The UK’s journey to net zero hinges on the transformation of our industrial heartlands.
Industrial clusters, including North West, Humber, Teesside, Grangemouth, South Wales and Southampton, are not only local economic powerhouses - but strategic chess pieces in realising the UK’s low carbon future.
From hydrogen pipelines to carbon capture infrastructure, the success of these clusters depends on an integrated, resilient and future-ready supply chain. At the core of this transformation lies reliable, trusted and expert engineering and consulting partners.
We’re proud to be a strategic partner to many clients leading the ongoing development of these clusters - advising on, designing, building, operating and optimising future energy infrastructure.
Why Wood?
Key players across the UK’s industrial clusters are looking for engineering partners who bring more than just technical know-how.
They want collaborators who understand the dual imperative of reducing emissions and driving commercial return, and who can deliver innovative, scalable solutions. This includes expertise in renewables, hydrogen and CCUS, as well as the ability to retrofit brownfield assets and infrastructure for low-carbon projects.
Beyond technical capabilities, a true engineering partner brings a digital-first mindset.
Wood is leveraging its proprietary real-time digital solution, Virtuoso®, to create a new paradigm for industrial clusters. By using these virtual representations, we can simulate complex projects like hydrogen and CCUS integration, and stress-test them in a risk-free environment.
This isn't just about faster project delivery; it's about unlocking a data-driven approach to decarbonisation that optimises performance, reduces risk and accelerates the entire asset lifecycle from concept to operation.
Equally important is a partner’s ability to engage locally. Building strong relationships with and contributing to resilient, localised supply chains. They seek strong commitment to safety, compliance and long-term partnership, with a willingness to co-invest in the future of the cluster.
In short, they’re looking for engineering partners who are strategic, agile and deeply embedded in the regions they serve.
Helping the UK modernise and scale its critical clusters
We’re continuing to meet the evolving needs of industrial clusters across the UK.
With a strong presence in key cluster regions and a growing portfolio of decarbonisation and infrastructure projects, Wood is shaping the next phase of the UK’s net zero journey.
We provide technical and commercial solutions that enable clients to safely capture, transport and permanently store CO2, or unlock value by reusing it for alternative purposes.
There’s an exciting opportunity to take the lessons learned from some of these pathfinder projects and export the knowledge to similar programmes in Europe and across the globe.
Spotlight: North West Cluster
The North West is the home of HyNet, a flagship UK decarbonisation initiative - led by Cadent - which will deliver low-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure across the region. Centered around Ellesmere Port, HyNet will supply clean hydrogen to industry, transport and homes, while capturing and storing CO₂ emissions in existing, depleted offshore reservoirs.
The project is expected to cut regional emissions by 25%, support up to 6,000 jobs and enhance energy security through locally produced clean energy. As part of the UK’s Track 1 clusters, HyNet plays a pivotal role in accelerating the transition to net zero and driving sustainable economic growth.
In 2021, Wood delivered consenting and environmental assessments and front-end engineering design (FEED) contracts for HyNet, leading the design, consenting and consultation of a new 85km hydrogen pipeline and above ground installations.
The team provided land rights consultation and engagement services to support the application for consent. System modelling and design will benefit from Wood’s specialised and field proven H2 modelling technology, Virtuoso.
Since then, we’ve conducted early feasibility studies for individual emitters which could connect into the wider HyNet infrastructure.
Spotlight: Humberside
The Humber is the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial region. It emits more CO2 than any other UK industrial cluster, making carbon capture a critical part of its journey to net zero.
In the region, we’re supporting Centrica Energy Storage (CES) on the redevelopment of its Rough field in readiness for future hydrogen storage. Located in the heart of the Humber region, Rough has provided gas storage for the UK for over 30 years.
Now, CES is seeking to increase gas storage capacity to at least 35TWh to boost UK energy security and provide future hydrogen storage of up to 16TW h. Wood is designing new pipelines, a new unmanned installation and onshore injection facilities at the Easington Gas Terminal - the first step in making the field hydrogen ready.
