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Applications invited for new role leading the North East’s transition to net zero.

Rob Hamilton, Chief Economist at the North of Tyne Combined Authority, and Helen Golightly, Chief Executive at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership,  invite applications for an exciting new role leading the North East’s transition to net zero.

Are you an outstanding professional with experience in delivering net zero projects? Are you passionate about the assets and opportunities that the North East has in energy and the contribution our region could make to national and global challenges and opportunities?

Then you could be the person we’re looking for – to play a major role in shaping the future of our region.  

We’re looking to appoint a Principal Officer for Low Carbon Growth and Net Zero. This is an exciting and challenging role that will provide the leadership, vision and direction for the North East region at a critical and exciting time as we race to meet our net zero targets and move towards a new mayoral combined authority in May 2024.  

If you are wondering why, you should join our team – here’s a few reasons…

A Net Zero Hotspot

As a region, we are committed to delivering net zero and we have already achieved a huge amount. A recent report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), with analysis provided by CBI Economics and the DataCity, identified the North East as a net zero economy hotspot.

Net Zero North East England is a newly formed partnership across our seven local authorities the public, private and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Its purpose is to celebrate and champion net zero opportunities and successes in our region. We’re using the strength of partnership to enable change through increased innovation, improvements to our skills agenda, active prospecting for new public and private investment, and by providing open access data and evidence.

The successful candidate would have the opportunity to drive forward the vision for this partnership, with the support of a small executive team.

We have the skills, talent – and region-wide commitment – alongside the heritage and varied landscapes required to take on the challenge of net zero and, with your help, we’re ready to grasp the economic opportunity it provides.

Our Region’s Strengths

The North East boasts many assets and opportunities that were recently highlighted by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore in his independent review of net zero, including:

  • The 27,000 additional jobs the North East will likely benefit from by 2050 as part of the transition to net zero
  • The North East experiencing the largest reduction in CO2 emissions from 2005 to 2020
  • The transition to net zero delivering £1.9 billion of gross value to the North East economy by 2050.
  • Opportunities to support the quadrupling of the UK’s offshore wind capacity, alongside the critical role which will be played by Nissan in Sunderland, and its supply chain, in supporting the country’s transition to  zero emission vehicles

Seize the Opportunity

In this role, you will be responsible for driving forward the regional strategy to seize opportunities in offshore wind, including the North East’s share of 40,000 jobs linked to the UK’s growth of offshore wind and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS).

There’s also lots of exciting things happening in our region as we pioneer new low carbon heat technologies including river source heat networks, geothermal heat from mine workings and hydrogen for heat.

The North East is the best place to test emerging energy innovations in the UK. The North East Energy Catalyst unites the region’s energy innovation and demonstration organisations, making it easy for SMEs, investors and government to access them.

As Principal Officer for Low Carbon Growth and Net Zero, you would have the opportunity to lead and shape all of these opportunities.

North East England – a great place to work and live

If you’re looking for a flexible approach to work, we will be operating on a hybrid model, so we would be open to discussing this with you. However, if you are looking to relocate here, then that’s great too. 

Our region is rich in culture, history, world heritage sites and dramatic countryside and coastal landscapes – all within easy reach of Newcastle International Airport.

From vibrant cities, to stunning coastal walks, once you’ve experienced what life in the North East has to offer, you’ll never want to live anywhere else.

We pride ourselves on being friendly and inclusive, so you’d be assured of a warm welcome as you help put the North East at the heart of the UK’s low carbon economy. And our flexible approach allows employees to have a great work-life-balance, with your wellbeing at its heart.

If you think you have what it takes to take on this exciting role and want to work with our dedicated and supportive team in one of the best places in the UK, apply now here.

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Hype or hope? Will green hydrogen bring new benefits for businesses and communities in the North East?

A new working group is being created to help drive the production and use of green hydrogen in the North East.

A new working group is being created to help drive the production and use of green hydrogen in the North East. David Lynch, Energy Innovation Partnership Manager at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) and Colin Brown, Country Manager (UK and Ireland) with green hydrogen specialists Lhyfe, explain the potential benefits green hydrogen can bring.

How can increasing the use of green hydrogen benefit the North East?

