North at the forefront for low carbon transformation

18th December 2009

_{The paper, "Energising The North: Mobilising the northern regions to deliver our low carbon energy future" argues that, with support and investment, the North of England could be at the forefront of an industrial revolution, leading the transformation of the UK to a low carbon economy.}  

_{Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair of the Northern Way said "the transformation of the economy required to address climate change will bring economic opportunities as well as challenges. .  Development in offshore wind, nuclear and carbon capture present particular opportunities, with the potential for technology export opportunities too.  If we get this right the North can be at the forefront of the power industry in the UK, in transforming the way we create our energy for generations to come."}

_{Energising the North sets out  those areas where the northern regions can be mobilised to deliver a low carbon energy future.  It outlines the North's technology and research strengths, Renewable Energy Generation Technologies, Energy Infrastructure and Supply, and provides a framework on how the North can develop the priorities for the development of the energy sector in the North of England.  It builds on existing Northern Way support for cross-regional collaboration on offshore wind and carbon capture, and the leading role of the northern Regional Development Agencies in securing the transformation of their regions.  Recent initiatives across the North have included:}

• _{Three Low Carbon Economic Areas:  the North East (for ultra-low carbon vehicles), the North West (for nuclear); and the Manchester city-region (for the built environment).}
• _{Britain's first carbon capture and storage demonstration plant will be built at Hatfield in Yorkshire, thanks to a €180m award from the European Commission's Energy Programme for Recovery fund.}    
• _{Offshore Wind capacity, primarily off the east coast, with supply chain links across the North.}

_{Notes to Editors}

_{The UK Government has stated it intends to bring online up to 33GW of offshore wind generating capacity by 2020. At a minimum the expected development of the industry is likely to result in about £700 million of GVA and 3000 jobs by 2020.  We are currently witnessing a nuclear renaissance with the UK market alone set to see an investment of over £30 billion over the next 20 years}

_{Northern Wind Innovation Programme (NWIP)}

_{NWIP is a two year project funded through The Northern Way Partnership and delivered by Narec and Envirolink Northwest. The programme aims to create supply chain intelligence networks across the North to accelerate the development of key capabilities required for the manufacture and installation of offshore wind turbines.}

_{Carbon Abatement Technologies Demonstration Programme (CAT)}

_{CAT is a two year programme funded through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) in partnership with The Northern Way and the Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC) Environmental Transformation Fund. The programme aims to develop specific aspects of CAT, overcoming technical barriers and enabling innovation to position the North to capture market share within international supply chains.}