Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) communities and businesses in the South of England and (b) national industries are able participate in (i) carbon capture storage and (ii) the production of hydrogen and sustainable aviation and marine fuels.

Carbon capture and storage (CCUS) and low carbon hydrogen, which can be used to create sustainable aviation and marine fuels, offer economic opportunities across the country. In 2030, CCUS and hydrogen could support up to 50,000 and 12,000 jobs, respectively. The Government announced an unprecedented £20bn investment in the early development of CCUS and is supporting hydrogen projects across the UK through the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, including three in the south of England, and the Hydrogen Production Business Model. Two projects in the south of England have progressed to the next stage of the first electrolytic hydrogen allocation round.