North East England is the centre of the UK’s green energy revolution.
A proud heritage of engineering, mining and shipbuilding has resulted in a thriving skills base, knowledge economy, and numerous development sites in ideal locations, which place the region at the forefront of clean growth sectors of national and international importance.
The North East has a long-established capability in offshore energy, with innovative organisations utilising infrastructure and skills that once served the shipyards to now service various aspects of the global offshore renewables and oil and gas sectors.
The region has a worldwide reputation for subsea and offshore technology, pipeline and trenching services, topside and subsea fabrication and decommissioning work, and offshore wind capabilities. Its expertise in the design, engineering and manufacture of subsea technologies has made it a leading global subsea technology cluster.
Global companies such as Technip FMC, Baker Hughes, Bel Valves, SMD, Royal IHC, Siemens, JDR Cables and Osbit all have operations in the region.
Our region has a fantastic array of world-class research and development (R&D) and testing facilities which are developing technologies and solutions across the energy system, including the National Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult Testing facility and Tyne Pressure Testing, which both support the growing energy sector and the businesses located here. The region’s energy innovation and demonstration asset base is coordinated via the North East Energy Catalyst.
North East England offers outstanding access to global markets, making it the perfect location for energy companies to grow. We are connected to the rest of the world by the Ports of Blyth, Sunderland and Tyne and have an international airport and an exceptional national rail network, allowing workforce movement throughout the UK and beyond.
The region is also recognised as a UK hub of underwater supply chain expertise for sectors across the wider blue economy within the emerging Global Underwater Hub, part of the North Sea Transition Deal, further networking it with the wider sector.
A superb portfolio of high-quality industrial properties and development sites offers energy companies of all sizes a range of property options. Many sites provide easy access to deepwater ports and Enterprise Zone benefits, such as enhanced capital allowances for investment in plant and machinery. There are also numerous office locations in city centres or out-of-town office parks to support engineering, design and operations functions.
Our highly skilled workforce is renowned for its exceptional productivity and loyalty. We employ more than 82,000 engineering workers and a further 116,000 in the wider manufacturing sector. Over 120,000 students study at our five outstanding universities, with more than half studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Offshore wind
North East England is a global leader in offshore renewables and the sector continues to grow and attract new businesses.
The region is around 140km from the UK’s largest planned offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank, making it a perfect location for offshore wind manufacturers and component supply chain to take advantage of the opportunities in this market.
Many companies are already doing that. Equinor and SSE Renewables will locate their operations and maintenance (O&M) base at Port of Tyne, South Shields, to support the work at Dogger Bank while GE Renewable Energy will manufacture wind turbine blades in a major new factory in Teesside.
Heat networks
Heat networks form an important part of the UK’s plan to reduce carbon and cut heating bills for domestic and commercial customers. The £320 million Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) will provide a total of £125 million to support projects in the North East.
North East heat network schemes include some of the most pioneering in the UK, incorporating low carbon heat sources such as mine energy, and represent part of a substantial regional project pipeline.
Companies located in the region can take advantage of the skills, world-leading research, collaborative networks and access to a growing pipeline of projects both nationally and internationally.
Helping your move to North East England
To support a smooth transition to the region, Invest North East England can provide a range of services, including property searches, data on skills and guidance on incentives, as well as making introductions to specialist networks that can offer guidance and links to potential customers, opportunities and R&D support.
