Nearly £750,000 in funding to expand plans to lower carbon emissions across the Solent region has been secured.

The successful application to the Government's Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plan competition, in association with Innovate UK (IUK), was made by the Solent Cluster, an organisation which brings together private, public and non-governmental organisations which wish to collaborate to decarbonise the region, and will be supplemented by project partner finances to total over £1 million.

The proposed joint project between industries and academic facilities will concentrate on offering access to low-carbon hydrogen production, electrification, and carbon capture and storage.

The project will further investigate potential regional benefits through job creation, investment, and economic growth. Earlier this year, Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, visited the Solent region to engage with members of The Solent Cluster.

These individuals will be executing the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Project. With associates across industry and academia, the project will assess public perception towards decarbonisation, and identify obstacles to be addressed and opportunities worth expanding.

The goal is to successfully lower carbon emissions across the Solent region, thereby making a sizeable contribution to the UK's general decarbonisation endeavour.

Anne-Marie Mountifield, Chair of The Solent Cluster, said: "The Solent Cluster represents an incredible opportunity for local communities and the wider region to deliver projects that will bring about real change in sustainable energy production and consumption.

"The success of this bid helps to set The Solent Cluster on its way to contributing to the UK's goal of Net Zero by 2050, while securing local employment, creating new skilled jobs and leveraging private sector investment in the region."

The Solent Cluster is one of the UK's leading diverse clusters; it is an integration of industry leaders, international organisations, universities, and local government, working collectively towards a low-carbon future.