Colin: Green hydrogen is produced with zero emissions and is a renewable alternative to gas and fossil fuels. Businesses can use it to help decarbonise their operations and it has a huge number of potential uses, from buses, cars, haulage and maritime transport, through to domestic and industrial heating.

David: At a time when we all have net zero plans for our businesses, hydrogen can help us meet our goals, plug the limitations of electrification and it can also help attract businesses to the North East and create more and better jobs.

What’s the potential scale of the opportunity?

David:By 2050 hydrogen could account for 20% to 35% of UK final energy consumption, and the North East has the ingredients needed to make the most of this opportunity. We have deep sea ports where we can lead the way in the use of hydrogen in the maritime industry; we have a solid skills base originating from the oil and gas industry, which can pivot into green hydrogen; and we have the R&D capabilities, with some of the strongest universities in the world within a few miles’ of each other.

Colin: Exactly. We have industries here that can really benefit from green hydrogen, like the offshore renewable energy supply chain. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to decarbonise that supply chain using hydrogen?

If we look globally, hydrogen is really taking off in Europe. The UK – and the North East – has a really strong opportunity to stay at the front of the curve and the North East is not only a region with huge potential to use hydrogen to decarbonise, but it is home to people with an appetite to make things happen. That’s why, when Lhyfe expanded into the UK last year, we chose Newcastle as our UK headquarters.

What’s happened so far to drive the region’s adoption of green hydrogen?

Colin: There are already hydrogen trials happening in the North East like Hydeploy’s demonstration of how hydrogen can help power homes and communities in Winlaton, Gateshead, and Northern Gas Networks’ Hydrogen Homes project.

David: The next step is to move forward into delivery and that’s why we held a green hydrogen summit earlier this month. It meant we could explore what hydrogen can do for the full range of organisations and communities in the North East and look at the scale of the opportunity.

What happens next?

David: The green hydrogen steering group, Co-Chaired by me and Professor Sara Walker from Newcastle University, will drive delivery of green hydrogen projects. It’s about moving things forward with the input of the academic, public and private sectors.

Colin: Lhyfe is here in the North East and we’re ready to invest in the North East. We aim to create a new production facility to supply the region with green hydrogen and we’re working with the new steering group to embed it as part of the North East’s energy system.

To make green hydrogen a success for the North East we need to fully understand how we can use it to help decarbonise the region, see where the demand is, and make sure we build the right capacity to meet that demand.

What are the benefits to organisations of being involved at this stage?

David: Being part of the steering group gives a platform for businesses, local authorities and universities to help steer the development of hydrogen in the North East.

Colin: Increasing hydrogen production and use is a full-region project and we know from our work in Europe that, once people see the benefits of hydrogen, they want to be a part of it.

We’ve got an opportunity to work together and create something quite special which benefits us all. If we don’t work together, the use of hydrogen is going to increase anyway, but we won’t have maximised the opportunities for the North East.

Together, we need to grab this opportunity and drive it forward.

If you want to be involved in the green hydrogen steering group, or if you have any comments or questions about it, get in touch with Kate Kelly on [email protected].

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The Sustainable, Smart Port.

Port of Tyne to demonstrate blueprint for decarbonisation of UK ports

The Port of Tyne will unveil a new sustainable smart port platform that will provide a blueprint for its transition to net zero at an event held at its Maritime 2050 Innovation Hub on Wednesday 6 April.

As part of the Clean Tyne Project, the Port of Tyne and Siemens have worked with Connected Places Catapult, Newcastle University and the North East LEP to deploy a real-time digital platform for scenario planning and feasibility studies that will help determine the future power needs of the Port. Understanding its current and forecast power usage as well as its infrastructure opportunities will enable the Port to define its path to decarbonisation – and ultimately achieve its vision of becoming a net-zero port by 2050, part of the Port’s overall Tyne 2050 strategy for growth.

The Clean Tyne project was granted funding by the Department of Transport to create a blueprint for the decarbonisation of the UK’s ports. The project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which sees £30m in total invested in a number of initiatives to reduce emissions from the maritime sector.

