TY - JOUR
T1 - Imagining a net-zero Teesside
T2 - actors, networks, and expectations in industrial decarbonisation megaprojects
AU - Herman, Kyle S.
AU - Iskandarova, Marfuga
AU - Sovacool, Benjamin K.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - Decarbonising industrial clusters is critical to achieving the UK’s net-zero industrial strategy. This study focuses on Teesside, an industrial cluster in Northeast England, analysing its transition through the framework of the Sociology of Expectations (SoE). The research investigates the role of public and private stakeholders in driving decarbonisation efforts, concentrating on a limited set of technologies and large-scale megaprojects, especially carbon capture, hydrogen production, CO2 and hydrogen transport. The study highlights the challenges of deploying these first-of-a-kind technologies, which are not yet commercially viable in the UK. Our analysis identifies both opportunities and significant risks in Teesside’s approach, particularly the potential over-reliance on a narrow range of technologies. The findings raise concerns about the assumed reductions in costs and carbon emissions, questioning the feasibility of scaling these technologies for long-term industrial sustainability. The main implication is that, should the technologies currently favoured by incumbent industry fail to perform, the expectations could play a double and contradictory role in net-zero transitions—by both motivating actors to legitimise decarbonisation technologies, yet blinding others to the significant challenges that lie ahead.
AB - Decarbonising industrial clusters is critical to achieving the UK’s net-zero industrial strategy. This study focuses on Teesside, an industrial cluster in Northeast England, analysing its transition through the framework of the Sociology of Expectations (SoE). The research investigates the role of public and private stakeholders in driving decarbonisation efforts, concentrating on a limited set of technologies and large-scale megaprojects, especially carbon capture, hydrogen production, CO2 and hydrogen transport. The study highlights the challenges of deploying these first-of-a-kind technologies, which are not yet commercially viable in the UK. Our analysis identifies both opportunities and significant risks in Teesside’s approach, particularly the potential over-reliance on a narrow range of technologies. The findings raise concerns about the assumed reductions in costs and carbon emissions, questioning the feasibility of scaling these technologies for long-term industrial sustainability. The main implication is that, should the technologies currently favoured by incumbent industry fail to perform, the expectations could play a double and contradictory role in net-zero transitions—by both motivating actors to legitimise decarbonisation technologies, yet blinding others to the significant challenges that lie ahead.
KW - actors and networks
KW - blue hydrogen
KW - carbon capture and storage
KW - industrial decarbonisation
KW - sociology of expectations
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85214826686
U2 - 10.1088/2515-7620/ad8f99
DO - 10.1088/2515-7620/ad8f99
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85214826686
SN - 2515-7620
VL - 7
JO - Environmental Research Communications
JF - Environmental Research Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 015007
ER -