We Only Have Energy Security When We Own It
August 26, 2022
Energy
- £25 million invested in the offshore wind industry
- Turbocharging innovation
- Empowering communities
Wind turbines are essential for generating clean energy. The North East has a natural advantage with some of the best sites for offshore wind nearby. Blyth has a world-class facility which tests wind turbine blades. Wind already accounts for a quarter of the UK’s electricity generation and there is the potential for it to generate even more.
In the North of Tyne we’re investing £25 million in offshore wind – a significant 15% of our budget.
The Technology, Innovation & Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) programme is a £3.5m fund designed to boost supply chain growth and productivity in the North of Tyne and the wider North East England region’s offshore wind and subsea sectors.
One such company, Transmission Dynamics based in Cramlington, is manufacturing “smart bolts” which can remotely detect when something is about to break and alert an engineer before it does, reducing the need for expensive on sight inspection and maintenance.
We’ve invested in Battleship Wharf in Blyth and the Swan Hunter shipyard site for offshore wind.
And we’re supporting renewable energy projects through our Green New Deal Fund. Businesses and community organisations can apply for funding to install solar panels, air source heat pumps, and other ideas that will reduce carbon emissions.
Investing right across the industry is critical to ensure that the green jobs of the future are here as we transition away from fossil fuels and address the climate crisis.
Community energy was another key recommendation from the Assembly . In early 2022, NTCA commissioned a report by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) on ‘Enabling Community Energy in the North East of England: Tackling the Climate Emergency’. This provides a series of recommendations for overcoming barriers, along with a potential plan for supporting community energy in the region which will help inform the approach and actions taken by NTCA, the North East LEP, LAs, community groups and regional stakeholders. We are now working with partners to develop further support for community energy projects which is being led regionally by the North East and Yorkshire Energy Hub and several organisations in Northumberland have already benefitted from Rural Community Energy Funding.