The project consortium has built on its extensive technical expertise, academic research and wider industry knowledge to integrate multi-vector renewable energy information into the purpose-built digital port platform. This allows the partners to determine which renewable energy implementations will offer the greatest benefits to the Port and what capacity it will need from the grid going forward ensuring the optimisation and resilience of clean energy supplies for shore power, land-based infrastructure and other use cases.

By using this form of planning, the Port of Tyne can evaluate the benefits of introducing new technology solutions before implementing them, thus minimising risk. The planning will focus on multiple areas including optimised operations, grid compliance and flexibility, enhanced communications using 5G, the electrification of shipping and logistics, the reduction or avoidance of fossil fuels and the development of new digital skills.

Testbed for other UK ports

The digital platform will play a fundamental role throughout the Port’s decarbonisation journey by supporting the creation of business cases, budget planning and investment cases. It will also allow the project consortium to assess the technical, environmental and economic impact of the Port. Using the Port of Tyne as a testbed, the Clean Tyne project’s digital energy platform has enabled Siemens and its partners to develop a universal blueprint for decarbonisation that can be replicated in other port environments as well as other industries.

The event on 6 April will be held in-person and online. To register to attend the event, visit Port of Tyne – Clean Tyne Project | Eventbrite

Quotes from the project partners

“The success of the Clean Tyne project is testament to the expertise, research and collaboration of the consortium. The project outputs show real benefits to decarbonisation efforts across the UK Port Sector and will be the backbone for future developments in that space. This tool will be pivotal for the Port of Tyne to achieve its ambitious decarbonisation and environmental targets, and we are already exploring how we can expand the benefits further. Using the 2050 Innovation Hub at the Port of Tyne, the first of its kind aligned to Maritime 2050, has given us the perfect platform to demonstrate and disseminate the learnings and outputs with all ports in the UK.” Ian Blake, Head of Innovation and Technology at the Port of Tyne

“There are hundreds of ports across world, all burning a lot of diesel and impacting the environment. Through the Clean Tyne project with the Port of Tyne we have been able to undertake an advanced feasibility study and to create a dependable and scalable roadmap for the decarbonisation of ports worldwide.” Ian Lloyd, Head of Microgrid Solutions, Siemens

“This project is a great example of how digital technologies can be applied to drive decarbonisation of our regional infrastructure.  North East LEP via the North East Energy Catalyst will work to share the results of the project and help other ports and industries learn from the findings in the Clean Tyne project.” David Lynch, Energy Innovation Partnerships Manager – North East LEP

“Through the Clean Tyne project, we have been able to apply novel concepts of digitalisation in real-world energy systems to help identify solutions for ports that cut across energy systems, marine transport, and data – all helping reduce carbon emissions. We are excited to have the opportunity to present the findings to the wider maritime community.” Dr Haris Patsios, Senior Lecturer in Power Systems, Newcastle University

“Ports are critical stakeholders in the future clean energy transition at sea and on land. Access to and supporting renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and tidal so ports become energy hubs across multiple modes of transport; is vital if we are to accelerate our journey to net zero. This has been an exciting project that demonstrated how digital infrastructure helps make greener ports possible. The Port of Tyne now has a set of clear next steps and we have invaluable transferable insight for ports across the UK.” Paul Wilson, Chief Business Officer, Connected Places Catapult

Ends.

Notes to editors

The Clean Tyne – UK Blueprint for Decarbonisation project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

Announced in March 2020, and part of the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan to position the UK at the forefront of green shipbuilding and maritime technology, the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition is a £20m investment from government alongside a further c.£10mfrom industry to reduce emissions from the maritime sector. The programme is supporting 55 projects across the UK, including projects in Scotland, Northern Ireland and from the South West to the North East of England. As set out in the Clean Maritime Plan (2019), Government funding has been used to support early-stage research relating to clean maritime. The programme will be used to support the research, design and development of zero emission technology and infrastructure solutions for maritime and to accelerate decarbonisation in the sector.

About the consortium partners

Port of Tyne is one of the UK’s major deep-sea ports – operating in bulk and conventional cargo, car terminals, cruise & ferry, port centric logistics and estates. Overall, the Port of Tyne enables £557 million to be added to the North East economy, supporting 9,300 jobs directly and indirectly. The Port’s cruise and ferry business adds another £57 million to the local economy and 1,600 jobs.

