Miliband: North East can be powerhouse of clean energy

Ed Miliband has vowed to make the North East the UK’s clean energy “powerhouse”, 25 years after the country's first wind farm was erected off the Northumberland coastline.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and North East mayor Kim McGuinness chatting to clean energy businesses and students at a Jobs Fair at the Port of Tyne, South Shields, Inset, Miliband trying a VR headset from Siemens Energy

Labour's energy secretary pledged to back a vision to double the region’s renewables workforce by 2035.Mr Miliband joined North East mayor Kim McGuinness and more than 100 schoolkids and students for a clean energy jobs fair at the Port of Tyne on Thursday. And, in the week that marks the 25-year anniversary of the UK’s first offshore wind turbines being stationed at Blyth, he promised to help drive forward efforts to create thousands more jobs in wind, hydrogen power, and other clean energy projects.

Speaking to ‘he Journal in Wallsend after meeting with industry leaders from companies including Shepherd Offshore, Mr Miliband said: “Already [there are] 25,000 jobs across the region in clean energy, plans for another 25,000. How are we going to support the region? Frankly, by driving forward with clean power.

“I see the North East as being the absolute powerhouse of our clean energy mission. Whether it is offshore wind or hydrogen or a whole range of areas, there is just huge potential, particularly around offshore wind. We are the second biggest generator of offshore wind across the world and we have big ambitions.”