Great news for region's economy

Jul 21 2009 By Sarah Green, The Journal

YESTERDAY I was privileged to visit Nissan to hear from Trevor Mann, the Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson, the announcements that will significantly shape the future North East’s economy.

The first announcement was that Nissan will invest £200m in building a battery factory at Sunderland which will create 350 jobs. The second, that the North East will be the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area specialising in ultra-low carbon vehicles.

This great news follows announcements in recent weeks that the region has won investment from the Technology Strategy Board to be one of eight places in the country to run a pilot with 35 passenger vehicles on the regions’ roads next year and that in collaboration with Tesco, British Gas, CE Electric, the AA and Capital Shopping Centres the region would be investing  in charging infrastructure including 750 points in the region.

These announcements position the region very strongly to compete with the best internationally. In the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy released by government last week, Mandelson said he wants the UK to lead the world in making low carbon vehicles.

If the UK is to be a global player in this industry and the North East is the first recognised hub for the development of these technologies in the UK , then we must be well positioned to be world leading. Furthermore these announcements ensure we have the infrastructure to develop the skills and the R & D  to support the growth of this sector.

The region must celebrate. This is the Great North Revolution. We are using our excellent automotive productivity skills, our fantastic universities and our region’s ability to work across the public and private sector to kick-start an emerging industry.

But while we must celebrate we cannot afford to become complacent. The location of the Nissan battery plant must help in our mission to secure electric vehicle manufacture in our region but we still need to fight to ensure this happens. To do this we must continue to work together to demonstrate to Nissan’s global management that the UK government and the North East can provide the support required. Much of the groundwork is in place – our whole proposition is underpinned by the excellent results produced by Nissan’s Sunderland workforce.

Today I will be visiting Nissan again and the focus will be on delivering the announced plans and the final prize – ensuring we win a slice of Nissan’s European electric vehicle manufacturing investment.

Sarah Green is regional director CBI North East