Showcasing clean energy innovation across the Northern Powerhouse

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is a sponsor of the Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse event – a major, two-day event to showcase the innovation, leadership and opportunities across the North of England in energy, decarbonisation, transition and clean growth.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead at the North East LEP, talks about the role the North has to play in the clean energy revolution.

Next week I’ll be attending the Northern Powerhouse Energy and Clean Growth conference, along with the Chair of the North East LEP, Andrew Hodgson, and various North East partners including those from the newly formed North East Energy Catalyst.

The Northern Powerhouse has long been the engine room of the UK and today, the region is poised to lead the transition to clean energy. The North also has a critical role to play in responding to new demands which are being placed on the country’s energy systems and infrastructure, and new innovations and intelligence in response to these.

Here in the North East, the energy sector is embedded in the fabric of our region. It’s a key part of our regional economy and our North East Energy for Growth strategy lays out how partners in the region are coming together to deliver on national energy strategy and drive economic growth.

Next week’s conference aims to showcase some of the innovation and opportunities across the Northern Powerhouse when it comes to decarbonisation and the transition to clean growth. As part of this, we will be sharing details of the North East Energy Catalyst and explaining how this new partnership has been formed to showcase solutions to global energy challenges in the North East, and to catalyse an integrated energy system which grows a productive and clean economy.

The Catalyst includes partners from industry, academia, the public sector and government bodies and we’re excited at what we can achieve by bringing together our energy innovation, demonstration and delivery assets in this way.

The energy sector has a crucial role to play in the future of the Northern Powerhouse, allowing the region to contribute to the national agenda, creating more and better jobs, and allowing the North to prosper.

I’m looking forward to forming new collaborations across the Northern Powerhouse region and to exploring how we can make our North East energy infrastructure and assets, like those brought together through the North East Energy Catalyst, available to the wider North and the rest of the UK.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead, North East LEP.

Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse takes place on 5 and 6 November in Hull. Find out more.