THE potential of the energy sector to deliver 40,000 jobs and £6bn of investment to the North East economy by 2030 was shown off to around 100 businesses yesterday.

The event, entitled Showcasing the Capability of the North East to Deliver, was held to celebrate the world-class businesses, infrastructure and technologies that are already in operation in the region.

The North East Chamber of Commerce claims that the prize of tens of thousands of extra jobs and billions of pounds of investment is possible if full advantage is taken of the wide range of opportunities in the sector.

Chief executive James Ramsbotham said: “In the North East we have two reasons to be especially focused on developing the energy sector. Firstly, we are an energy-thirsty region – the most energy-intensive of all UK regions when measured on a per capita basis. Secondly, the North East enjoys vast resources, a unique geographic location and world- leading expertise that enables us to boast an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the skilling, innovating, manufacturing and generating of renewable energy projects.”

NECC has partnered with the Technology Strategy Board and the Energy Leadership Council to produce a statement of capability for the North East energy sector which was launched at the event.

The statement is an online tool, akin to a directory, to be used as a map of the North East energy sector. It will be ready for use by anyone thinking about investing in the region with easy-to-access information about supply chain capacity.

Ramsbotham added: “With investment in infrastructure and a policy framework, investors can have more certainty that there is no reason the North East can’t be to renewables what it has been in the past to the likes of offshore oil and gas.”