Wood also developed a master plan and early design for the Humber Zero carbon reduction programme, spanning three power and petrochemical plants at Immingham, UK. Over the next ten years, the project will develop the technology to capture, treat and compress up to 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum for permanent storage in geological formations beneath the North Sea.
Using our technical know-how with our decarbonisation roadmap process (SCORE), we were able to rapidly select an integrated configuration and optimise the performance, benefiting all project partners. We provided clarity on scope, area required, schedule, cost and economic performance which partners were able to use to support their application for government funding.
Spotlight: Teesside
Large-scale carbon capture is set to transform one of the country’s most emission-heavy industrial zones into a hub for low-carbon growth. Home to flagship Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power) and Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) carbon capture and storage projects, Teesside is integral to helping the UK achieve its carbon reduction targets, as well as creating new jobs and economic growth in the region.
Wood is currently working with bp to provide integrated project management services for the next phase of both NZT Power and NEP. Across the £4 billion projects, Wood provides specialist support services including project and construction management, engineering and technical assurance, information management and digital systems integration across all nine contractors.
Prior to this phase, Wood provided specialist support for concept, pre-front end engineering design (pre-FEED) and front-end engineering design (FEED) packages.
When complete, NZT Power aims to be the world’s first gas-fired power station with carbon capture. This project is forecasted to generate up to 742 megawatts of low carbon power, equivalent to the annual average electricity requirements of around 1 million homes in the UK.
Discover more about our role in NZT Power and NEP in this case study.
Over 500 of our skilled people, covering a wide range of engineering disciplines, support this exciting industrial cluster. We’re looking forward to using our strong presence, local supply chain relationships and dutyholder expertise to maximise future opportunities here in Teesside.
Spotlight: Grangemouth
Grangemouth is undergoing a major transformation from fossil-based petrochemicals to a circular, lower carbon model. The site plans to incorporate pioneering low carbon initiatives, including INEOS’s carbon capture enabled hydrogen production plant and the emerging Grangemouth Hydrogen Hub.
These flagship projects are central to Scotland’s net zero ambitions, aiming to establish Grangemouth as a circular petrochemicals hub while reducing emissions by over 60% by 2030 and support the wider UK hydrogen economy. By integrating with the Scottish Cluster’s Acorn CO₂ transport and storage project, Grangemouth will play a vital role in reducing industrial carbon emissions and driving sustainable economic growth in the region.
Wood partnered with SGN to evaluate and deliver short, medium and long-term solutions for cross sectoral decarbonisation across the Scottish North East Network and Industrial Cluster. This project delivered a comprehensive and practical roadmap that will enable existing and future gas networks to help meet national net-zero 2045 decarbonisation targets, and the ultimate goal of providing 100% hydrogen from renewable sources.
Our multi-disciplinary team, including renewables, carbon capture, hydrogen production and pipeline distribution experts, also assessed the feasibility of an offshore hydrogen supergrid. This facility could link offshore hydrogen production and potential storage locations with onshore industrial facilities in the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.
Spotlight: South Wales
South Wales faces unique challenges due to its concentration of steel and cement industries. The South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) brings together key players like RWE, Tata Steel, Shell and Valero to develop low carbon infrastructure across energy, steel, chemicals and refining sectors.
In SWIC, Wood provides engineering support to a major refiner. Our trusted team of multi-discipline engineers are working alongside the client to deliver engineering modifications to the existing plant infrastructure. These projects support this major refiner’s business strategy to reduce emissions, increase efficiency and invest in opportunities that improve environmental stewardship.
Spotlight: Solent
Southampton – otherwise known as the Solent cluster - is emerging as a key location for low-carbon innovation, with plans underway to establish a hydrogen super-hub at the Port of Southampton.
Backed by SGN and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, the initiative aims to decarbonise local industry and transport through hydrogen production and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies.
In Southampton, we've provided engineering-related maintenance services since 2023 for a major refiner. Across the site, we’re focused on enhancing reliability, managing turnarounds and optimising asset performance.