Energy zone 'critical' for the Black Country

A new report has called for four Energy Innovation Zones (EIZs) in the West Midlands, with sites at Darlaston, Dudley, Wolverhampton and the i54 under consideration for one of them.

They will be tasked with providing a cheaper and plentiful power supply for industry and homes, and cutting air pollution.

The development of new energy supplies has been described as 'crucial' by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who is pushing for government funding to get EIZs off the ground.

He says that the region will eventually become reliant on green energy to stave off capacity problems, and needs its own sources to enable businesses to flourish.

The Energy Innovation Commission's report, which was headed by former Government chief scientific advisor Sir David King, said the West Midlands was at the forefront of the modern energy revolution.

Mr Street said: "The commission has done a brilliant job in putting together a detailed and thorough report.

"The whole issue of energy will become of great significance as we go forward.

"For manufacturers in the West Midlands, the cost of energy is important, and given our dependence as a region on manufacturers, this becomes critical.

"There is no escaping the fact that some manufacturing investments in the region are dependant on a new supply of energy. It is a current constraint and therefore really does matter.

"I think it can also be a new source of business success for us."

Mr Street added that EIZs would reduce emissions and lower energy bills across the region, while also developing local supply chains, creating jobs, skills and markets.

"Delivering clean growth means ensuring we can supply competitive power to increase productivity across our industrial base," he said.

"It means ending fuel poverty for our most vulnerable citizens, building our existing skills base to grow new industries, delivering our share of the UK’s contribution to climate change targets and creating commercial successes in the energy arena for export worldwide."

The report, entitled Powering West Midlands Regional Growth, puts forward six recommendations.

It suggests giving the £125 million raised from the green energy levy on utility companies to the West Midlands Combined Authority, allowing the Mayor and his cabinet to fund research and development on new energy.

It says the West Midlands already has 10,000 companies in the energy supply chain, employing over 56,000 people.

Mr Street added: "The report is very clear. It is not just the role of energy as a supplier for manufacturing, it is an industry itself where we have got a really good position.

"That is another key area that we what we want to develop."

However, according to the report, the region also has some of the worst energy poverty in the UK, with poor air quality resulting from a high concentration of intensive manufacturing areas.

Sir David, who was until recently the Government’s special representative on climate change, said: "Tackling climate change is the most pressing issue of our time.

"Britain has been in the vanguard so far, reducing its carbon emissions by more than 40 per cent, however the next steps are more challenging because we need to expand our efforts from electricity to heat and transport, which are harder to decarbonise.

"The Energy Innovation Zone is a concept developed in the West Midlands that would allow the region to take control and ownership of the energy transition.

"Our commission report presents a compelling argument to invest in this locally driven model of clean energy transition and represents a major step forward in this field."

Other energy zones have been earmarked for Tyseley, at the UK Central site in Solihull, and in Coventry.