UK could be at forefront of green Industrial Revolution with carbon cluster plans – and here’s why
If you crack open a bottle of something – be it wine, water or soft drinks – over the festive season, there’s a good chance the glass came from the Encirc factory in Cheshire.
Here, on the banks of the River Mersey, you will find one of the world’s largest glass factories. They take sand from Norfolk, soda ash created from the salt sitting beneath the Cheshire countryside and a lot of recycled glass and throw it into two of the biggest glass furnaces in the world.
There, in the furnace, at temperatures of around 1,600 degrees centigrade, the sand melts and becomes a liquid river of molten glass. It is a chemical reaction humans learnt thousands of years ago, but here at Encirc it’s carried out on a gargantuan scale.
This factory alone produces two billion bottles and containers a year, a number which is hard to process, until you note that it includes around 40% of all the wine bottles consumed in the UK.
That includes a significant proportion of all the New World wines we consume here, by the way. Mostly, the wine from Australia, California and Chile arrives not pre-bottled, but in large bags inside shipping containers, which are then emptied into metal vats at Encirc, from where they are pumped into bottles made here in the UK.
It’s an extraordinary site – a place which says a lot both about our appetite for liquids (both alcoholic and not) and our ability to turn raw materials into sophisticated products.
The struggle to get to net zero
But turning sand into glass is an enormously energy intensive process. Some of the heat in the furnace can be created by electric elements which heat the bottom of this enormous oven. But glassmakers like Encirc say it’s impossible to do what they do – making glass on a vast scale – without blasting that furnace with a very hot flame.
At the moment that flame is produced using methane – natural gas – with the upshot that this glassmaking facility produces rather a lot of carbon dioxide. And even if you could find a way of running their furnace without a naked flame it would still be producing a sizeable amount of CO2, since some of it derives from the chemical reaction as sand turns into glass.
In short, this glass factory is a pretty good illustration of how tricky it is to get to net zero. Much of the energy use in this country can be shifted from fossil fuels to green electricity – whether that’s vehicles or home heating. Sometimes the cost will be high; sometimes in the long run, going green will be cheaper than the status quo.
But for a handful of important industries it’s far, far harder. Glassmaking is one of those industries. You can run small furnaces on electric power but not the big ones you need to feed a massive glass container factory like this one.
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All of which is why they are seeking another alternative. The most obvious route to allow this plant to decarbonise is to replace those methane flames with hydrogen ones, and then to collect all the CO2 coming out of the chimney and sequester it below the ground.
And, as it happens, the technology is pretty much there. We know how to make hydrogen both from natural gas and from electricity (the former still involves some carbon emissions; the latter is extremely expensive, so these options are not without their issues). We know how to capture carbon dioxide.
But there’s a couple of problems which have always deterred businesses like this from taking the leap. The first is that it hasn’t made any economic sense. Capturing carbon is expensive, so why do it when it’s cheaper to pay for carbon credits and carry on burning gas?
Location, location, location
The second is that the infrastructure isn’t yet there. Right now if you collected carbon dioxide from your chimney, there’s nowhere to put it. Someone needs to lay the pipes out to the depleted gas reservoirs under the sea where we might be able to store it. That’s also expensive.
All of which brings us to one of the least discussed, but arguably most important topics in the green energy transition: clusters. In short, if businesses like this glassmaker are going to green it is far more likely to happen if they can do so alongside other heavy industry players.
Look at the geography of the UK’s industries and the idea makes quite a lot of sense. Many of the country’s biggest polluters happen to be clustered relatively near each other on the coast. Alongside Encirc you’ll find one of the country’s biggest oil refineries, as well as the Inovyn (part of Ineos) chemicals plant, not to mention a major gas power station and, some miles further away in North Wales, a cement manufacturer.
All of these businesses have big energy demands. They would all benefit either from carbon capture or hydrogen. Squint a little bit into the future and you can envisage a world where they share pipes both taking the carbon away and delivering the hydrogen.
How to make it happen?
But how to create these clusters? How to finance them? How to coordinate the businesses that all want to make profits while fulfilling their commitments to reduce or eliminate their carbon emissions?
