The Greater South East Net Zero Hub has worked with Opergy Net Zero to publish a study and set of tools to support the decarbonisation of industrial clusters, such as industrial areas, industrial campuses, and business parks.
Resource
The Greater South East Net Zero Hub and Opergy Net Zero have developed a study and a suite of interactive tools providing instruction and guidance to local industrial sites.
- Study: Developing a framework for decarbonisation of local industrial clusters
- Industrial cluster decarbonisation tool
- Local authority industrial site selection tool
- Industrial cluster data capture questionnaire
- Industrial Clusters Toolkit user guide
The toolkit is designed to help local authorities support industrial decarbonisation in their regions, especially where manufacturing and heavy industry are key economic drivers. It’s practical, well-structured, and full of actionable guidance.
Key benefits for local authority teams
- Clear role definition: Helps councils understand their influence in enabling industrial decarbonisation – through planning, convening stakeholders, and supporting funding bids.
- Step-by-step guidance: Breaks down complex processes like emissions mapping, stakeholder engagement, and project development into manageable stages.
- Funding and policy alignment: Offers advice on aligning local plans with national policy and accessing funding streams like the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF).
- Case studies: Real-world examples show how other regions have tackled industrial decarbonisation – great for benchmarking and inspiration.
Highlights from the toolkit
- Stakeholder mapping tools: Helps identify key players across industry, academia, and government – essential for building effective partnerships.
- Emissions baseline guidance: Supports data-driven decision-making by showing how to assess and visualise industrial emissions locally.
- Local authority levers: Explains how planning policy, land use, and infrastructure investment can be used to drive decarbonisation.
- Collaboration focus: Encourages cross-sector working, which is vital for complex industrial projects.
If your team is working on local industrial strategy, energy planning, or Net Zero delivery, this toolkit is a brilliant resource. It’s especially useful for knowledge managers like yourself who are coordinating across departments and external partners.
Webinars
The Greater South East Net Zero Hub has also hosted a number of webinars on industrial clusters that you can watch:
- GSENZH and industrial clusters introduction
- UK industrial decarbonisation policy and local industrial cluster plans
- Mapping study and decarbonisation tool
- LIPD Shoreham Port industrial cluster
- Q&A
Guest preview of selected publicly available resources