Initial works started on 30 August 2022, lasting around two weeks in total with intermittent site activity.

These works were to drill four separate bore holes to install hydrological and rainfall monitoring equipment so we can gather baseline data on ground level wetland conditions. Ahead of the works, temporary fences were installed to ensure safety of contractors on site from cattle that currently graze the land.

Now complete, stock proof post and rail fences have been installed around the equipment and will remain in place for a minimum of one year.

The borehole locations have been positioned to remain a considerable distance away from the known gas pipelines and their respective easements. The positions have specifically been located c. 50 m from these areas to avoid any potential conflicts and disturbances that the drilling activities may cause.

All borehole locations will be assessed for the presence of underground utilities, including the known pipelines, by a specialist utilities clearance contractor prior to the commencement of breaking ground.

Additional works will start on Monday 17 October to dig a series of trenches within the Phase One area. Archaeologists will be checking the ground prior to us starting any work next year. They’re expecting to be on site for two to three weeks.

Furthermore, all existing asset owners have been informed of the works that will be taking place on site.

If you have any queries about the works on site, please contact hello@yorkshire-energy-park.co.uk where a member of the development team will be able to provide more detail.

The Reserved Matters Application (RMA) provides more detail on the first part of phase 1 of the project and includes the energy centre and data centre, plus a new access road from Staithes Road, associated drainage infrastructure and landscaping.

Energy Centre

The energy centre will provide low cost, resilient power to onsite occupiers utilising a gas fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant that can be scaled up as the demand increases.

Whilst initially the energy centre will utilise natural gas, the technology is being developed to easily enable a transition to hydrogen in the future as part of the park’s journey to net zero carbon.

The energy centre is being designed to include renewable technology such as photovoltaic (solar) panels and the ability to include small scale battery storage. The centre also includes an education area to support skills development.

Above: Energy centre artist’s impression
Maximum building height 14.925m; that’s the height of almost three and a half double decker buses. The tallest part of the energy centre is the flue (or chimney) which will be at a height of 24.1m.

Data Centre

The data centre will be the region’s first tier 3 data centre and will house a data hall, office space and support space that will run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The initial build will create the home for approximately 240 racks and it has been designed to allow expansion of up to 600 racks over time.

Currently the larger organisations in our area (universities, schools, councils and large companies) are provided their data storage needs from large data centres in Leeds and beyond. This centre is intended to provide these needs locally, as well as to meet the demand for moving internet content to a local base, rather than international, which will help to increase speeds.

Above: Data centre artist’s impression
The data centre is a two-storey building, with a maximum eaves height of 9.1m; that’s the height of just over two double decker buses

Full plans can be viewed on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning portal here.  There will be several different applications listed which form part of the project.

Due to a unique set of factors, Yorkshire is well-placed to transition from being the home of major industries such as coal, refineries and steelworks, to an innovative energy hub with the potential to lead the UK in the creation of green technologies and ideas.

The Humber will be host to one of the country’s first new ‘freeports’ which will give businesses tax incentives and favourable custom arrangements, further embedding it as the busiest port complex in the UK – encompassing Hull, Goole, Grimsby and Immingham ports.

The Humber is also within a new “carbon capture cluster” in which innovative technologies will be used to reduce carbon emissions in the region. Combine these two factors with the fact that the Humber is already home to the UK’s “energy estuary”, then you have the ideal framework to kickstart a green revolution and bring jobs and investment to the area – as the article outlines.

The Yorkshire Energy Park is uniquely positioned to benefit from all of these factors and will play an important role in helping Yorkshire lead the way in creating new green technologies.

The Yorkshire Energy Park team will be sharing detailed plans for the energy and data centre, as well as site masterplans and scope of works for the ecological mitigation zone due to commence next year.

The drop-in events take place in Hedon and Preston later this month, with people from the local area invited to meet the project team, ask questions and share their views.

Wednesday 24^th November, 4 – 7pm

St Augustine’s Church

Main Church Hall, Church Lane, Hedon (HU12 8EL)

Thursday 25^th November, 4 – 7pm

Eastside Community Sports Trust

Staithes Rd, Preston (HU12 8DX)

Find out more here. 

There’s no need to book to attend, people can just turn up during the events. Information boards will be shared, including all the details, which will also be uploaded to the website following events.

The university will establish a campus on the former Hedon aerodrome site to the east of Hull and aim to up-skill and re-skill those based in the park, retaining and bolstering talent and skills in key industries within the Humber region.

The partnership was announced at the Waterline Summit, the largest and most important decarbonisation event in the North of England, which places the Humber at the forefront of climate change, empowering people and places to net zero and creating an economic model for decarbonisation.