It’s a question no one has yet been able satisfactorily to answer, but whoever does will have that most precious of things: a blueprint about how to decarbonise the trickiest bit of the world’s carbon budget.
And guess what: it so happens the UK is further ahead of most other countries around the world in planning its blueprint for clusters. It now has detailed plans for how to fund, construct and run a series of major clusters: one around the Encirc factory (the Net Zero North West Cluster Plan), another in the Tees Valley (Tees Valley Net Zero), as well as plans for Scotland, for the Humber, for the Black Country and South Wales.
An area where the UK is genuinely leading
Thanks in part to government funding, which began in 2019, Britain’s clusters expertise is admired far and wide. While the US is widely seen as having taken the lead on industrial decarbonisation, thanks to its enormous Inflation Reduction Act set of subsidies, Americans – and many from Europe – have been regularly visiting the UK to understand how to do clusters.
There are many areas where UK politicians claim (without much basis) to be world leaders, but here is an area where it does actually have a world-beating proficiency. However, the government funding for clusters is coming to an end in March, and those working here are nervous that this could be another area where the country squanders an early lead and soon becomes a laggard.
While the cluster in Cheshire looks likely to become a physical reality, with companies soon laying the pipes that will connect plans to hydrogen and carbon dioxide pipes, those in the Black Country and elsewhere are much less advanced.
It’s something to ponder as you have a drink over the festive season. It’s tempting to assume that Britain no longer makes much of anything any more. However, visit plants like the Encirc one, and you realise that that is very far off the mark.
And there’s a prospect that this country, which brought the world the Industrial Revolution, could be at the forefront of managing the green Industrial Revolution. In a few years’ time that glass could be truly low carbon – maybe in due course it could be zero carbon. But it will take a lot more work – especially on clusters – to make it a reality.
On the 10th anniversary of the Shoreham air disaster, the families of some of those killed have criticised the regulator for what they describe as a “shocking” ongoing attitude towards safety.
On 22 August 2015, a vintage fighter jet plummeted out of the sky and crashed into one of the busiest roads in Sussex, killing 11 men.
Most of them weren’t even watching the aerobatic display overhead when they were engulfed in a fireball that swept down the dual carriageway.
A crane removes the remains of the fighter jet that crashed on the A27. File pic: Reuters
Jacob Schilt, 23, and his friend Matthew Grimstone, also 23, were driving to play in a match for their football team, Worthing United FC.
Both sets of parents are deeply angry that their beloved sons have lost their lives in this way.
“It obviously changed our lives forever, and it’s a huge reminder every 22nd of August, because it’s such a public anniversary. It’s destroyed our lives really,” his mum, Caroline Shilt, said.
“It was catastrophic for all of us,” Jacob’s father, Bob, added.
Jacob Schilt died in the Shoreham disaster
Matthew Grimstone on his 23rd birthday, the last before he died in the Shoreham disaster
‘They had no protection’
Sue and Phil Grimstone argue that the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has not been held accountable for allowing the airshow to take place where it did.
“At Shoreham, the permission given by the CAA did not allow displaying aircraft to perform over paying spectators or their parked cars,” they said.
“But aircraft were permitted to fly aerobatics directly over the A27, which was in the display area, a known busy road.
“This was about ignoring the safety of people travelling on a major road in favour of having an air show. They had no protection.”
Sue and Phil Grimstone say the CAA has not been held accountable
A programme for a memorial for Jacob Schilt and Matthew Grimstone
Caroline and Bob Schilt
A series of catastrophic errors
The crash happened while the experienced pilot, Andy Hill, a former RAF instructor, was attempting to fly a loop in a 1950s Hawker Hunter jet.
But he made a series of catastrophic errors. His speed as the plane pitched up into the manoeuvre was far too slow, and therefore, he failed to get enough height to be able to pull out of the dive safely. The jet needed to be at least 1,500ft higher.
Mr Hill survived the crash but says he does not remember what happened, and a jury at the Old Bailey found him not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in 2019.
Andrew Hill arrives at the Old Bailey in London in 2019.
Pic: PA
When the inquest finally concluded in 2022, the coroner ruled the men had been unlawfully killed because of a series of “gross errors” committed by the pilot.
The rules around air shows have been tightened up since the crash, with stricter risk assessments, minimum height requirements, crowd protection distances, and checks on pilots.
