching this target requires extensive change across all sectors. And there has been progress to date. For example, recent analysis has shown that coal now accounts for less than 2pc of all electricity generated in the UK, with coal use collapsing by 93pc since 2015.

While there has been clear and world-leading progress in areas such as energy supply, the pace of change has been slower in industry. The Committee on Climate Change, in its most recent progress report to Parliament, stated that industry accounted for 21pc of all UK emissions in 2019 and that industrial decarbonisation policy must be more strategic and move faster. The report also picked up on the need to drive long-lasting change in industry at scale and at pace alongside a need to strengthen UK competitiveness and to safeguard skills and jobs.

21pc – Proportion of UK emissions from industry

In a clear display of the size of the challenge, thinktank Onward’s latest research also found the government will fail to deliver on its 2050 net-zero commitment without taking radical action to decarbonise the 12 most carbon-intensive industries, which together represent three-fifths of UK emissions and account for one in five jobs.

It is clear that UK industry will be one of the most critical sectors to decarbonise to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, and one of the most challenging. This task is too important and enormous to put off. In addition to being one of the biggest polluters, the products made by industry are vital to life in the UK. Industry also supports local economies across the country, including in my own constituency in Redcar.

Hydrogen inquiry

It is for all these reasons that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen (APPG), a group I have chaired since my election, has launched an inquiry into the role of hydrogen in powering industry. As chair of the APPG, I know hydrogen’s potential to deliver industrial decarbonisation while drastically cutting carbon emissions, unlocking innovations throughout the supply chain, and creating and sustaining many thousands of high-skilled, green jobs in all parts of the country.

The APPG’s inquiry will focus on the role and potential of hydrogen across different industry sectors including heating, chemicals, oil and gas, and carbon capture and storage, and we will be exploring what other industrial sectors can particularly benefit from hydrogen. We will also be looking at hydrogen production, transmission, distribution and storage—all vital aspects that must be considered if we are to achieve a comprehensive hydrogen economy and ultimately achieve our net-zero targets.

Most crucially, we will be examining the opportunities and policies required to unlock and accelerate hydrogen within industry, hydrogen’s potential to create and support high-skilled job in industry and how we can achieve an economic and timely transition to hydrogen that retains and promotes UK industry.

Decarbonising industry is critical

The APPG is inviting written submissions to inform the inquiry’s final report. I would encourage all organisations to submit to the inquiry, sharing case studies, statistics and any practical examples of research that show how hydrogen can contribute to industrial decarbonisation. This will help us present the most comprehensive case to government.

The APPG’s final report will be published in June, and it could not be timelier. It follows the government’s landmark Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy and will precede the  anticipated Hydrogen Strategy. Ahead of Cop26, the world will be looking to the UK to set a clear pathway towards reaching our net-zero targets, and industrial decarbonisation will be critical. We must move quickly, otherwise we will risk losing out.

With the stage set, I am looking forward to finalising the report and outlining exactly how hydrogen can propel industry to decarbonise while developing high-skilled jobs for people across the country and growing the economy as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis.

Jacob Young is the Conservative MP for Redcar and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen.

---

Author: Jacob Young