Government invests over £31 million to help industry slash emissions and energy costs

  • New funding will support British industries to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels
  • reducing fossil fuel use will help industry to cut both emissions and energy costs
  • funding will support development of innovative carbon capture and green energy technologies in the UK, supporting green jobs and encouraging investment

Over £31 million in new government funding will support industry to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and slash carbon emissions, helping it to become greener and cutting energy bills.

The funding announced today (Tuesday 31 May) includes over £6.6 million to help industry move away from using red diesel, also known as gas oil – a type of fossil fuel commonly used for off-road vehicles and machinery, specifically in the quarrying, mining, and construction sectors.

It will see the development of red diesel alternatives, such as e-fuels and green hydrogen, as well as technologies which capture and store energy that would ordinarily be wasted from a vehicle or machine so it can be used instead. The funding forms part of the Red Diesel Replacement competition with winners from Phase 1 published today.

Over £5.5 million is also being invested to develop technologies that support industry to cut back use of high carbon fuels and switch to cleaner power sources, such as hydrogen, electrification or fuel from biomass and waste products. The funding will be awarded to winners of Phase 1 of the Industrial Fuel Switching competition with the cash supporting projects that will replace natural gas with hydrogen in industrial processes, and design heat pumps for use in manufacturing sites.

In addition, winners from the first stage of the Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 competition will receive a share of over £12 million for trailblazing projects aiming to advance next-generation CCUS technology to deploy at-scale by 2030, putting the UK at the forefront of the growing carbon capture market. Also launched today is the second call of the competition, with up to £7.3 million available for this next round. CCUS is a key developing technology that involves capturing and storing carbon emissions from industrial processes, from sectors such as power, cement, chemicals and refining. Establishing a CCUS industry in the UK will help unlock tens of thousands of jobs across the UK by 2030, while supporting the economic transformation of our industrial regions.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said:

As we accelerate the UK’s energy independence by boosting clean, home-grown, affordable energy, it’s crucial that our industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

This investment will help them to not only cut emissions, but also save money on energy bills, on top of supporting jobs by encouraging green innovation across the UK.

Today’s funding builds on previous government support to help industry become greener, such as the £505 million BEIS Energy Innovation Programme, which included £100 million for industrial decarbonisation and CCUS, as well as the £315m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, which supports the development of technologies to help industry with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future. Alongside the government’s plans to boost the UK’s long-term energy independence, this investment will help industry in the shift to a lower-carbon economy.

Some of the innovative projects receiving today include:

  • PUNCH Flybrid, based at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, will receive £460,000 to deliver a high power electrically driven flywheel energy storage system, to store energy that would ordinarily be wasted from a vehicle or machine so the energy can be used instead
  • British Steel in Scunthorpe will receive £161,050 for a study into switching its manufacturing processes from natural gas to green hydrogen
  • Ingenza in Edinburgh will receive £443,632 to develop a new type of CO2 conversion technology, capturing carbon from industry and turning it into a versatile chemical that can be used across a variety of chemical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and household product sectors

Sam Cockerill, Chief Executive of Libertine said:

We are delighted to have been awarded further funding to continue to build on our work with MAHLE Powertrain. We believe Libertine’s technology will play an essential role on the path to Net Zero for heavy duty powertrains, complementing battery electrification with clean power from renewable fuels. We are grateful to the UK government for their support and look forward to delivering this exciting project.

Lee Juby, NanoSUN Commercial Director said:

NanoSUN being selected as the recipient of this vital funding, is yet another demonstration of the UK’s commitment to a zero carbon future. We are delighted to once again collaborate with BEIS in the mission to deliver the missing piece of the puzzle that will bring the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure up to speed for the decarbonisation of another sector.

Nick Owen, Dolphin N2 Technical Director said:

The grant from BEIS will enable a very promising area of Hydrogen research to be greatly accelerated, creating an opportunity for faster market uptake of our innovative but pragmatic Recuperated Split Cycle solution. Without this grant and the collaboration that it enables, Dolphin N2 would not have had the budget to increase the technological capability of our engine or to engage with end users to ensure that the project is providing viable solutions for the sector. We look forward to working with BEIS to maximise the benefits of our project and the wider Red Diesel Replacement programme.