But Jacob and Matt’s families believe the CAA still isn’t doing enough to protect people using roads near airshows, or other bystanders not attending the events themselves.
Emergency services attend the scene on the A27.
Pic: PA
The families recently raised concerns about the Duxford airshow in a meeting with the CAA.
While aircraft are no longer allowed to fly aerobatics over the M11, they do so nearby – and can fly over the road at 200ft to reconfigure and return. If the M11 has queuing traffic in the area, the display must be stopped or curtailed.
The Grimstones believe this demonstrates accepting “an element of risk” and are frustrated that the CAA only commissioned an independent review looking at congested roads and third-party protection earlier this year.
“We feel the CAA are still dragging their feet when it comes to the safety of third parties on major roads directly near an air show,” they said.
The family have complained about the CAA to the parliamentary ombudsman.
A memorial for the Shoreham Airshow victims on the banks of the Adur in Shoreham
‘There are still question marks’
Some experts also believe the CAA has questions to answer about a previous incident involving Mr Hill, after organisers of the 2014 Southport Airshow brought his display to an emergency stop because he had flown too close to the crowd, and beneath the minimum height for his display.
In its investigation into the Shoreham disaster, the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) later found that while the CAA inspector present had an informal discussion with the pilot, no further action was taken, and the incident was not reported to the AAIB.
Retired pilot Steve Colman has spent many years looking into what happened at Shoreham, and he believes the CAA failed to fulfil their statutory obligation to fully investigate and report the incident at Southport.
“You have to ask the question – if the Southport incident had been investigated, then was Shoreham more likely or less likely to have occurred?” he said. “I think there can only be one answer – it’s less likely to have occurred.”
Tim Loughton, who was the MP for Shoreham at the time, believes a balance must be struck.
“We don’t want to regulate these events out of existence completely. A lot of the smaller air shows no longer happened because they couldn’t comply with the new regulations […], but certainly there are still question marks over the way the CAA conducted and continues to conduct itself. I would welcome more parliamentary scrutiny.”
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Shoreham air crash victims (from clockwise top left) Matthew Grimstone, Graham Mallinson, Tony Brightwell, Mark Reeves, Matt Jones, Maurice Abrahams, Richard Smith, Jacob Schilt, Daniele Polito, Mark Trussler, Dylan Archer
Rob Bishton, chief executive at the CAA, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those affected by the Shoreham Airshow crash.
“Following the crash, several investigations and safety reviews were carried out to help prevent similar incidents in the future. This included an immediate review of airshow safety and a full investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. All recommendations and safety improvements from these reviews were fully implemented.
“Airshows continue to be subject to rigorous oversight to ensure the highest possible safety standards are maintained.
“At a previous airshow in 2014 the pilot involved in the Shoreham accident was instructed to abort a display by the show’s flying director. This incident was investigated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and regulatory action was taken.”
Mr Bishton added: “As part of the work to review the safety oversight of airshows following the tragic Shoreham crash, the actions taken by the regulator following such a stop call were enhanced.”
But the families of those killed still believe much more could be done.
A jury has been discharged in the trial of a former Church of England priest who ran a rave-inspired “cult” group.
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was the leader of the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995.
He was charged with one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995 against 13 women.
Brain, who denied all the charges, was found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault relating to nine women and acquitted of 15 similar charges.
The 11-strong jury, sitting at Inner London Crown Court, was discharged by Judge Freya Newbery on Thursday after failing to reach a verdict on five counts, having started deliberations on 12 August.
Chris Brain. Pic: South Yorkshire Police
The judge told the jurors: “I am going to discharge you now on those counts. For you, it all comes to an end now. I am really grateful for such a lot of time that you have given.”
A further hearing to determine whether prosecutors believe there are grounds for a retrial for the charges was set for 4 September.
The prosecution previously told jurors that NOS, which was aimed at younger people, “presented itself to the outside world as a progressive force for good”.
But the court heard Brain “dominated and abused his position” to sexually assault a “staggering number of women from his congregation”, including during massages.
He denied brainwashing people to satisfy his sexual desires or ostracising female followers from friends and family.
