Net Zero Disinformation Allegations Surface in Tees Valley Combined Authority

In the northeastern UK, concerns are mounting over the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s (TVCA) approach to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, following a controversial presentation by the organization’s Head of Net Zero.

Earlier this month, Chris Rowell, TVCA’s Head of Net Zero, delivered a presentation to the Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Climate & Environment Scrutiny & Improvement Committee that has drawn significant criticism for containing outdated and potentially misleading information about the region’s carbon reduction strategies.

Rowell, who joined TVCA after working at Recognition PR, a firm that previously specialized in public relations for Conservative Party politicians, has been tasked with outlining how Teesside’s heavy industrial sector can achieve net zero emissions within the next 14 years. However, his presentation included several projects that have been canceled or placed on hiatus, raising questions about the accuracy and currency of the authority’s planning.

Central to the TVCA’s strategy is Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), which involves capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and storing it underground. The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) is proposed to transport captured CO₂ via a subsea pipeline to the Endurance Aquifer in the North Sea, approximately one kilometer below the seabed.

However, critics point out that several key projects referenced in Rowell’s presentation are no longer proceeding. H2Teesside, a major blue hydrogen project that was canceled in December 2025, was still included in the materials. Similarly, H2NorthEast, another blue hydrogen initiative, has been put on hiatus due to prohibitive production costs but remained in the presentation as an active project.

The presentation also highlighted several green hydrogen projects, including Protium Green Hydrogen, Wilton Green Hydrogen, Teesside Green Hydrogen, and Tees Green Hydrogen. Yet some of these projects have shown little progress despite being announced years ago. Even if all four were to become operational, they would produce significantly less hydrogen than the now-canceled blue hydrogen schemes would have generated.

Energy industry analysts have expressed concern that the TVCA’s continued focus on hydrogen produced from natural gas (even with carbon capture) represents a step backward rather than forward for true carbon neutrality. Green hydrogen production, while cleaner, faces challenges including the use of PFAS chemicals and securing sufficient renewable energy sources.

The authority’s presentation also positioned waste incineration facilities as part of the clean energy solution, describing them as producing “little-to-no” greenhouse gas emissions. This characterization has drawn particular criticism from environmental experts, who note that the Tees Valley currently processes waste from approximately 4 million people despite having a population of just over 700,000, and that incinerators release more CO₂ per tonne burned than coal.

Adding further complexity to the region’s energy landscape is Mayor Ben Houchen’s ambition to build 3.2 gigawatts of data centers at Teesworks by 2029 – nearly double the current total UK data center capacity. Energy infrastructure specialists question whether the local grid could support such expansion without relying heavily on new gas-fired power stations, potentially undermining net zero goals.

The few initiatives in the presentation that received positive assessment from environmental observers include the Sofia and Dogger Bank Wind Farm Landings, which will convert offshore wind electricity for domestic use. However, even here there are challenges, with the SeAH wind monopile factory reportedly facing difficulties after losing its first major customer.

As the TVCA continues its presentations to the five local authorities that make up the Tees Valley, the discrepancies highlighted in Rowell’s materials raise significant questions about the viability of the region’s net zero strategy. Critics argue that rather than focusing on fossil fuel-based solutions with carbon capture, the UK should prioritize genuine renewables such as solar and wind energy, battery storage systems, electricity grid upgrades, heat pumps, and building insulation.

With Hartlepool nuclear power station set to close in two years and potential small modular reactor projects not expected to generate power until 2040 at the earliest, the region’s continued reliance on imported natural gas represents both an energy security challenge and a potential barrier to achieving meaningful emissions reductions by the 2040 target.