Pete Rowe, Chief Executive of Deep Branch Biotechnology said:

This grant builds on our Innovate UK funded project, which has enabled us to develop strong commercial partnerships at both ends of the value chain. These include Drax Power Group at its biomass power station and leading sustainable aquafeed producer BioMar. Deep Blue C will result in a significant increase in the production efficiencies of Proton™. By reducing production costs as we scale, Proton™ will ensure a highly significant saving in carbon footprint for feed producers that switch from concentrated soybean meal or fishmeal, without an unjustifiable price premium.

James Bowers, Project Director, SSE Thermal said:

Flexible generation will continue to be essential as we transition towards a net zero future, providing vital back-up to a renewables-led system. It must, however, be low-carbon in its own right and alongside Equinor we are developing new power stations at Keadby and Peterhead equipped with carbon capture technology. Our engineering teams have already made great strides in ensuring optimum operational flexibility, whilst achieving high capture rates and the FOCUSS project will help us to go even further. This collaboration brings together various partners to develop new concepts which will benefit not only our projects but the wider Power-CCS industry and the funding from BEIS will be instrumental in pushing the project forward.

The Red Diesel Replacement, Industrial Fuel Switching and CCUS Innovation 2.0 competitions are all funded through the BEIS £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

Red Diesel Replacement

The Red Diesel Replacement competition is a £40m scheme supporting the development and demonstration of low-carbon technologies, infrastructure and fuels to help industry move away from using red diesel. ‘Red diesel’ is the term used for gas oil that is intended for non-road vehicles and dyed red to distinguish it from diesel for road use. Red diesel use accounts for 15% of total diesel for the UK.

At Budget 2020, the government announced that it would remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022 to help meet its climate change and air quality targets. BEIS launched the Red Diesel Replacement competition to provide grant funding to support the development and demonstration of innovative technologies to help decarbonise the construction, mining and quarrying sectors that will be most impacted by the removal of the red diesel rebate.

Read a list of the Phase 1 winners of the Red Diesel Replacement competition. This announcement comes ahead of the launch of Phase 2 of the competition early next year.

Industrial Fuel Switching

The £55 million Industrial Fuel Switching competition supports innovation to develop fuel switch enabling technology for the industrial sector, to help industry switch from high to lower carbon fuels. Read a list of the Phase 1 winners of the Industrial Fuel Switching competition.

CCUS Innovation 2.0

Through the CCUS Innovation 2.0 competition, up to £19.5 million in grant funding will be available for projects developing novel CCUS technology and processes that reduce the cost of deployment. Read a list of winners for CCUS Call 1. Projects can apply for funding under Call 2.

Also published today is a report with the findings of a review carried about by AECOM and the University of Sheffield analysing next generation carbon capture technology. A particular focus of the review was the opportunity to deploy next generation carbon capture technology on UK industrial, waste and power sites between 2030 and 2035.

The outputs and learnings from the predecessor programme, CCUS Innovation 1.0, ‘Key Knowledge Deliverables’ are also published today, demonstrating the UK government’s commitment to sharing lessons learnt from previous CCUS projects, to help accelerate the development of carbon capture internationally.



DVLA contact centre opening times: Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend 2022

News story

DVLA’s contact centre opening times over the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend 2022.

Date Opening hours
Wednesday 1 June 8am to 7pm (normal hours)
Thursday 2 June (Spring bank holiday) closed
Friday 3 June (Platinum Jubilee bank holiday) closed
Saturday 4 June closed
Sunday 5 June closed
Monday 6 June 8am to 7pm (normal hours)

Customers will be able to use our online services throughout this period.

Published 31 May 2022



Marcus Bokkerink confirmed as the preferred candidate for Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority

Press release

The preferred candidate for Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority has been confirmed as Marcus Bokkerink.

Marcus Bokkerink has been announced as the preferred candidate for Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today (Tuesday 31 May).

The CMA is a non-ministerial department responsible for enforcing competition and consumer law and carrying out investigations into mergers and markets. It has recently taken on new functions including the Office for the Internal Market (OIM). The Chair works with the board to set the overall strategic direction, provide strong leadership and develop a positive culture for the board and organisation.

Mr Bokkerink has 30 years of experience advising corporate executive teams and boards on strategies to build competitive advantage and harness digital technologies with a particular focus on industries that interact directly with consumers.

He retired in December 2020 as Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and since leaving BCG as Senior Partner Emeritus he has focused on investing in start-ups and challenger brands and mentoring the entrepreneurs who lead them. He has also worked as a Senior Advisor to BCG and a strategic advisor to a small number of corporates. He chairs the Development Board of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

Marcus will make an excellent addition to the CMA team, bolstering its work to promote competition and innovation to help grow our economy and ensure the best deals for consumers. There are many opportunities on the horizon and his appointment will help us to seize them.