Yorkshire Energy Park will bring together forward-thinking businesses from across the globe to create and deliver innovation and world firsts, including in the technology and digital sectors. It will provide an innovative research and development offer, marrying the industries housed on the park in a UK Centre of Excellence, with onsite vocational training and higher education facilities to develop the next generation of the workforce in key industries for its occupiers.

Yorkshire Energy Park Project Director Andrew Reynolds said:

“We’re delighted to welcome the University of Lincoln as our principal education partner and this is the next big step forward for this exciting development.

“Ensuring we keep skills and talent in these important industries local is so important and this partnership will offer the perfect opportunity and platform to do this.

“Aligned to the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda to reduce geographical and regional inequality, Yorkshire Energy Park has the potential to create up to 4,480 jobs, as well as apprenticeship, training and post-graduate opportunities for local people.

“The University of Lincoln is perfectly placed to support and develop this and we’re excited to see the potential as the partnership grows.”

Researchers at the University of Lincoln are developing innovative solutions to the challenge of sustainability, with research in key areas including climate science, clean energy, energy usage and sustainable supply chains, which is in line with some of Yorkshire Energy Park’s key objectives.

Andrew Reynolds will join international speakers and panellists at the launch of the Waterline Summit 2021 – Connecting the Humber to COP26 on October 18^th, a major event placing the Humber at the forefront of climate change, empowering people and places to net zero and creating an economic model for decarbonisation.

He will speak at the summit’s A Question of Carbon event, which will link to the globally critical United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow in November.

It will bring together a range of innovative thinkers, industry experts and key government figures to discuss the crucial role the Humber region must play as the UK’s biggest carbon emitter with the greatest decarbonisation potential.

The event aims to focus on the importance of the UK’s Energy Estuary being positioned as central to the global climate challenge and connecting the Humber on a global scale. As rebuilding from the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the first day of events at the Waterline Summit will be based around the need for a global green transition.

A Question of Carbon will take place at Hull City Hall at 8.45am, as well as streaming live via Zoom, and include a Q&A Question Time-style panel approach.

Andrew, who has extensive experience in the UK commercial property markets, spent more than a decade as Development Director at Hines, one of the largest private real estate investors and managers in the world.

He is also chair of EC Partnership, a business collective working to promote and enhance a unique part of London, and has played an instrumental role in shaping the skyline with landmark developments such as Cannon Street Station.

Andrew said: “I’m delighted to take part in the Waterline Summit launch and be invited alongside other fantastic speakers and panellists.

“Yorkshire Energy Park is unique both regionally and nationally, and I’ll be able to share the benefits the scheme will bring, as well as our aims to become one of the first zero carbon business parks in the UK and provide an update on the development’s progress.

“We have a huge part to play in the wider decarbonisation work being done both locally and nationally and the Waterline Summit is playing a key role in helping to communicate, promote and share those messages and actions on a global scale.”

Yorkshire Energy Park, an event partner in the Waterline Summit, is a next generation green energy and technology business park which will play a critical role in revitalising the local economy and cementing the Humber region’s reputation as the UK’s Energy Estuary.

Located at the former Hedon aerodrome site to the east of Hull and within the Humber Freeport Zone, it is uniquely positioned to utilise skills and resources to help accelerate the regional transition to net zero, creating thousands of jobs, attracting hundreds of millions in investment in energy, data, technology and manufacturing.

The park received its formal decision notice in late 2020 following East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee approval in 2019.

Its delivery will kickstart the economic future of the Humber region with over £200m inward investment anticipated. The target of 80% local labour through the construction period, along with the creation of trainee, graduate and apprenticeship opportunities, will also ensure considerable social return on investment.

The energy park team’s vision is to power the park through hydrogen via the nearby Saltend Hydrogen Hub. The 212-acre site will include:

• An energy centre, battery storage and primary substation, providing on-site green energy and off-site green energy for export.
• A data centre and disaster recovery suite
• A mixture of space for businesses, including start-ups and SME growth
• A National Centre of Excellence for education, training and research facilities, as well as short stay accommodation
• An outdoor building material testing facility
• New sports facilities for the community
• Forty-five hectares of green space, protected for 150 years as an ecologically enhanced area for protected species.

Other speakers and panellists involved in the A Question of Carbon event are:

• Liz Barber, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire Water and Kelda Group
• Professor Dan Parsons, Director of the Energy and Environment Institute at the University of Hull
• Patrick Harnett, Senior Programme Director at Ørsted UK
• Dominic Martin, Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs at Equinor
• Amy Meek, Co-Founder of Kids Against Plastic.

Cameron Wood, Junior Consultant at Shared Agenda Solutions, who is also working on the Yorkshire Energy Park team, will speak at the Waterline Summit’s Cities and Built Environment Day at 9am on October 22^nd, providing his thoughts from a graduate perspective in a live panel discussion and Q&A session.

