The new decade has got off to a flying start in the industries identified as key to the North East's future economic growth. Peter McCusker reports on the progress of the Great North Revolution.

WHILE the overall economic mood in the UK and the developed world remains cautious, there are some sectors which are racing ahead at break-kneck speed, with the North East leading the way.

Just as the region was at the forefront of the early 19th Century’s industrial revolution, the early 21st century is witnessing a revolution of its own, driven in part by the pressing need to ensure the rapidly growing energy needs of the expanding global economy are less reliant on fossil fuels.

Last June, our newspapers The Journal and the Evening Gazette announced the launch of the Great North Revolution campaign and North East Vision has thrown its weight behind this drive.

The aim is to help the North East lead the way in developing expertise in those key sectors where technological expertise and innovation will lead to economic growth.

One of the five sectors of the economy which has been identified as key is the manufacture and development of offshore wind technology.

And since the turn of the year, there have been a raft of major announcements, which could create at least 2,000 jobs, giving weight to those who said the region was poised to become a global leader in this field.

In late February, Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government to invest £100m into a research and development facility for green energy in the region, which could create 1,500 jobs.

Mitsubishi is yet to finalise exactly where it will locate its North East research and development base, but the banks of the Tyne or the Tees are two possible locations.

Mitsubishi chief executive Akio Fukui said the firm will build a prototype wind turbine within three years, with full-scale production starting after four years.