Our Next Steps
We believe the East Midlands Hydrogen Innovation Zone will be a catalyst for growth, jobs and investment - all vital to the vision to increase the Midlands economy by £54bn (or 25%) by 2030. We are already working with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Midlands Engine, East Midlands Development Corporation and Midlands Innovation.
We are part of the Energy Research Accelerator and multiple private and public R&D partners. We have an established long-standing relationship with key industrial partners including Airbus and Rolls Royce.
- Establishing a cross-partner steering group/advisory board to finalise a detailed business plan, a programme timetable and prospectus for public and private funding. This will dovetail with Midlands Engine’s Green Growth Strategy ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November.
- Build the region’s political, industry, investor and R&D support for the proposals to develop in detail. This includes securing backing from key sites for the EMHIZ including the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP) in south Derbyshire.
- Engaging the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, ahead of the UK Hydrogen Strategy’s publication and major consultations to put commercial, regulatory and policy frameworks in place
- Scoping how the EMHIZ can utilise the opportunities from East Midlands Airport & Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC) being granted Freeport status in the Budget on 3rd March. The airport is critical for building the region’s hydrogen capability as the UK’s biggest dedicated international freight hub, alongside the neighbouring 700-acre SEGRO Logistics Park
- Integrating our plans with East Midlands Development Corporation’s plans to build a “National Centre for Zero Emissions” for a dedicated energy R&D hub on the Ratcliffe-on-Soar site - and its proposed “Industrial Zero Emissions Fund” to create industrial scale demonstrators and commercialise new technology.