UK tech centre awards $8.8mn to net-zero technologies

The UK's Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) has awarded £8mn ($8.8mn) in funding to companies developing net-zero technologies, it announced on October 10.

In a statement, NZTC said that it had selected 20 winners to receive the funds, with each company entitled to a maximum of £1mn. A total of 154 businesses from across the globe had applied. The winning technologies are in the fields of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen and clean fuels, renewables and energy storage, zero emissions power, venting and flaring, integrity management and late life and decommissioning.

"The technology ideas we received were diverse, credible and exciting, making the selection process tough," NZTC solution centre director Myrtle Dawes commented. "There is no single solution to achieving net zero so nurturing innovation is key to establishing an integrated energy system. We are investing in the areas where we know technology gaps exist and where the opportunity is substantial in accelerating the energy transition.”

The names of the winners were not disclosed.

NZTC was founded in 2016 as the Oil and Gas Technology Centre, receiving £180mn of funding support from the UK government-backed Aberdeen City Regional Deal initiative. It was initially focused on boosting North Sea oil production, but later shifted its attention to decarbonisation. The centre counts a number of major oil and gas companies as partners, including Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.

NZTC will launch another funding competition in January 2023 that will focus on digital and data architecture, smart assets and field automation.