Taking place for the third consecutive year, the Waterline Summit runs from October 18^th to October 22^nd. To find out more and register, visit www.thewaterline.global/summit-2021/

You can see more information about what was discussed here.

Vital Energi is a decarbonisation, energy generation and distribution company, operating across the UK. Its portfolio of work includes major city district heating schemes and energy generation and management schemes at hospitals and universities.

Vital will take a lead on the development’s energy strategy as part of the park’s vision to become one of the first zero carbon business parks in the UK.

Gary Fielding, Chairman of Vital Energi said;

“We’re proud to become the energy partner for Yorkshire Energy Park and play our part in design and delivery of a scheme which will provide great benefits to the tenants and to the local and regional economy.

“The Park’s vision is truly impressive, and we are excited to deliver long-term resilient energy and multi-utility infrastructure that supports this vision.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the development take shape over the coming months.”

The energy and technology business park received its formal decision notice in late 2020 following East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Committee approval in 2019. The flagship development is also a designated tax site as part of the Humber Freeport and is anticipated to create over 4000 jobs, across a range of sectors.

The joint venture has also appointed Andrew Reynolds as its Project Director, tasked with bringing the scheme to fruition.

Chris Turner, Chair of Yorkshire Energy Park, said:

“The Board is delighted to welcome both Vital Energi and Andrew Reynolds to the Yorkshire Energy Park project as we reach a crucial part of the project, with works due to start on site in the new year.

“Vital is a leader in modern energy solutions that support the decarbonisation ambitions of the UK. I’m looking forward to seeing their team apply this expertise to the Yorkshire Energy Park.

“Having spent a decade as Development Director at Hines, along with several other senior roles across the UK, Andrew also brings a wealth of experience to the project bolstering our existing team.”

Based at the former Hedon aerodrome site to the east of Hull, strategically located within the new Humber Freeport, the 212-acre Yorkshire Energy Park will consist of:

• An energy centre, battery storage and primary substation, providing on-site energy and off-site energy for export;

• A tier 3 data centre and disaster recovery suite;

• A mixture of space for businesses, including incubator space for start-up businesses and SME growth;

• A National Centre of Excellence for education, training and research facilities and associated on site, short stay accommodation;

• An outdoor building material and testing facility;

• New sports facilities for the community; and

• 45 hectares of green space, protected for 150 years as an ecologically enhanced area for protected species.

The delivery of the park will kickstart the economic future of the Humber region with over £200m inward investment anticipated. The target of 80% local labour through the construction period, along with the creation of trainee, graduate and apprenticeship opportunities will also ensure considerable social return on investment.

Andrew Reynolds, Yorkshire Energy Park’s Project Director said:

“The Humber is uniquely positioned to drive the growth of the North and become a global leader in combating climate change, and Yorkshire Energy Park will further contribute to this vision.

“With the first tranche of tenants set to be announced imminently, Yorkshire Energy Park will be one of the first projects nationally to take advantage of the Freeport benefits, attracting inward investment and creating highly skilled careers for future generations.

“I am looking forward to meeting residents and local stakeholders over the coming weeks.”

Members of the public are invited to hear the latest updates at a series of information events over the next fortnight, ahead of site maintenance and survey works due to take place in September.

Hedon
Tuesday 31st August, 4 – 7pm
St Augustine’s Church, Church Lane, Hedon

Preston
Wednesday 1st September, 7 – 7pm
Preston Community Hall, Main Street, Preston

Paull
Monday 6th September, 4 – 7pm
Paull Village Hall, Main Street, Paull

Thorngumbald
Tuesday 7th September, 4 – 7pm
Thorngumbald Village Hall, Main Road, Thorngumbald

The information events will recap on the masterplan vision, the intended scheme benefits and detail the plan for the project for the coming weeks and months.

The flagship summit – the largest and most important of its kind in the North of England – will position the Humber as central to the global climate challenge facing world leaders.

It will feature the businesses, academic institutions, public sector and community groups leading the drive to a zero-carbon economy across the region.

Held over five days from October 18-22, just weeks before COP26, The Waterline Summit 2021 will link innovative decarbonisation projects and pioneering work taking place to tackle climate change in the Humber to similar efforts across the world.

COP26 is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, being held in Glasgow in November. Every country in the world will be represented at the event, with US President Joe Biden expected to attend to mark America’s return to the Paris Agreement committing nations to work together to limit global warming.

The legally binding Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted by all 196 parties at COP21 in 2015 and progress against the targets it set will be addressed at COP26.

Organised by Marketing Humber, The Waterline Summit will be a hybrid of in-person panel discussions and events and immersive virtual experiences over the course of five days.