Marcus Bokkerink said:

The CMA is a leader among its peers in promoting effective competition and protecting consumers. I am delighted to be asked to work with the outstanding team there and the Board to help it fulfil its expanded responsibilities.

The announcement follows an open competition for the role. The Business Secretary has invited the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing and to report on Mr Bokkerink’s suitability for the post. This is in line with the government’s commitment to strengthen the role of Parliament in scrutinising major public appointments.

Pre-appointment hearings enable select committees to take evidence from preferred candidates for major public appointments before they are appointed. Hearings are in public and involve the select committee publishing a report setting out their views on the candidate’s suitability for the post. Pre-appointment hearings are non-binding, but ministers will consider the committee’s views before deciding whether to proceed with an appointment.

Published 31 May 2022



YJB publishes AssetPlus evaluation

News story

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) publishes its outcome evaluation of AssetPlus.

The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

Following the implementation of AssetPlus, the YJB commissioned an independent evaluation into the outcomes of AssetPlus, the approved, standardised framework for assessment and review of children in the justice system.

The YJB is pleased to publish the AssetPlus outcome evaluation and welcome the challenge and opportunities for continuous improvement that it offers.

Although there were areas where data collection made it difficult for the independent researchers to draw conclusions, there were four main findings, these were that:

  • the time taken to complete an AssetPlus assessment is not proportionate to risk and need
  • there is limited evidence that AssetPlus has an impact on promoting a child’s strengths and protective factors
  • there is some evidence that AssetPlus has an impact on improving compliance with sentences and supervision
  • AssetPlus did not have an impact on community safeguarding and public protection incidents or more appropriate use of remand

These findings have been considered alongside known strengths of the AssetPlus framework, including those found in the evaluation, such as the ability to effectively transfer cases between services and the secure estate, and its evidence-based and holistic approach.

These have been fully considered and the following conclusions drawn and actions committed to:

  1. AssetPlus provides clear and unique advantages for children on statutory orders in relation to promoting safeguarding, enabling consistency, avoiding duplication and effective information transfer. It therefore remains the standard framework for use in statutory cases.
  2. It is acknowledged that, for children subject to out-of-court disposals and diversion programmes, the current AssetPlus framework does not appropriately meet their assessment needs.
  3. The YJB will work with colleagues across the sector to develop a standard, appropriate and proportionate tool for the needs of children subject to out of court disposals and diversion programmes.
  4. The YJB will work to better align AssetPlus to the principles of Child First, improve the navigation of the framework making it easier and less resource intensive to use.
  5. The YJB will consider how AssetPlus can better align with family support and early help assessments.

We look forward to working with youth justice professionals and wider partners to continue to improve AssetPlus to ensure children receive the best possible assessments to support their needs and enable positive outcomes.

Keith Fraser, YJB Chair, said:

This evaluation shows that AssetPlus provides clear advantages for children on statutory orders. Its approach to safeguarding, consistency, avoiding duplication and information transfer cannot be found in any other framework.

However, there are also areas where AssetPlus ‘must’ improve. This is critical if we are to support children and practitioners as well as oversee improvements to the youth justice system.

Published 31 May 2022



Government Property Agency appoints new Chief Security Officer

Press release

The Government Property Agency (GPA) has appointed Brindha McDonald as its new Chief Security Officer to lead its security posture strategies

Brindha McDonald, GPA Chief Security Officer

In collaboration with key Civil Service partners, Brindha will continue to build the GPA’s security strategy and capability across its collective security status of all assets, software, hardware, services, networks and information. Key to this is personnel and infrastructure security.

Brindha brings more than 20 years experience from across Whitehall, including several high-profile security roles.

Steven Boyd, CEO at the GPA, said: “As the Government’s delivery body for its office and warehouse portfolios, it’s crucial our security standards are at the highest level. With the evolving needs to the way we all work, it’s imperative all civil servants across the UK are protected across digital and physical environments. Brindha’s strategic security experience coupled with her Civil Service knowledge are key to the GPA delivering safe and secure working environments.”

Brindha said: “I am extremely pleased to be leading the GPA’s security strategies and delivery across digital and physical environments. The GPA is creating great places to work for civil servants across the UK. A crucial part of this is ensuring our assets – both physical and digital – are safe and secure for everyone. The GPA is transforming the way we work and I am proud to be playing a key role in this.”

Published 31 May 2022