Brain arriving at court on Thursday. Pic: PA
Church of England: ‘Truly sorry’
Joanne Grenfell, lead bishop for safeguarding in the Church of England, and Alexander Kubeyinje, national safeguarding director, released a joint statement in which they said they were “truly sorry”.
“Our thoughts and prayers today are with the women who have bravely come forward to share their testimonies.
“The conviction of Chris Brain on 17 counts of indecent assault has resulted in lasting damage to their lives, and they were an appalling abuse of power in leadership that should never have happened. We are truly sorry.”
Services initially took place at St Thomas’ Church in Sheffield before moving to The Rotunda in Ponds Forge
In a statement, Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield, echoed that same comment, adding that he was “deeply sorry” for the harm suffered.
“Where concerns were raised in the past and were not acted upon properly, that was a failing of the Church. For those institutional failures, I offer an unreserved apology. We are committed to supporting those affected.
“Words will never undo the harm that has been caused. We will, however, continue to work to ensure the Church is a safe place for everyone.”
He added the diocese would continue to cooperate with police, adding that there was a safeguarding team available to offer support and counselling.
‘Devious and arrogant sexual predator’
Detective Superintendent Eleanor Welsh, senior investigating officer at South Yorkshire Police, said: “Brain is a devious and arrogant sexual predator who caused these women significant harm through his abuse of power and cruel manipulation of their faith.
“While I am pleased with the guilty verdicts, I know for the victims it can never take away what Brain did to them. However, I hope that it brings some comfort to know they have had a voice, they have been heard, and the jury has accepted that Brain is a serial sex offender.”
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‘Lycra Lovelies’ looked after Brain
At its peak, the weekly Nine O’Clock Service – held at 9pm on a Sunday – attracted up to 600 people.
Prosecutors say a “homebase” team of “attractive women”, wearing lingerie or other revealing clothing, known as “the Lycra Lovelies” or “the Lycra Nuns”, was set up to look after Brain, his wife and his daughter at their home.
The women said they slept on the floor and were issued with detailed instructions on how to prepare meals, clean, answer the phone, and even how to treat the family dog, the court heard.
‘Homebase team’ were given instructions on cooking and cleaning for Brain. Pic: South Yorkshire Police
Some members donated large sums of money, gave up their inheritances or homes to NOS and lived in poverty, the jury was told.
Brain’s lifestyle was described as “extravagant” in comparison, as he had a mobile phone and car, wore designer clothes and ate at nice restaurants.
‘Chrisnapping’
One woman described Brain as a “predator hiding in plain sight” who “would pick off women who he viewed as vulnerable”.
The court heard the term “Chrisnapped” was used to describe how Brain would pick up women off the street in his car before he stroked their legs and talked about sex.
NOS collapsed in 1994 after women made allegations about Brain and the Church of England set up places for vulnerable alleged victims to get help and therapy.
Retired Bishop Stephen Lowe said in pre-recorded evidence that he confronted Brain about claims he had “abused” 20 to 40 women, and he replied: “I thought it was more, maybe perhaps double”.
‘Raging narcissism’
Jurors were also told Brain’s Church of England ordination was “fast-tracked” in 1991, and he wore the same cassock worn by actor Robert De Niro in the movie “The Mission” at the ceremony.
Brain resigned from his holy orders in 1995 amid “enormous media interest” but prosecutors suggested he agreed to be interviewed for a BBC Everyman documentary because of his “raging narcissism”.
In the programme, Brain admitted being “involved in improper sexual conduct with a number of women”, but said this was only after a lengthy development of a friendship.
Giving evidence, Brain cut a very different figure from the charismatic cult leader described by witnesses, as he mumbled and was frequently asked to raise his voice.
He told the jury that any touching was done with “100%” consent and suggested the women had “to exaggerate these things to make it either sexual or controlling” in order “to make a criminal case”.
One of the UK’s last remaining steel companies has been pushed into compulsory liquidation – and will fall into government control.
Speciality Steels UK (SSUK), part of the Liberty Steel empire owned by metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, employs nearly 1,500 people at sites in Rotherham and several other locations across South Yorkshire.
Behind Tata Steel and British Steel, it is the third-largest steel producer in the country.
