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Delivering a Low Carbon Economy
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) works to build the competitiveness of our region’s Businesses, People and Places — the vital ingredients of economic success. With a growing emphasis on the challenges and opportunities climate change presents, developing a low carbon economy will be essential in helping to deliver this vision. The NWDA is leading the region in: • Working with businesses to improve resource efficiency, reduce energy consumption and business risks • Investing in the growth of the energy and environmental technologies sector, including nuclear, tidal and biomass • Setting new standards for energyefficient building design, construction and use • Improving transport infrastructure and supporting transport alternatives • Delivering a Climate Change Action Plan, to ensure the region reduces its environmental impact, adapts to climate change and capitalises on key business opportunities
Four key achievements in delivering a low carbon economy: ENWORKS - Establishment of the ENWORKS business resource efficiency programme, which offers specialist business support to improve environmental performance, reduce waste, improve productivity and increase cost savings. Over 3,600 Northwest businesses have benefited from the specialist advice and support offered, with £75 million cost savings identified. To date, for every £1 the NWDA has invested in the programme, £13 of business cost savings have been identified. Nuclear expertise – The Agency supports a number of projects to ensure that the Northwest capitalises on its nuclear expertise. This includes ‘Britain’s Energy Coast’, which has the potential to create 16,000 jobs and boost Cumbria’s economic performance by £800 million a year; and a £6m investment for Energus, the flagship arm of the National Nuclear Skills Academy. The facility has levered £9m investment to date and is delivering a range of key industry training standards, ensuring the UK nuclear industry has a suitably skilled workforce to deal with the current and future nuclear programme. Sustainable transport – An £8 million NWDA investment will support the delivery of an additional Metrolink rail spur and tram stop, providing vital connections between MediaCityUK and the rest of Salford Quays as well as a service every 6 minutes to and from Manchester city centre. Energy efficient infrastructure –The Agency-funded Arena & Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC) pioneers green principles and includes several energy saving features. The complex, which has been given a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’, uses 20% less electricity and produces half the CO² emissions of a typical arena.
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Other key projects we have led or supported include:
Energy Innovation Centre Agency investment has enabled the construction of EA Technology’s Energy Innovation Centre at Capenhurst, a facility designed to enable start-up companies and individuals to turn innovative ideas into commercially successful products and services for the energy industry. The centre has already levered in £2 million.
Northwest Waste Technology Virtual Centre of Excellence Offering technical advice to waste technology businesses, the project will stimulate research and development, and is expected to create 300 jobs, safeguard a further 940 jobs and add £25.5m to the sector. In addition, it will divert 570,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and establish the Northwest as the leading region for recycling and waste technology service.
Environmentally Friendly Engine Working with Rolls-Royce, the NWDA is supporting the development of a new resource efficient engine, as part of the vision to meet European targets in cutting aircraft emissions. Innovative new technology to create aerodynamic designs, materials and advanced control systems forms a major part of the project, which is being developed in Burnley.
Tidal Energy The Northwest’s estuaries have strong potential to help support future energy needs and the Agency is leading a number of initiatives to position the region as a global leader in harnessing this. This includes supporting the ‘Power from the Mersey’ study, which will examine the ability to extract tidal energy from the Mersey Estuary.
Carbon Reduction Initiatives £10m NWDA investment is ensuring the delivery of four carbon reduction initiatives: • Grants for Improving your Resource Efficiency – Designed to help SMEs fund investments in environmentally-friendly capital equipment, with grants ranging from £50,000 to £200,000 • Grant for Research and Development – Funding ranging from £5,000 to £500,000, to enable SMEs to develop a range of low carbon technology projects, and accelerate the commercialisation of new products and processes • Foundation – The Northwest climate fund will deliver £1m per year for local, community based carbon-reducing projects • Carbon Challenge Fund – Grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 for new projects that can demonstrate significant carbon savings. These initiatives will lever in £30 million of additional investment.
Renaissance House, Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1QN Tel: +44 (0)1925 400 100 Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400 www.nwda.co.uk October 2009 NWDA J10-04