Contributors will also be attending COP26, taking the key messages from the pioneering event to Glasgow, where they will tell the international audience about the crucial role the region has to play as the UK’s biggest carbon emitter with the greatest decarbonisation potential.

Marketing Humber will also be linking the region to the international event through an online platform, providing resources, podcasts, interviews and streamed events from COP26.

The Waterline Summit is supported by its Event Partners the University of Hull, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Energy Park and Ørsted, as well as its COP26 Partner, Zero Carbon Humber.

Bill Walker, Chair of Marketing Humber, said: “I am delighted to welcome the University of Hull, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Energy Park and Ørsted as The Waterline Summit 2021 Event Partners. With the UK playing such an important global host role this year, I also welcome Zero Carbon Humber as our Waterline COP26 Partner.

“The Waterline campaign has sparked commitment and ambition across the Humber to transform threat into opportunity. This has created a fantastic platform to recognise, network and promote the excellence in decarbonisation, renewables and environmental resilience in the UK’s biggest carbon generating region.

“There is no equivocation – reaching net zero for the Humber is a necessity for our communities and for the UK as a whole. There is also no hesitation – decarbonising the Humber is a challenge to which we are already rising.

“Thanks to the support of our Event Partners, our Waterline COP26 Partner, and many more sponsors still to be announced, this year’s Waterline Summit will illustrate the challenges and the resilience of this region and showcase the spirit of the Humber and the global importance of our research, innovation and expertise.

“Once again, through the Waterline Summit, the eyes of the world will be on the Humber.”

Marketing Humber launched The Waterline campaign in 2019, in partnership with the University of Hull, to unite businesses, communities, academics and students in a collaboration to build momentum for change and drive the race to net zero.

Professor Dan Parsons, Director at the Energy and Environment Institute at the university, said:

“Collaboration and innovation are key in the transition to a carbon net zero future and events like The Waterline Summit are vital to ensure our region’s businesses and industries are connected in our endeavours across the Humber.

“The world around us is changing. Countries and regions are now driving forwards with efforts to reduce carbon emissions and find clean, renewable ways to power businesses and homes alike. The Humber is at the forefront of this push and has already established itself as a world leader in a range of renewable technologies.

“Now we must build on the incredible foundations we have already laid in the Humber and ensure momentum towards net zero continues to gather pace.”

Yorkshire Water is investing £23m over five years through its Living With Water project into exploring a sustainable approach to water management across Hull and the East Riding.

Lee Pitcher, Head of Partnerships for Yorkshire Water and General Manager of Living With Water, said:

“Having a platform like The Waterline Summit not only highlights the important role the region can play on a local and global scale to tackle climate change, but also showcases the collaborative work we are doing here that leads the way in flood mitigation.

“We are thrilled to partner this event again and look forward to sharing more about the work we are doing to build resilience across the region.”

Andrew Reynolds, Project Director of the £200m Yorkshire Energy Park, close to the Port of Hull, said: “Now is a crucial time to cement the Humber’s position as the UK Energy Estuary and The Waterline Summit will once again put the region on the map, helping us bring international investment to the area, as well as job creation across a variety of clean growth sectors.

“As a key partner in the Humber Freeport, our vision is to create a next generation, carbon neutral business park that plays a huge role in revitalising our regional economy and generating valuable community impact. We’re delighted to be involved in the event this year as we count down to COP26.”

World-leading green energy company Ørsted operates the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea One.
Duncan Clark, Head of Region UK for Ørsted, said: “The Waterline Summit is the main event in the region, bringing stakeholders together as we transition the Humber to a net zero future.

“This year, with the strong commitment from the government and the eyes of the world on the UK when we host COP26 in November, this event will have a crucial role as a forum and platform to showcase how the Humber will help deliver the UK’s net zero commitments.”

Zero Carbon Humber is a consortium of leading energy and industrial companies and academic institutions working together towards the Humber becoming the first net zero carbon cluster by 2040.

Alex Grant, UK Country Manager for consortium member Equinor, said: “As a flagship decarbonisation project for the Humber and the UK, Zero Carbon Humber is delighted to be the official COP26 partner for The Waterline Summit 2021.

“Our ambition to decarbonise the UK’s largest industrial region in terms of CO2 emissions. through a diverse portfolio of power and industry projects including carbon capture, hydrogen and negative emissions, demonstrates the strength of the UK’s offering in this space and the opportunities that The Waterline Summit can showcase.

“We look forward to engaging in positive, constructive discussions with key stakeholders across The Waterline week and using it as a platform to support those bold ambitions.”

Sponsorship opportunities for The Waterline Summit 2021 remain available. For more information, contact Leahann.Barnes@marketinghumber.com