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Sky News reported that negotiations had been underway for a deal to rescue the firm, however, they seem to have been rendered unsuccessful.
The government-run Insolvency Service confirmed it will be acting as the liquidator. It added that Teneo Financial Advisory Limited would be assisting in running the company from now on.
While the GFG Alliance, the holding company, says it is disappointed by the decision, local politicians and unions are highly critical of the group.
The government is taking over – but it doesn’t want to own SSUK
The collapse of Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), the UK’s third-largest steel producer, did not come as a surprise to government officials, who have in recent days been planning for this outcome.
After all, the business has been limping on for some time, weighed down by financial mismanagement and a mounting debt pile. Problems began in 2021 for GFG Alliance – the holding company, which is a conglomerate run by the metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta. Its main lender, Greensill Capital, collapsed with £3.7bn of loans to GFG still outstanding. Administrators for Greensill are still trying to recover the money.
There have been legal claims and probes since then, although GFG denies any wrongdoing. The true scale of SSUK’s financial woes are not even known because the company has not filed audited accounts for more than five years. Sanjeev Gupta is being prosecuted for failing to file accounts for many of his other businesses too.
SSUK’s creditors pushed for the company’s liquidation, but the government was braced to step in. However, the development does little to provide certainty for the business’s 1,500 workers in South Yorkshire.
The government will cover wages and costs for now but, as a letter sent by the Department for Business and Trade made clear earlier this month, the government has no intention to “own SSUK”. As with British Steel, which collapsed back in April (albeit for different reasons), the government is stepping up, but is hoping a new buyer will be found soon.
The government says wages will continue to be paid by the liquidator. A spokesperson adds that the government is still “committed to a bright and sustainable future for steelmaking and steel-making jobs in the UK”.
Financial assistance was not able to be given to SSUK by the government due to its existing financial and corporate challenges, including ownership and management.
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In a statement today, GFG’s chief transformational officer, Jeffrey Kabel said: “The decision to push Speciality Steel UK into compulsory liquidation, especially when we have support from the world’s largest asset manager to resume operations and facilitate creditor recovery, is irrational.
“The plan that GFG presented to the court would have secured new investment in the UK steel industry, protecting jobs and establishing a sustainable operational platform under a new governance structure with independent oversight.
“Instead, liquidation will now impose prolonged uncertainty and significant costs on UK taxpayers for settlements and related expenses, despite the availability of a commercial solution.
“Liberty has pursued all options to make its SSUK viable, including efficiency improvements, reorganisations, customer support, several attempts to find a buyer for the business and intensive negotiations with creditors to restructure debt liabilities. Liberty’s shareholder has invested nearly £200m, recognising the vital role steel plays in supplying the UK’s strategic defence, aerospace and energy industries.
“GFG will now continue to advance its bid for the business in collaboration with prospective debt and equity partners and will present its plan to the official receiver. GFG continues to believe it has the ideas, management expertise and commitment to lead SSUK into the future and attract major investment. GFG’s other significant business interests in the UK remain unaffected.
“Despite many challenges facing the group and the difficult market conditions, GFG has invested over £2bn into the UK economy since 2013, ensuring the survival of many GFG businesses despite operating losses and safeguarding thousands of jobs that would otherwise have been lost.”
Sanjeev Gupta in front of a the Liberty Steel Group sign. File pic: PA
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, said GFG’s statement was “full of hollow promises”.
She added: “We know Liberty is a golden goose, but one they have starved for years.
“The speciality steel we make is unique and in high demand, it makes no financial sense that GFG furloughed the plant for nearly two years.
“Strategically, the government cannot allow Liberty Steel to fail. I am confident they will do all in their power to let it flourish.”
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Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, the national officer for the GMB union, also attacked GFG.
She said: “This is another tragedy for UK steel – and the people of South Yorkshire – this time brought on by years of chronic mismanagement by the owners.
“But this represents an opportunity for the UK government to take decisive action – as it did with British Steel – to protect this vital UK industry.”
A government spokesperson said: “We know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and their families, but we remain committed to a bright and sustainable future for steelmaking and steel-making jobs in the UK.
“It is now for the independent Official Receiver to carry out their duties as liquidator, including ensuring employees are paid, while we also make sure staff and local communities are supported.”
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