Yorkshire Water is investing £19.5m  in two schemes near Keighley to improve the water quality in the River Aire, alongside the resilience of the clean water network. Marley wastewater treatment works is undergoing an £18m upgrade set to reduce the amount Phosphorus in the wastewater returned to the river Aire post treatment – improving the water quality of over 6.5km of the watercourse downstream of the works. Contract partner Galliford Try is entering phase two of the project at Marley, which is a significant part of a £500m investment in Phosphorus reduction throughout Yorkshire, and work is expected to complete in early 2025. Phase one is being completed by Kier. David Hobman, lead project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “These are important projects for the Keighley area and the Aire and Calder catchment, and we’re pleased to be making progress on each of them. “It’s essential that we look after our rivers and help them to thrive – these works, which make up part of our wider investment in Phosphorous reduction across Yorkshire, will have a positive impact on the River Aire.” Phosphorus is a normal part of domestic sewage, entering the sewer system via domestic showers and washing machines due to products such as shampoo and liquid detergent containing Phosphorus. It can also wash off from agricultural fields after the use of fertilisers and be dissolved from soil which can be difficult to control. While a small amount of Phosphorus is harmless and is an essential part of many ecosystems, it can become damaging to human and animal life when unmanaged. Meanwhile, Ponden Water Pumping Station, part of the clean water network, will receive a £1.5m upgrade, subject to planning approval. Contract partners Barhale Enpure will be completing the refurbishment at the pumping station, which pumps raw water from Ponden reservoir to Oldfield Water Treatment Works for treatment. The works will enable the Oldfield site to take more water from Ponden reservoir to improve the resilience of the network.

A new Business Information Officer is now in post at Shipley Library’s Enterprise Hub to support local businesses. The enterprise hub was officially opened in November last year, in former exhibition space at the library, which was transformed using an £80,000 grant from the Government-funded Shipley Towns Fund. The new facility offers resources and advice to local businesses and start-ups, as well as being used for events, meetings and co-working. It is also part of the Leeds City Region’s Business and IP Centre’s local offering, which offers free advice to businesses based in West Yorkshire. Muhammad Umair is now in post as the Business Information Officer, based at the hub. Umair explained: “Shipley has a really interesting and diverse business community and the hub is such an incredible space – our business start-up sessions have been proving very popular and it’s great to welcome so many people to co-work together and create networking opportunities. “I am committed to providing comprehensive support to businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to established companies and entrepreneurs. Our services are designed to assist businesses at every stage of their journey, from the initial setup to essential aspects like bookkeeping, social media marketing, tax returns and advice on finances – including potential funding streams. We offer the guidance and resources necessary to ensure these businesses are fully prepared to succeed.” Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “The Enterprise Hub is an excellent resource for the local business community, particularly those starting-up or with newly-established businesses. The space is fully equipped for co-working, as well as having access to specialist business databases.” Adam Clerkin, Chair of Shipley Towns Fund, said: “The towns fund is delighted to be funding the post of Business Information Officer and to welcome Umair to the role. We know he will be able to offer excellent advice and guidance to our business community, as well as training existing staff. “Shipley has a thriving business community and we’re keen to support it. We’d invite everyone to come down and see what the resource has to offer and how the hub can support the success of all local businesses.”

enfinium, an energy from waste operator, has launched the UK’s first carbon capture pilot at an energy from waste site. The launch is a milestone for the sector and for enfinium’s plans to deploy Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology across its UK facilities to generate carbon removals at scale and support the UK’s Net Zero target. The technology, a containerised, scaled-down version of the CCS technology that enfinium could deploy across all of its sites, was supplied by global green technology company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI). The pilot is installed at enfinium’s Ferrybridge-1 energy from waste facility in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and is capturing one tonne of CO₂ emissions from the plant’s operations each day. The trial is being used to demonstrate how the technology can be applied at scale across enfinium’s fleet of six energy from waste facilities to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. The pilot is collecting real operational data on performance, such as CO₂ capture rate and solvent degradation, and will assess the performance of different amine solvents. The trial will run for at least 12 months. Earlier this year, enfinium announced its Net Zero Transition Plan, setting out how it will decarbonise its own operations and deliver up to 1.2 million tonnes of carbon removals a year in the 2030s. The plan is underpinned by an investment programme of up to £1.7 billion, with a focus on investing in carbon capture and storage technology across its energy from waste facilities to deliver carbon removals at scale. The carbon capture pilot marks an important milestone in enfinium’s pathway to deliver carbon removals, helping to inform the future deployment and operation of CCS technology across its sites. Deploying CCS at energy from waste facilities generates durable carbon removals, or ‘negative emissions.’ Around 50% of the unrecyclable waste produced by society is made up of biogenic content including organic material such as waste food, plants and paper, which has already naturally absorbed CO₂ from the atmosphere. Installing CCS technology at an energy from waste facility enables this CO₂ to be permanently captured and stored rather than released back into the atmosphere, resulting in a net carbon removal from the atmosphere. The Climate Change Committee’s Progress Report, in July, noted that the UK must accelerate the production of carbon removals to stay on track to achieve Net Zero. Recent research by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies found that the energy from waste sector could contribute up to 8 million tonnes of carbon removals. Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: “We are proud to have this sector-leading project up and running at our Ferrybridge facility. Carbon capture and storage technology is central to how the UK will be able to decarbonise its unrecyclable waste. CCS is also a critical to generating carbon removals at scale so the UK can achieve Net Zero. Using carbon capture, the energy from waste sector can provide significant levels of carbon removals and enfinium, with the support of HZI, are taking steps now to achieve this.” Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I’m delighted to see the fantastic work being piloted in Ferrybridge, continuing the long tradition of energy generation and innovation in West Yorkshire. To see this development from enfinium is massively encouraging, as our own modelling shows a need for carbon capture and storage to help us reach our Net Zero ambitions. Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face, so it’s vital we find new opportunities for innovation that can help us build a greener, more secure region that’s fit for the future.”