The South Humber Gateway has the potential to make a significant contribution to the government's targets to secure a diverse energy supply and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. On sub-regional level the South Humber Gateway is on track to break through the Humber’s target for the production of 350MW of renewable energy by 2021, and will make a significant contribution to the Yorkshire and Humber regional target of 1,850MW of renewable power.
The South Humber Gateway is a key location for UK sustainable energy production. With its riverside location adjacent to a vast rural hinterland capable of producing large supplies of biomass feedstock, it makes the location attractive to the renewable energy sector. This has alerted a number of major players in the sector, including Greenergy and Eon, who have made the SHG their home and Drax who are investing heavily in a biomass plant on the site.
Abengoa, the largest producer of bio-ethanol in Europe, has recently bought a site on the South Humber Gateway with planning permission to develop one of the UK’s largest bio-ethanol plants, producing over 400,000 litres of bio-ethanol.
With onshore wind farms throughout North Lincolnshire already contributing to the government’s renewable energy targets, the South Humber Gateway also provides major opportunities for large-scale offshore developments. As well as being geographically well placed to serve the needs of this emerging sector, the South Humber Gateway has the land needed for associated industrial developments.
Throughout the Hull and Humber Ports City Region there is in place an established support infrastructure for the offshore renewable energy sector – including manufacturing expertise and access to the Tata Steel plant in Scunthorpe. The sector will also benefit from the experience of oil and gas companies already located on the South Humber Gateway to help address emerging environmental issues such as cumulative and in-combination effects.