Port of Tyne was recently awarded two Maritime UK 2020 Clean Energy Awards for Clean Energy Operator and Clean Energy Enabler.

One of the UK’s largest trust ports and entirely self-financing, the Port receives no Government funding, is run on a commercial basis and reinvests all profits back into the Port for the benefit of all of its stakeholders.

As one of only two deep sea ports in the North East of England, 83% of the world’s largest cargo ships can be accommodated at the Port of Tyne.

During a decade of development, the Port of Tyne has invested over £130 million in diversifying its operations to handle a growing range of commodities.

Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) is shaping the market for intelligent, adaptive infrastructure for today and the future. It addresses the pressing challenges of urbanization and climate change by connecting energy systems, buildings and industries. SI provides customers with a comprehensive end-to-end portfolio from a single source – with products, systems, solutions and services from the point of power generation all the way to consumption. With an increasingly digitalized ecosystem, it helps customers thrive and communities progress while contributing toward protecting the planet. SI creates environments that care. Siemens Smart Infrastructure has its global headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, and has around 71,000 employees worldwide.

Connected Places Catapult is the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and places. We provide impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. We connect businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets. We run technology demonstrators and SME accelerators to scale new solutions that drive growth, spread prosperity, and eliminate carbon.

Newcastle University, UK, is a thriving international community of some 27,750 students from over 130 countries worldwide.

As a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK, Newcastle has a world-class reputation for research excellence in the fields of medicine, science and engineering, social sciences and the humanities.

Its academics are sharply focused on responding to the major challenges facing society today. Our research and teaching are world-leading in areas as diverse as health, culture, technology and the environment.

The Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF) placed Newcastle University 16th in the UK for Research Power and the vast majority of our research (78%) was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent.

Newcastle University is committed to providing our students with excellent, research-led teaching delivered by dedicated and passionate teachers. This is reaffirmed by achieving the best possible outcome – a Gold Award – in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Newcastle is placed joint 146th in the world and in the top 20 in the UK in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) is a public, private and education sector partnership. We are one of thirty-eight LEPs in the country and are responsible for promoting and developing economic growth in the local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. We produce our area’s Strategic Economic Plan, which acts as a blueprint for the activities that need to take place to improve our economy.

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Key takeaways from the North East Energy Catalyst Summit

“This region is unique. We have everything. The challenge for us as a region is how to take that gift and grow it and multiply it.” Professor Colin Herron of Zero Carbon Futures.

Earlier this week, more than 100 North East organisations came together at the North East Energy Catalyst Summit to explore opportunities that COP26 and the drive to reach Net Zero could bring to our region (you can watch a video of the event here).  

So, what were the key points which emerged during the Summit that can help our energy sector businesses to grow? David Lynch, the North East LEP’s Energy Innovation Partnership Manager, gives a summary.

Attracting investment

At the event we heard three different perspectives on investing in the North East. Tom Nightingale from Equinor gave an update on the development of the world’s largest wind farm at Dogger Bank. Components for the wind farm are being tested at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Blyth and the operations and maintenance base will be at the Port of Tyne.

Neil Spann, CEO of Power Roll, explained how the businesses is expanding its capabilities in the region with a new facility in County Durham, as it develops new ways to generate solar energy.

And we were absolutely delighted when Richard Blackwell from CrowdHouse Energy announced at the summit a commitment to invest in the North East with plans to create a manufacturing facility in the region as the business prepares to take its new Helios Volt technology around the world.  Why did they choose this region? Because his company was met with “delirious enthusiasm” – that’s what sets up apart! 

What all three investors have in common is an appreciation of the skills and track record our region has when it comes to energy innovation, our assets and infrastructure, and the joined-up approach and enthusiasm we have for driving forward our energy sector.  We’re making a significant contribution to carbon reduction – here in the North East.

Accelerating innovation and identifying opportunities

Many of our speakers talked about de-risking and accelerating new technologies, in turn creating new jobs and supply chain opportunities.

This is something we address through the North East Energy Catalyst’s challenge programme, which supports SMEs to develop and test new energy solutions. A new and exciting challenge will be launched in the next few weeks so sign up to our Energy for Growth newsletter and watch this space! .

