As we approach the end of a busy first quarter of 2026, I’m very pleased to share a number of significant announcements across our tax sites.

In our last newsletter, I wrote that the Freeport’s focus “remains on attracting the investments which create thousands of skilled jobs, supporting Government’s plan for growth and a stronger industrial future”.

The investments you can read about in this newsletter will help to achieve exactly that.

Within the Hull East tax site, world-leading carbon recycling company LanzaTech has pledged £600m of investment in a sustainable aviation fuel facility at Saltend Chemicals Park.

It will be one of the single biggest investments the Humber region has seen in many years, and will create hundreds of skilled jobs during construction and once operational.

Over in Goole, developer HBD and landowner St John’s College Cambridge have had outline plans approved for FREEPORT36 - a major industrial and logistics development which is forecasted to create around 3,000 new jobs.

At Immingham, freeport funding secured from Government through its Site Accelerator Grant will help Able UK produce its Final Business Plan for a major renewables and offshore wind manufacturing facility.

We will be celebrating all of this - and much more - at UKREiiF in Leeds, as we prepare to showcase our compelling offer at the UK’s leading property, investment and planning conference once again in May.

Thank you for your continued support for Humber Freeport, and for sharing our vision to drive economic growth and make a lasting, positive impact on our region.

Finbarr Dowling

Chair, Humber Freeport

We’ve received significant Government funding to help unlock prime development land, secure major investment and accelerate project delivery.

The £1.3m of funding, allocated through the Government’s Site Accelerator Grant, will be distributed across our three tax sites – in Hull, Goole and 

Immingham – to develop infrastructure and progress with enabling work to facilitate investment.

We’re proud to have received the highest level of funding of any of the UK’s 12 freeports, highlighting the Humber’s powerful investment proposition and distinct advantages through connectivity and infrastructure.

We recently welcomed an announcement from world-leading carbon recycling company LanzaTech that it plans to invest £600m in a sustainable aviation fuel facility at Saltend Chemicals Park.

LanzaTech’s DRAGON II facility is expected to produce around 80,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel every year - around one per cent of UK jet fuel requirements - and 8,000 tonnes of renewable diesel.

The development, located within the Humber Freeport Hull East tax site, will support around 300 skilled jobs during construction and 150 permanent roles once operational. It is the second DRAGON project announced by LanzaTech in the UK, with a similar facility planned to be established at Port Talbot in South Wales.

Building on Humber’s industrial strengths, the project further positions the region as a leading hub for low carbon innovation, with Saltend’s established infrastructure enabling faster delivery, stronger integration with future hydrogen and carbon networks, and wider cluster growth. DRAGON II will not only support decarbonisation at scale but also strengthen national energy security, attract further investment and drive long-term economic value for Humber and its communities.

We’re returning to UKREiiF for a third consecutive year, and we’d love to see you there!

We’ll be exhibiting at the UK’s leading real estate, investment and infrastructure conference, taking place from May 19th to 21st at the Royal Armouries Museum and New Dock in Leeds.

Plus, we’ll have an exciting announcement to make at UKREiiF. Watch this space!

Below is where you can find us at UKREiiF:

UKREiiF is a place where conversations start to drive investment and regeneration. We hope to see many of you there - please do get in touch if you’d like to catch up with us in Leeds.

Humber Freeport CEO Simon Green pictured with 2025 Winner Harry Hopkin

We’re on the lookout for a talented young professional to become our new “Freeport Future Ambassador” and fly the flag for the region as a magnet for investment and growth.

The role for a rising star from the region will help to show how Humber Freeport and our partners are working to attract investment delivering growth and prosperity into the future.

The Freeport Future Ambassador will join the Humber Freeport team at UKREiiF, the UK’s leading investment and infrastructure event, and also have a role to play going forward in promoting the region.

Our Chair Finbarr Dowling was part of a regional delegation which welcomed Ceri Morgan CBE, His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Europe, to the Humber.

The Trade Commissioner visited the region as a guest of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, hosted by its Leader, Cllr Anne Handley.

Discussions centred on the Humber region’s powerful investment proposition, with a clear focus on freeport tax sites in Hull, Goole and Immingham.

Together, we delivered a united message - with its strategic geographical location, world-class energy ecosystem and skilled workforce, the Humber's economic potential is unlike any other region.

BP has expanded its research and development operations at Saltend Chemicals Park, marking a new chapter in its near-60-year story at the site.

As an international company, BP’s latest R&D operations could have been located anywhere in the world. The decision to further develop the site at Saltend, which partially sits within the Freeport Hull East tax site, reflects BP’s confidence in the Humber as a strategic location and an area of growth and ambition.

Congratulations to BP on its latest investment at Saltend.

Global agribusiness Bunge, which acquired Viterra last July, is now operating from an expanded warehouse facility at Immingham.

Following the completion of a £10m investment programme with Associated British Ports (ABP), the facility supports Bunge’s growing need for efficient and reliable storage of imported grains and related agriproducts.

Located within the Humber Freeport Immingham tax site, the warehouse has access to adjacent deep-water berths, and can support import and export vessels of up to 80,000 tonnes.

We were pleased to join senior national, regional and business leaders to discuss how the region can unlock investment, drive growth and deliver long-term impact.

Our Chair Finbarr Dowling attended the Principal & Major Partner Dinner, delivered by Future Humber in partnership with Wilkin Chapman Rollits, which was headlined by the Minister for Investment, Lord Jason Stockwood.

Lord Stockwood delivered a keynote speech focused on the economic significance of the Humber, its contribution to UK plc, and the importance of collaboration to ensure the region achieves its ambitions for growth.

We’ve got a busy calendar of events coming up over the coming weeks and months.

Our team will be exhibiting at, and attending, a series of major national and regional conferences, sharing Humber Freeport’s progress and ambitions with new audiences.

The ‘Events’ section of our website has details of all the places you can find us.

March 26 

Grimsby Auditorium Cromwell Rd, Grimsby DN31 2BH, Grimsby

May 14

TBC 

May 19-21

The Royal Armouries, Leeds 

Two new case studies are now live on the Humber Freeport website, shining a light on the businesses and projects driving investment, innovation and growth across the region. These stories go beyond headlines, offering real insight into what’s happening on the ground and the impact being delivered through Freeport status. From unlocking opportunities to accelerating development, they demonstrate exactly how Humber is turning ambition into action. Take a look and see the story unfolding.

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions, or want to know more about investment opportunities across our sites, please get in touch via contact@humberfreeport.org or visit our website at www.humberfreeport.org/contact.

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