Four hubs join Transitioning Industrial Clusters Toward Net Zero Initiative

The Transitioning Industrial Clusters Toward Net Zero program has added four more hubs from the United States and Europe.

The program, headed by the World Economic Forum, Accenture, and the Electric Power Research Institute and unveiled at COP26 last November, aims to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors across industries and clusters.

The program has recently welcomed the Brightlands Circular Space in the Netherlands, the H2Houston Hub collaboration of more than 100 organizations, the Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance of around 100 members, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. More than a dozen additional groups are in the process of becoming members.

These additions affect oil and gas production and processing, shipping, heavy-duty transportation, chemicals, and other industries, resulting in more than 296 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

“Sharing infrastructure, maximizing synergies, and expanding the use of circularity principles across industries will be critical in reducing emissions while maintaining industrial competitiveness and creating jobs in these industrial heartlands,” said Melissa Stark, Accenture’s global lead for renewables and energy transition services.

Four additional centers, including the UK’s Zero Carbon Humber and Hynet North West, Australia’s Kwinana Industries Council, and Spain’s Basque Net-Zero Industrial Supercluster, have already committed to the effort.

According to the corporations, the eight clusters could save 334 million tonnes of CO2, which is more than France’s yearly emissions.

The new clusters are already helping to reduce emissions and decarbonize the environment. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges converts hydrogen into raw materials and fuel, while the Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance has created hydrogen fuel cell buses that travel around the United States to educate transportation agencies.

“The Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance aims to establish a clean hydrogen hub in Ohio and the Ohio River Valley, resulting in the eventual decarbonization of much of the transportation, electricity, industrial, and heating sectors,” said Kirt Conrad, co-founder of the alliance and CEO of Stark Area Regional Transit Authority.

“The Port of Antwerp-Bruges contains Europe’s largest chemical cluster and supports the European Green Deal to become carbon neutral by 2050,” stated Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp.

“To achieve this aim, we must all work together, respecting the demands of particular companies, industry peculiarities, and time.” The Transitioning Industrial Clusters Towards Net Zero project aims to motivate and incentivize businesses to share best practices in our shared goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.”