A NORTH-East MP is calling on the Government to make good on plans to adopt carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) after the region was assessed to be a viable site for a huge clean gas power plant.

A multi-million pound clean energy project has been touted for Teesside as part of an inquiry led by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee.

A report published today by the group states the new technology is necessary to meet national and international climate change targets and could play a significant role in supporting productivity growth outside London and the South-East.

The Tees Valley was revealed four months ago as one of five key industrial sites earmarked for CCUS by a consortium of six global energy giants. A huge plant on Teesside would capture its carbon emissions and store them in pipelines under the North Sea.

The UK is considered to have one of the most favourable environments globally for CCUS, but the technology has suffered from 15 years of turbulent policy support, including the cancellation of two major competitions at a late stage. No commercial-scale plant has yet been constructed in the UK.

However, Labour MP for Redcar Anna Turley believes CCUS is a crucial industry to harness, with Teesside best placed for the job.

Ms Turley, who is also a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said: “The UK has an opportunity to lead the world in the development of a new CCUS industry.

“In addition to helping to tackle UK carbon emissions, CCUS can play a crucial role in delivering much needed investment in skills and infrastructure and supporting regional growth and jobs.

She added: “CCUS is crucial to meeting the UK’s climate change targets and will be vital to achieving a ‘net zero’ target. But Government support is needed to make CCUS a reality.”

The Government has set a target to commission the first CCUS facility by the mid-2020s. Five clusters – Teesside, Humberside, Merseyside, South Wales, North East Scotland – have been identified as well suited to early CCUS deployment.

Today’s report recommends a new target to develop the first CCUS projects in at least three clusters by 2025, with Teesside in a position to lead the way in clean energy.

In January, a Government visit was hosted at the Wilton Centre, Redcar, to assess each cluster region’s viability to take on a clean energy project.