The Energy Catalyst has recently commissioned a supply chain analysis which we’ll be able to share with you soon, identifying opportunities for supply chain investment in areas like green hydrogen, heat networks and heat pump manufacture.

Working together

The Energy Catalyst model has demonstrated that innovation works at its best when we bring businesses and academia together. We heard from Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Durham University about research into carbon reduction and the importance of taking a collaborative approach  to accelerate new technologies. 

Newly-formed partnerships like the North East Battery Alliance are raising awareness of the North East capabilities and, of course, the entire event was underpinned by the North East Energy Catalyst, whose members work together to showcase how the North East can accelerate decarbonisation through its innovation and demonstration assets.

Join us to drive future regional growth and investment across heat, power and transport. 

We need to make sure that, as a region, we are shouting loudly about what we can do here and making sure we can grab these opportunities. If you’re a business in the energy sector, I’d encourage you to be a part of this by:

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North East LEP to welcome Planet Mark Zero Carbon Tour

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has re-affirmed its commitment to working with its partners to help tackle climate change, ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

The North East LEP is playing a key role working with the region’s businesses and universities, with northern partners, and with Government as the country comes together behind the UK’s aim to achieve net zero climate emissions by 2050.

On Friday (22 October) the North East will welcome the Zero Carbon Tour, which will see the electric Carbon Battle Bus parked outside Newcastle Helix.

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership said: “The North East has made significant progress in reducing its emissions and in contributing to the global transition to a cleaner, less polluted world over the last few years. We have reduced emissions from energy generation and industry, we have seen new businesses grow and new jobs created that are enabling the drive to net zero emissions, and scientists in our region’s businesses and universities are developing and commercialising new ideas in areas including energy, water, transport and construction.

“There are significant opportunity areas for the regional economy in the transition to Net Zero and we are committed to working towards a decarbonised economy which creates more jobs, protects our climate and outstanding natural environment, and which includes people and communities across the region.

“We also know we need to do more, accelerating the impact on transport and domestic emissions in particular, which together represent 70% of our current emissions. A firmer national policy framework, new investment programmes and strengthened powers locally can enable this acceleration by continuing to invest in our energy assets, and promoting a modal shift in transport, decarbonisation of vehicles and the retrofitting of homes.”

The region’s Net Zero drive will get a boost on Friday 22 October when Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour makes a stop in the region. As part of the national effort to highlight the UK’s leadership of COP26, the tour has been making its way across the country to showcase the efforts being undertaken – both locally and globally – to aid in the transition to a net zero carbon economy and to highlight how businesses can reduce costs while reducing emissions. 

The North East leg of the Net Zero Tour will shine a spotlight on the region’s energy sectors which are highlighted in the North East Energy for Growth strategy. The strategy, led by the North East LEP, aims to drive economic growth in the North East by bringing partners together to accelerate delivery of large-scale regional energy projects which contribute to net zero. Priorities include uniting the region’s energy innovation and demonstration assets to showcase solutions to global energy challenges, and to support growth in the offshore renewables, low carbon heat and electric vehicle and battery sectors.

Andrew Clark, Energy Programme Lead at the North East LEP, said: “Our aim, through the Energy for Growth strategy, is to create more and better jobs in renewable energy sectors and to put the North East on the map as a leader in low carbon energy innovation.

“This regionwide focus on energy was established as one of our key areas for action in the North East Strategic Economic Plan and we have implemented a range of initiatives to support growth in these sectors; securing inward investment into key sites in our ports and rivers, investing in key technologies and innovation facilities, and identifying a pipeline of £600m of low carbon energy projects around our region which we are working to move into delivery. These projects will not only create a greener economy but will provide jobs for our residents and supply chain opportunities for our businesses.”

The Zero Carbon Tour is an online event designed to give an overview of what net zero carbon means, the significance of COP26, how organisations can set their own credible net zero carbon targets in line with the UN-backed Race to Zero’s criteria and implement plans to achieve them. ​

Lucy Winskell continued: “The Net Zero Tour affords businesses of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to further explore how to achieve net zero carbon emissions in their products and processes and learn from some of the businesses in the region who are at the forefront of this work.  

“I would encourage any interested parties to sign up to take part in this online event.”

For more information and to sign up to the event, visit eventbrite.co.uk.