North leads way to low carbon future
Jul 20 2009 By Graeme Whitfield, The Journal
THE North East will today be named the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area as it is placed at the centre of the Government’s drive towards a green revolution.
Japanese car giant Nissan will announce fresh investment in its Washington factory that will allow it to produce electric cars.
An announcement is also expected on the re-opening of the Leamside rail line for freight, linking the plant with the Port of Tyne.
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson will visit the Nissan factory where he will address some of the company’s 4,000 workers, alongside Nissan’s senior vice president Trevor Mann.
A Government source last night told The Journal: "The Government remains focused on our plan for building Britain’s future: a radical vision for a stronger economy and better public services.
"We will not shrink from facing, head-on, the key long-term challenges that Britain faces.
"In the last week, we’ve set out plans for the ageing society, radical reform of social care, a blueprint for life sciences and put Britain the forefront of a low carbon economic revolution.
"The work goes on this week with further announcements on green cars, train electrification, growth and jobs.
"Our low carbon industrial strategy set out how new opportunities would be created in the move to a low carbon economy.
"Today we are announcing that the North East is to become the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area specialising in ultra-low carbon vehicles, bringing together the different elements needed to drive transformation of the region’s auto industry: support for innovation and demonstration, skills training and clustering of manufacturing.
"As more of us start driving electric vehicles, people will need to be trained in how to maintain and repair them. The UK’s first college specialising in these skills will be within this area.
"The LCEA will also include a new research and development centre, an R&D test track, new regional training centre to deliver skills training in sustainable manufacturing; a technology park for firms in the low-carbon vehicle sector and a rail link to improve access to the Port of Tyne.
"The action we have already taken has helped save 500,000 jobs and we are committed to avoiding the problems of the last recession when an entire generation of young people were left on the scrapheap." Nissan would not comment on its plans ahead of today’s announcement, but it is believed to involve investment in low carbon technology.
The Japanese vehicle manufacturer and its French partner Renault plan to launch electric cars in the US and Japan from next year and globally from 2012.
In April, the European Investment Bank approved up to hundreds of millions of pounds to be split between Nissan’s operations in Britain and Spain for the "accelerated introduction" in the market of low-carbon-emission vehicles.
Nissan is Britain’s largest carmaker by production volume.
Its plant in Washington, Sunderland, has 4,200 employees and is the North East’s largest single-site employer.
Lord Mandelson is expected to tell workers about plans to create a "low-carbon economic area" in the North East, including a research and development centre and technology park for automotive suppliers.
