The UK government has announced a substantial commitment of £21.7bn over the next 25 years to support carbon capture and hydrogen projects in the country. The funding will be allocated to the HyNet cluster in northwest England and the East Coast cluster in the northeastern Humber and Teesside regions. These clusters, identified as 'Track 1' priority projects in 2021, are expected to have the capacity to store around 650 million tonnes of CO2 and attract £8bn of private investment. The HyNet cluster, led by Eni, plans to commence operations in 2027 and will involve hydrogen production projects connecting to the CO2 transport and storage system. Similarly, the East Coast cluster, spearheaded by the Northern Endurance Partnership consisting of BP, TotalEnergies, and Equinor, will include projects like Equinor's H2H Saltend and BP's H2Teesside. Additionally, other ventures like Uniper's Humber H2ub, Kellas Midstream's H2NorthEast, and a facility from BOC are set to connect to the cluster for CO2 storage. The projects are anticipated to be operational before the end of the decade, contributing significantly to the UK's CCS and hydrogen industry. This funding confirmation has been lauded by industry experts, with the Hydrogen Energy Association's chief executive expressing optimism for the industry's long-term growth and role in combating climate change.