Closure threat to Vivergo risks derailing Humber’s billion-pound green industrial revolution, leaders warn

Allowing Vivergo Fuels to close would jeopardise billions of pounds worth of green investment and derail the Humber’s ambitions to lead the UK’s future fuels sector, industry leaders have warned.

In a joint call to government, major players across the chemicals and renewables industries, including Ineos, said urgent intervention is needed to protect Saltend Chemicals Park, one of the UK’s most important industrial hubs, and safeguard the future of British bioethanol production.

Vivergo, which converts British wheat into bioethanol, is integral to the site in Hull. The plant supports the integrated infrastructure that underpins the park’s competitiveness and plays a critical role in both regional and national decarbonisation plans.

The joint statement warns that Vivergo’s closure would have consequences far beyond a single plant. It would drive up costs for other Saltend businesses, damage confidence in the Humber’s future fuels cluster, and put at risk new hydrogen and renewable fuel projects currently in development. Port traffic and regional supply chains would also feel the impact.

Industry leaders stressed they are not seeking ongoing subsidy, but swift, targeted action to ensure British bioethanol can compete fairly in the market – and to prevent a key pillar of the Humber’s green industrial future from collapsing.

The urgent call follows an investment summit held at Saltend Chemicals Park where business and civic leaders gathered to discuss the exciting future the park, one of the UK’s four chemicals clusters, could have with a thriving bioethanol plant at its heart.