Technology & Innovation Forum: MTC

Background:

The government wishes to drive local and regional development to boost national economic growth. The focus is on how to capitalise and extract maximum value from the existing human and physical capital and unique regional clusters so that growth benefits both communities and industries. As a strategic organisation focused on delivering transformative technology and innovation into the UK’s advanced manufacturing landscape, the MTC has identified two areas for further exploration with the Mersey Maritime network:

The Net Zero Economy – The challenge for the maritime industry

Ship owners are subject to international regulation driving decarbonisation over decades, regional carbon pricing mechanisms and commercial pressure from cargo owners to reduce emissions. Such factors are driving investment by ship owners in emission reduction measures. While DNV have estimated that 80% of the industry 2030 targets can be met through operational and technological efficiency improvements, there remains a significant gap for 2030 and a huge challenge for 2040. In addition, each Port Authority must consider the implications of this agenda on infrastructure, including energy consumption and potential value streams from storage and transport of hydrogen. 

Civil Nuclear – Opportunities for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

The UK wishes to regain its former position as a world leader in the design and development of nuclear power for non-military applications. Great British Nuclear is currently nearing the end of a competition to award government contracts to no more than x2 vendors to develop their SMR technology in the UK. The economic case for the UK goes beyond low carbon domestic supply and energy security into that of a global hub for manufacturing SMRs which are then exported across the world. The assets and infrastructure surrounding the Mersey make it an ideal import/export point, particularly to mature nuclear markets in North America.

Purpose of Workshop: 

To outline the opportunities for companies in Mersey Maritime and to identify what is required to unlock these opportunities and to work towards a shared strategic plan to maximise the impact for the regional, and specifically, for the Maritime cluster.

Workshop Structure:

The MTC has considered the wider landscape and identified the two high-priority areas above for further exploration in collaboration with Mersey Maritime. As a customer-led organisation, what is now required is input from the network to identify opportunities in these areas from which member organisations can extract value with the independent expertise of the MTC.