Responding to the UK government’s ‘Powering up Britain’ plan, Dr Annette Bramley, director, N8 Research Partnership said: “For several years, the N8 has been making the case that the North is the best location from which to base the UK’s drive to net zero. We therefore welcome that the two Carbon Capture Usage and Storage clusters will be located in the North East and North West. However, for these clusters and the wider energy strategy to succeed, it is imperative our universities’ research and innovation strengths are harnessed by the government.
“Universities across the north will bring the skills, innovation and commercialisation needed at scale to kickstart the government’s energy security strategy while supporting levelling up by creating jobs and ensuring we have workers with the skills needed to build a sustainable green economy.
“Getting this right will support the health and wellbeing of the whole of the UK for many generations to come. We look forward to working with colleagues across the public and private sector to make that happen.”