'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.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

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 yesterday. And, in the week that marks the 25-year anniversary of the UK’s first offshore wind turbines 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 The Chronicle 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.