More than 1,100 construction jobs beckon as Government approves huge Humber Estuary project

 

Artist's impression of the 'green energy' project proposed for the South Bank of the Humber 

AN ambitious plan by ABP to build and operate a 'green energy'  processing plant in the Humber Estuary has been given the planning thumbs-up by Whitehall.

It could create as many as 1,112 jobs in the construction sector.

Once completed, there could also be significant permanent employment - 134 direct new jobs and 142 indirect jobs. 

In a nutshell, the development by port giant ABP and its partner, Air Products,  will comprise harbour facilities and a building to process liquid bulks, notably huge quantities of ammonia to be imported from Saudi Arabia.

The fuel will be converted to to hydrogen for use in  shipping, buses and HGVs.

There are also likely to be other industrial applications. 

The road to planning consent - rubber-stamped this week by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander - has been long and sometimes tortuous.

It has even involved the purchase of  now fewer than 10 houses on Queens Road, Immingham, which stood in the way of the project. 

There has also had to be 'compensation' for harm to biodiversity - for instance, an extensive area of deciduous woodland which is set to be chopped. 

Today's announcement is certain to be welcomed by North East Lincolnshire Council which backed the scheme.

Huge enthusiasm has already been expressed by the council's investment partner, Equans, which states: "The proposal represents a significant investment in the port, manufacturing, chemical and logistics sectors which will support the wider economic growth of the South Humber Bank.

"This will especially be the case during the construction period and then for the future supporting services, such as technical support, engineering and servicing." 

The proposed development is of huge scale, both the extent of land and the size of the buildings.

The highest elements of the development will be  the hydrogen production units with flare stacks up to 45 metres high and the ammonia storage tank element which has infrastructure up to 65 metres high, the main tank being 40 metres high.

Will the development be a blot on the landscape? Possibly yes - but no more than others on the South Bank of the  Humber such as  the ports of Grimsby and Immingham and petrochemical installations at Killingholme.

A report states: "Whilst visible in the landscape the proposed development would not stand alone but add to the existing industrial landscape."

There are some downsides.  

Inevitably, traffic disruption will be  inevitable during the construction phase, with  approximately  200 HGV movements and 1500 car/van movements per day at peak times.

Some 220 mature trees will need to be felled  in order to connect the liquid bulk pipeline from the proposed jetty to the storage and production facilities,

Natural England has also expressed misgivings about a potentially adverse impact on the many wetland birds that over-winter on the estuary mudflats.