Get in the sea

This morning the Labour government announced ￡22bn investment in carbon capture technology focused projects on Merseyside and Teesside.

The reaction to the news has ranged from "excellent news", "a signal that the UK is ready for investment" to "more green-washing" and "how?"

From what I can gather, this as yet unproven-to-scale technology would extract carbon and carbon dioxide from energy generating processes, such as burning natural gas, and pipe it underground and well out to sea to be stored within geological gaps.

The oil and gas sector companies see this as a key way to pivot away from fossil fuel extraction without requiring the loss of engineering knowledge, expertise and jobs from their own sector while the renewable energy sector upskills and grows.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Over the past few weeks, we have shown just how much of a hurry we are in to deliver clean, cheap power for families – and to deliver a just transition that delivers good, skilled jobs.

“The North West has a proud history of being at the forefront of the industrial revolution – with HyNet, it is now leading the world in the green energy transition. Carbon capture will create 2,000 jobs in a major boost for the local economy – providing opportunity and spreading prosperity across the region.”

The Liverpool Echo reports that it is hoped that the carbon capture, usage and storage industry can support 50,000 good, skilled jobs as the sector matures in the 2030s as the country transitions away from fossil fuels. The government hopes that an up and running carbon capture industry will add around ￡5 billion per year to the UK economy by 2050.

The announcement was a welcome signal that the government will prioritise large infrastructure projects in the upcoming Budget, after weeks of a narrative that 'difficult decisions' need to be made and its thin gruel for a few years ahead.

The proof will be in the pudding, to stretch the menu-based analogy a little further. We still await details of a coherent strategy with useful milestones and deadlines for big industry to work with.

Get in the sea (part 2)

Well done to Wates Group for promptly dealing with a member of their staff who was mocking the death of a football fan at the Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom match last Saturday. https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/wates-sacks-troll

Crispy (as he will now be known to his parole officer and criminal solicitor) has been charged with sending a communication/article of an indecent or offensive nature by South Yorkshire Police.

After receiving complaints, Wates Group issued a statement: “We can confirm that Richard Crisp is no longer employed by the Wates Group.

“The comments he made over the weekend are unacceptable and completely at odds with our values as a company.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the tragedy at the West Bromwich Albion game this weekend and to all those who lost loved ones at Hillsborough.”

Making waves

"If people don't see the sector as attractive then individual companies aren't going to attract the talent" - Daksh Gupta Huws Gray

I enjoyed a busy day at the Construction Inclusion Coalition first Coalition in Conversation event. A packed room of delegates from across the sector gathered to look at ways to improve gender and ethnic minority inclusion in construction.

As CIC Chair Angela Rushforth set out, there are good people already working in the industry, but "there are so many more good people the industry could attract"

During the course of the day I spoke with people from backgrounds in different sectors including food production, retail and logistics who all want to bring improvements to their new workplaces.

There is a sense that they want to be gamechangers and build a truly inclusive industry. It's a long road ahead, but there are many people from the boardroom to the shop floor and site who are ready to make the journey.

The CIC recently published its very first Impact Report, available here: https://builtonbetter.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CIC-Impact-Report-2024.pdf

(What's the story) Mourning Tory

I suppose I had better mention events in Birmingham this week as the Conservative Party gathered together for their first conference since their historic election battering in July.

I think the conclusions many delegates at the conference reached about why they lost power in July can be summed up as follows:

The conference was the setting for the four leadership hopefuls to set out their platform for dragging the party forward, however there's a distinct lack of introspection - perhaps because the size of the challenge facing them hasn't really sunk in yet.

Their most vocal social media rabble rousers are still acting like there is another election just around the corner.

The Brexity 'own the libs' types are still pontificating in fringe events as if their views hold any weight, any longer. Here's Lord Moylan suggesting that the North needs to make the case for investment in transport across the region, as if anyone who matters is listening to him:

"The fact is that rail investment works when you have passenger numbers to support it and what I said was Northern cities and Transport for the North and so on need constantly to make that case imaginatively."

You're howling into the void, mate.

Labour have had a terrible few weeks in the glare of the media without being able to hide behind work underway in Parliament, but when MPs return next week, I think it might be the Conservatives who will have that cold shower feeling of "she's not coming back, mate, you've got to move on."