ZCOP Industrial Decarbonisation
Industrial Decarbonisation:
Powering Oxford’s Net Zero Ambitions
Oxford aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions city-wide by 2040 – ten years ahead of the Government’s legal deadline. Industry accounts for approximately 17% of Oxford’s total emissions, with 66% of the industrial processes running on gas.
In 2023, ZCOP successfully secured funding through the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans (LIDP) competition, run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in collaboration with Innovate UK – UK Research and Innovation.
The resulting ZCOP ID Roadmap and Action Plan is the culmination of 14 months of collaboration among industrial sites, local authorities, decarbonisation experts, network operators and academia to assess the current state of industrial decarbonisation and research into a range of scenarios to the Cluster achieve net zero.
It was developed under the leadership of ZCOP, working closely with partners from BMW MINI, Unipart, Oxfordshire Greentech, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. In total, 96 organisations (64% of industrial organisations) who gave their time to workshops, interviews and surveys to ensure this plan reflects local needs and conditions.
By working together, Oxford’s industries and partners can:
Share costs,
Pool resources, and
Scale up solutions to cut emissions.
The Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership Industrial Decarbonisation (ZCOP ID) project has created an action plan tailored to Oxford’s industries. This plan is pinpointing the technology options, practical steps, and costs needed to help industries achieve net zero.
The ZCOP ID Roadmap and Action Plan
The publication of the Roadmap and Action Plan and the establishment of the Oxford Industrial Cluster marks a major milestone in Oxford’s net zero journey, building on ZCOP’s 2021 report while advancing the city’s industrial decarbonisation strategy. It outlines key actions, in three areas:
i) Energy supply infrastructure
ii) Financing
iii) Building the cluster and its capacity
The potential impacts are significant: substantial emissions reductions, economic growth, the creation and protection of well-paying jobs, better access to finance and funding, and enhanced air quality. However, achieving these outcomes requires continued commitment, collaboration, continued Government support, and sustained investment.
The project consortium also produced series of detailed studies exploring the industrial cluster, its technological options for decarbonisation, the level of ambition required, and the barriers to be overcome. These are detailed below.
Industrial Landscape & Baseline
• Defined the Oxford industrial cluster.
• Evaluated current energy consumption and emissions.
• Identified future growth of the Oxford Industrial Cluster.
Click here to see the full study.
Technology Prioritisation
• Reviewed possible decarbonisation technologies against
criteria of technology readiness, cost, applicability, and
a range of barriers.
• Identified most appropriate technologies for Oxford industrials.
Click here to see the full study.
Scenario Modelling
• Identified business-as-usual uptake for technologies
and initiatives to accelerate uptake.
• Developed Oxford industrial decarbonisation
scenarios and technology uptake targets.
• Evaluated impact energy, emissions, costs, jobs & GVA.
Click here to see the full study.
Funding and Financing
• Identified barriers to funding and financing industrial
decarbonisation in Oxford.
• Explored options for enabling uptake of abatement
technologies from a funding and financing perspective.
Click here to see the full study.
Skills and Supply Chain
• Identified barriers to abatement technology
uptake associated with skills and supply chains in Oxford.
• Explored options for enabling uptake of abatement
technologies from a skills and supply chain perspective.
Click here to see the full study.
Getting Involved
Watch this short video for a glimpse into one of our events, where local organisations connected, shared insights, and explored opportunities to accelerate Oxford’s industrial decarbonisation.
We are actively building the Oxford Industrial Cluster and the cross–county Working Group on Decarbonisation with:
- Industrial companies (manufacturers, processors, or producers in Oxford)
- Business parks
- Subject matter experts
- Infrastructure owners/operators
Contact Us
Email [email protected] if your Oxford-based organisation is interested in getting involved.
Project Leadership and Partnerships
Oxford City Council is leading the ZCOP ID project on behalf of the Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnership. Key partners include BMW, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Greentech, Unipart and ARC. Together, these organisations are working to ensure the project’s success.
About the LIDP Funding
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has awarded Oxford City Council £265,000 through the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans (LIDP) programme.
This funding supports collaboration with local industry to:
- Develop a strategic industrial decarbonisation roadmap outlining the best approaches for organisations to work collaboratively and individually to achieve decarbonisation.
- Establish an industry-focused group within the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership to deliver the action plan.
- Enhance local organisations’ capacity to implement the initiatives within the roadmap.
The LIDP project ran until February 2025.
