Yorkshire backs low-carbon demonstration project

THE region’s aim to host a pioneering commercial demonstration of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is gaining critical local support.

A new survey by CO2Sense Yorkshire, the business development programme owned by Yorkshire Forward, reveals that the region’s residents see the project’s creation of green jobs as vital to reducing the impacts of the recession and modernisation of the workforce.

By capturing CO2 emitted at source then storing it safely offshore, CCS provides a means of securely managing carbon emissions. CCS will allow the continued use of fossil fuels until replacement processes based on renewable energy are introduced.

According to the survey 75% support Yorkshire’s aim for a CCS commercial demonstration. 83% also support creation of green jobs as a method for economic recovery. The project is expected to create up to 55,000 new jobs over its lifetime.

“This survey clearly demonstrates that Yorkshire welcomes and demands the much needed green jobs that will be created by this innovative project,” said Stephen Brown, programme director for Carbon Capture and Storage at CO2Sense Yorkshire.

“In a region where 10% of surveyed residents report their working status as unemployed or looking for work, green jobs are proving a unifying beacon of hope for economic recovery.”