Working in Europe for Everyone in Yorkshire and the Humber

22nd January 2010: Region in Pole Position to Become Hub of the New Green Economy

Linda McAvan, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber, believes the region is in pole position to become a European hub of the new green economy, provided regional and local government, the universities and business can continue to build on recent successes.

Yorkshire and the Humber is currently the second biggest emitter of carbon out of all regions in the European Union (EU), due to a legacy of heavy manufacturing and mining industries. However, recent weeks have seen Yorkshire and the Humber confirmed as the location for a series of new high-profile developments and projects related to reducing carbon emissions, which Linda McAvan says could propel the region to the position of being a global centre for the new ‘Green Economy’, brining thousands of new, skilled jobs to the area.

The past three months alone have seen four big projects confirmed for the region. In November, Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park was confirmed as the site for a new world-leading Nuclear Energy Research Centre to help advance existing technologies used in the production of nuclear power – an energy source that produces virtually no carbon emissions. Hot on its heels was the December 2009 announcement that Hatfield near Doncaster had been selected by the EU for a £164 million investment to develop the world’s largest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) power station, which will allow coal to be burned for energy, with much of the carbon emitted being captured and stored in empty gas fields under the North Sea rather than pumped into the atmosphere. Then, just this month, John Prescott announced that a huge area 34km off the Yorkshire coast, known as the Hornsea Zone, is to be the site of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Finally, last week saw an announcement from Westminster that Yorkshire would be the location of a new Centre for a Low Carbon Future – a joint venture between Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York universities to research and develop new technologies to reduce carbon emissions and predict how climate change could impact the economy.

“Yorkshire and the Humber has a proud history of innovation and skills in engineering and manufacturing that once made the region a hub of the industrial revolution. Unfortunately, much of this industry has declined but many of the skills, expertise and infrastructure still exist. Our region has a fantastic opportunity to put these skills to work to build economic prosperity based on the new emerging ‘Green Economy’, with highly skilled, well-paid jobs in an industry that is set to grow rapidly in the coming years”, says Linda.

“The recent announcements will each play an important role in creating a balance of energy provision to allow the UK to be energy-self sufficient into the future whilst reducing carbon emissions. UKIP and BNP MEPs and many Conservative MPs and MEPs either deny the issues around climate change or focus only on the costs involved. This risks our region and the UK missing the boat on the opportunities that exist. The developments announced recently for Yorkshire and the Humber will bring hundreds of millions of pounds and thousands of jobs to the area. If all agencies and partners can continue to work together to build on these successes, these investments could be the tip of the iceberg. Siemens is predicting that up to 60,000 jobs could be created in the UK in the wind power industry. With only 5,000 existing today, the potential is clear. I intend to do all I can to tackle climate change whilst ensuring that as many jobs and as much investment as possible comes to the region.”