Delivering the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge: geographical considerations for decarbonisation

ABSTRACT The UK Government has identified six industrial locations with the highest concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) production to be part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) and labelled them ‘Industrial Clusters’. To achieve net zero by 2050, heavy industry across the UK must move away from fossil fuels as a power source. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and low-carbon hydrogen in the UK have the prospect of removing upwards of 40MtCO2 per year and producing more than 25GW of hydrogen power. This article introduces the IDC and Industrial Clusters. It then explores the geographical sense of place, place attachment and acceptance considerations that the clusters should be making on their energy transitions as a means to understanding the geography of sustainability transitions.