Clean energy will deliver jobs and lower bills
Kim McGuinness, Mayor of North East England
4 min read
The energy transition should mean secure jobs, lower bills and greater local control over energy. Kim McGuinness, Mayor of North East England, calls for a place-based approach that turns net-zero into economic opportunity
For me, the transition to clean energy is about three things. Secure jobs. Lower bills. And more control over our own energy. That’s what a just transition looks like. Not something that happens to us, but something that puts money back in people’s pockets and gives the region a stronger footing.
When I speak to government about a just transition, I always stress that it has to be place-based. Decisions about how we power our homes, create jobs and grow our economy should not be made from a distance. They need to be shaped here, by the places and people they affect. In the North East, we know what our strengths are and where the opportunities sit. It is our job to act on them.
We have set a simple mission as a Mayoral Strategic Authority. We want the North East to be the home of the green energy revolution. That is not about branding. It is about making sure the shift to clean power translates into something real – something people can see making a difference to their everyday lives. Clean energy and the wider energy transition sit at the centre of our Local Growth Plan because they give us a clear route to jobs, investment and long-term stability.
Local leadership matters most when it comes to jobs. My Plan for Green Jobs sets out how we will double the number of green jobs in the North East to 50,000 by 2035. That includes major growth in offshore wind, heating systems, low-carbon housing and the supply chains behind electric vehicles. These are real opportunities that will create skilled jobs that people can build a life around, and they sit at the centre of how we grow our economy.
But those jobs will only materialise if we build the pathways into them. That is where local leadership makes the difference. Our job is to join up the opportunities and move at pace. Industry, colleges, universities and government pulling in the same direction. Moving faster. Making sure investment lands here, and that local people see the benefit.
We are investing in skills and facilities, from the Energy Academy in Newcastle to the Energy Central Institute in Blyth, because we know what our employers need and where the gaps are. We are also focused on making these jobs accessible to all. This transition has to open doors to people who have been overlooked in the past, including women and others underrepresented in these industries.
In the North East, we know what it means to power the country. We have done it for generations. From shipbuilding and rail to the first hydropower at Cragside, this region has always been part of how Britain keeps the lights on. Clean energy is the next chapter, and we are in a strong position to lead.
Offshore wind will play a major role. We have some of the strongest offshore wind resources in the country, and new leasing off our coast could provide a large share of the country’s electricity. If we secure that investment, it means jobs in our ports, our supply chain and our communities. Jobs that work for traditional communities along the banks of the Blyth, Tyne and Wear.
That is why local leadership matters so much in this space. It is about taking control where we can, backing our strengths and making sure the benefits of this transition stay here.
We are already putting that into practice. In Gateshead, mine water is being used to heat buildings at scale, drawing on our industrial past to deliver a practical answer to today’s challenge of heating homes at lower cost. Our universities are pushing forward on geothermal energy, which could provide reliable heat for years to come. These projects show what local leadership can do when it connects ideas, investment and delivery.
There is a wider issue behind all of this. In recent years, we have seen how quickly global events can push up energy prices. Families feel that straight away. Businesses feel it too. If we produce more of our own clean energy here in the North East, we protect people from those shocks, and that is when net-zero makes sense.
Green growth, done properly, means secure jobs, homes that cost less to heat and energy produced close to home. That is the future we are working towards in the North East, and we are getting on with delivering it.
