Choosing the right route to decarbonisation

Every manufacturing site is different. Production processes, utilities, infrastructure, available energy and future investment plans all influence what makes sense. That's why there's no single route to reducing carbon emissions.

Looking beyond the technology

The first question I tend to ask is, "How does this site actually work?" Once you understand where energy is being used, where the biggest losses are and which assets are approaching the end of their life, you stop looking for a single technology and start identifying the opportunities that make the most sense for that operation.

I tend to think about decarbonisation in three broad areas.

The first is electrification. Where a process can move away from fossil fuels and operate using electricity, it's often the simplest place to begin.

The second is changing the fuel itself. That might mean hydrogen, biogas, biomass or another lower carbon alternative. The decision isn't simply about the fuel. You have to consider the site's utilities, infrastructure, electrical capacity and production requirements to understand whether it's the right fit.

The third is carbon capture. For processes where emissions can't easily be eliminated, capturing CO₂ at source may become part of the solution, provided there's a viable route for transporting, storing or using it afterwards.

In reality, most manufacturers won't rely on just one of these approaches. They'll adopt a combination over time, which is why the business case is so important.

Making decarbonisation work

It's easy to get excited about new technologies, particularly hydrogen, but every project still has to stack up commercially. New technologies can offer significant advantages, but they also introduce more uncertainty. Established technologies may not attract the same attention, but they're familiar to investors and operators, and that often makes the difference between a project remaining an idea and becoming reality.

Hydrogen is a good example. It has enormous potential, particularly for industries that are difficult to electrify, but it's still developing. We've seen before with offshore wind how early support helped new technologies become commercially competitive. As more projects are delivered, confidence grows, supply chains mature and costs begin to fall.

Successful projects aren't only about engineering. Hydrogen has been used safely on industrial sites for decades. It does have different characteristics to conventional fuels, but they're well understood. With the right engineering, safety studies and operating procedures, those risks can be effectively managed. Just as importantly, people need to understand what's being built and why. Bringing operators and local communities along on that journey is every bit as important as selecting the right technology.

From my experience, the best projects start by understanding the operation rather than trying to find a home for the latest technology. That's the thinking we bring to projects at NIRAS, helping manufacturers assess the options and choose the solution that's right for their site.

Decarbonisation isn't one investment. It's a long term journey, and the best outcomes come from letting the needs of the site drive the technology, not the other way around.