The World Wildlife Fund
It was argued a few years ago by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), that Blyth Valley in Northumberland is well positioned to reap the benefits of the UK government’s plans for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. WWF went on to say that the region’s industrial heritage, together with a £3.8 billion planned investment to “manufacture battery cells to power electric vehicles in the constituency will lead to spill over benefits for the wider region”.
WWF went on to talk of “extensive economic analysis has shown the benefits the green transition will bring to the constituency, including local job creation and investment in local infrastructure”.
It was argued that a green transition in Blyth Valley would bring in £4.65 billion in local investment, with £2.6 billion to £3.1 billion gross value added to the local economy and perhaps most importantly of all, between 2 080 and 2 400 local jobs created.
Britishvolt failure
This optimism began to evaporate with the news in January 2023 that Britishvolt, the company charged with setting up the car battery factory in Blyth had entered administration, with the majority of its 232 staff made redundant with immediate effect.
Government ministers had hailed the building of the factory as a “levelling up” opportunity that would support the future of UK car making and boost the economy of the Northeast. However, it was reported that Britishvolt had struggled to turn a profit and ran out of money.”
Moving on from Britishvolt
This was naturally a huge blow and a challenge to Blyth, which already was seen as ‘left-behind town’, with its original function as a port for the export of coal, having declined for many years, before ending completely as the last mine in South Northumberland was closed down.
Energising Blyth
The fighting spirit of Blyth can be seen in the ambitions of Energising Blyth, an initiative aimed at ensuring that by 2030, Blyth will be a major UK and international centre of advanced manufacturing growth and innovation and renewable energy, giving people in Blyth and the wider Northeast better skills, more homes, new jobs and a clean environment.
The scheme is said to mean that Blyth will “offer more and better opportunities for local people. It will be a vibrant and welcoming community, offering a great quality of life, with new and improved cultural facilities, on the doorstep of the beautiful Northumbrian coastline and countryside”.
Major new green investment announced for Blyth
It was therefore good to see it reported on 30th October that the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, had announced a £2.1 million investment in a new offshore wind cable testing rig in Blyth, in partnership with the North East Combined Authority, to be built at ORE Catapult’s Blyth facility.
Additionally, it was reported on the same day that the new testing system will apply currents and high voltages to cables, which will then create stresses in a real-world environment above operational levels. It was also reported that, “the testing space will also allow the cable to be installed in different representative conditions, including buried, ducted and submerged in salt water, if required, to test its capabilities”.
It has also been noted that this development will be the first facility of its kind in the country. The new development will speed up nationwide production and shorten the time needed to market new tech, as at present this type of testing can take up to two years.
In response to the news North East Mayor Kim McGuinness was quoted as saying: “We are making the North East the home of the green energy revolution and I am pleased we are funding projects like this amazing new offshore wind cable testing rig in Blyth to make this a reality for local people.
“This will be the only facility like this in the UK – underpinning the North East’s status as the UK’s leading region for clean energy.
“We are funding innovation, skills and infrastructure needed to deliver our mission and provide thousands more high-quality jobs in clean energy.
“This new testing facility will be a great regional resource, helping to boost safety and skills in the offshore sector.”
Opportunities for education and training
The new development will also offer great opportunities for exactly the kind of green skills training that the region really needs.
Martin Lawlor OBE, Chair of Energy Central Campus commented on just how transformational this project could be: “Energy Central Campus is creating real opportunities for our region. This investment will ensure individuals can access the training and skills needed to secure well-paid, sustainable jobs right here in Blyth. The Energy Central Institute is an excellent example of how universities and industry can work together to address the challenges of the future by equipping students with the skills and expertise needed for a rapidly evolving energy sector.”
In addition, Tony Quinn, Deputy Chair of Energy Central Campus and Technology Development Director at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, has commented: “We are delighted to have secured the support and funding from the North East Combined Authority for the Energy Central Institute. Reaching this milestone is testament to the commitment and effort of all our partners in what will be a strategically important initiative for the region. As a landmark skills and innovation facility, it will not only serve both students and industry in helping to form the renewables workforce of the future but will also forge new and productive relationships with academia locally and support much needed applied research activity from right here in Blyth.”
Meanwhile, Professor Jane Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Engagement & Place at Newcastle University, commented: “We are thrilled to be a key partner in the Energy Central Institute and to see the region take such a significant step towards leading the global green energy revolution.”
Dr Shaid Mahmood, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) at Durham University, added: “North East England is a world leader in the green energy revolution and has significant innovation and supply chain capability in offshore wind through OREC, the Energy Central Campus and the expertise of our Universities.”
A just transition at last?
The mining heritage of the Northeast still leaves its mark on the region today, with aged miners homes, strange landscaped hills in otherwise flat areas and not least the fact that the population of the region would even today be far less than the 2.6 million it is, were it not for the development of coal mining and its attendant heavy industries between the mid-18th and 20th centuries.
However, it can also be well argued that we now need to stop seeing ourselves as living in an ex-coalfield region, with all its negative connotations, and rather view the Northeast as an energy producing region where the energy used to be coal dug from the ground, while in the future it will be the new green, renewable energy forms.
It is therefore, very welcome news to see that Blyth, once an integral part of the coalfield in southeast Northumberland is getting this green investment, along with the recent government announcement of more green investment across the country. This seems to be the kind of development Blyth needs to help it face the future with confidence to go along with pride in its past. The opportunity for good well-paid jobs for young people in Blyth and the wider Northeast, in an area so long neglected, is very welcome and hopefully will see the start of the Northeast getting the just transition to a low carbon economy, which it so richly deserves.
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