Energy Minister Michael Shanks visits Immingham to review major one point five billion pound carbon capture project

Energy Minister Michael Shanks tours VPI Immingham to discuss a £1.5bn carbon capture investment expected to create 1,500 construction jobs.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 2, 2026, 8:46 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Grimsby Live

Ministerial Visit to VPI Immingham

On Monday, Energy Minister Michael Shanks visited VPI’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in northern Lincolnshire to evaluate the progress of the site's decarbonization efforts. During the tour, the Minister met with senior leadership, apprentices, and graduates involved in the "Humber Zero" initiative. The visit highlighted the government's commitment to "first of a kind" carbon capture projects, supported by £9.4bn in funding over the current parliament.

Scale of the Humber Zero Project

The £1.5bn investment by VPI aims to retrofit carbon capture technology onto two of the plant's three generating units. Once operational, the facility is projected to capture 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 each year. This volume is critical for the commercial viability of the Viking CCS transport and storage network, which aims to sequester carbon in depleted gas fields under the North Sea.

Economic Impact and Job Creation

The development of the carbon capture plant is expected to be a major economic driver for the Humber region. VPI estimates that the project will create around 1,500 jobs at the height of construction, along with numerous permanent skilled roles for operations. This aligns with the broader Viking CCS cluster, which is projected to bring £13bn of investment to the area and support 20,000 construction jobs at its peak.