Today, (November 2), the NP11 has launched a new report setting out the key clean growth opportunities the North can offer to the country and the new Government, to deliver economic growth and drive down costs, whilst also enhancing energy security.
The ‘Net Zero North: Collaboration Powering Global Britain’ report from the NP11, a collaboration of the eleven Northern Local Enterprise Partnerships, has identified economic, environmental, and social benefits of collaboration, as well as the practical steps that are needed to realise these benefits. It states that through effective and coordinated programmes of collaborative action, the North can:
- Deliver economic growth: deliver over £6bn of additional value to the Northern economy, delivered through a modest investment of £10m over 5 years for regional leadership and coordination capacity.
- Enhance energy security and drive down costs: promoting opportunities for co-location of storage and hydrogen production and supporting businesses to switch to low-carbon heat alternatives through shared infrastructure and resources, in order to help us achieve net-zero faster and at a lower cost.
- Cement the North’s positions as a world leader in low carbon power generation: boosting international demand and investment through higher productivity and standards, capitalising on the North’s ‘first mover advantage’ through greater innovation and risk-taking, supporting the North to become a net energy exporter.
The chair of the NP11, Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, yesterday (November 1) presented the report to Andrew Bowie MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for International Trade, at the Green Trade and Investment Expo in Gateshead.
Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the NP11, said: “We heard from our new Prime Minister last week how he will deliver on protecting our environment, levelling up and building the economy – in this report we set out how we in the North can achieve those aims – by working together to deliver growth, decarbonise faster and give us the energy security we need now more than ever.
“I was delighted to be able to discuss this opportunity with Andrew Bowie MP, to show our commitment to working with the Government and deliver for the good of the North and the country.
“Clean growth is vital to securing the future of the North’s most valuable industries. We have world-leading clean growth assets to lead the UK’s transition to Net Zero, whilst also delivering on other Government priorities, such as enhancing energy security, levelling-up the economy and boosting productivity, growth, and investment.”
The report highlights just some of the benefits this collaboration could bring. This includes an estimated additional value added in the North of increasing UK content across the energy sector. This includes an additional £1.2bn from offshore wind by reaching the target of 60% of UK content by 2030, £2.07bn added value from Hydrogen and CCUS by reaching the target of reaching 65% of UK onshore content and 40% of offshore content by 2030 and £1.9bn of added value from reaching the target of 65% of UK content by 2030.
The report builds on the Net Zero North Prospectus, published in March 2022, and outlines the approach to this collaboration as well as the economic analysis and the delivery plan.
James Newman OBE, Chair of Hull and East Yorkshire LEP, said: “The scale of the opportunity for clean growth in the North is huge. But for that opportunity to be realised, we need to be coordinated and collaborate.
“As well as driving significant growth for the UK, this collaboration across the North can also look to improve our energy resilience and security, reduce the cost of energy for households and businesses, create jobs and improve productivity, drive cost reductions, boost international demand and investment, unlock domestic investment and of course, reduce our carbon emissions.
“Today as well, the 2030 Humber Vision is being launched at the House of Lords. This is just one of the many examples of our region providing world-leading infrastructure and investment, alongside innovation and technology that can be replicated around the world.”
Clare Hayward MBE DL, Chair of Cheshire and Warrington LEP, said: “By collaborating across infrastructure provision, skills and supply chain, and trade and investment we can ensure the region’s low carbon offer is greater than the sum of its parts.
“So many projects are already underway across the North, showing these benefits in action and giving us momentum to build on. This report is now the next step on a journey to establish a collaborative strategy and interventions around future prosperity through clean growth.
“Last month we hosted the North West Route to Net Zero in Ellesmere Port – working across the North as the UK’s Clean Growth Powerhouse, we are standing by ready to deliver at pace on that transition to Net Zero.”
You can read the executive summary here: NP11_summary_20221028 FINAL
And the economic analysis and delivery plan here: NP11_economic_analysis_and_delivery plan_20221028 FINAL
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