A Northern Energy Strategy

Article

Our vision for the north of England is that by 2050 we will be the leading low-carbon energy region in the UK, with an energy economy worth £15 billion per annum and 100,000 green jobs providing affordable, clean energy for people and businesses across the North.

The Northern Energy Taskforce came together with the belief that the energy sector should continue to be a fundamental strength of the economy of the North; not only continuing to power the nation in its low carbon future, but in innovation and demand management. Above all, in a region where fuel poverty is all too evident, the North can develop an energy system which meets the needs of all consumers, resolving the so-called “trilemma” of low carbon supply, security and price. A year and three reports later, that belief has hardened into conviction.

With the right leadership and direction, we believe that our vision to create an energy economy worth £15 billion and create 100,000 jobs by 2050 is within our grasp. Unleashing the northern energy economy is essential to achieving the nation’s climate change commitments and has the potential to deliver affordable energy for businesses and households alike.

This Northern Energy Strategy, the final report of the Northern Energy Taskforce, is a road map for how we can achieve this.

It contains recommendations for national, regional and local stakeholders, including the formation of Energy for the North. As the taskforce winds up its work, we hope that mayors and local leaders, working with Local Enterprise Partnerships and other energy stakeholders, seize the initiative and form this new body to carry forward this urgent and important work.

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