Tuesday 2 June 2026
Luke Myer MP has welcomed a major new CBI report highlighting the North East’s strength in clean industry, after recently visiting one of Teesside’s biggest infrastructure projects to see progress.
Last week, Luke visited the landmark new NZT Power and Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) sites, key projects within the East Coast Cluster carbon capture and storage programme. Luke chairs Parliament’s carbon capture cross-party group, and regularly engages with industry on this key sector for Teesside.
The visit included briefings from project leaders and the opportunity to meet apprentices and members of the local workforce helping deliver the scheme. Since receiving project sign-off from the Labour Government in 2024, NZT Power and NEP have already awarded more than 230 contracts to UK businesses worth over £1.5 billion and are expected to create and support more than 3,000 jobs during construction. The projects form part of a wider effort to establish Teesside as a global centre for carbon capture, hydrogen and clean energy technologies while protecting existing industrial jobs.
It comes as a major new report out today by CBI Economics found that the North East has the highest concentration of net zero businesses in England relative to its size. The report found that net zero is worth over £100bn to the UK economy, and identified the North East region as an energy and industrial hub with strengths in offshore wind, hydrogen and emerging clean technologies. Previous analysis by the same organisations found that more than 8,800 clean power jobs are already supported in the Teesside region, and the Teesside industrial cluster is a “key hub for carbon capture, hydrogen production and offshore wind”.
Luke Myer MP said:
“Teesside is on the rise. Seeing the progress at this landmark carbon capture site underlined the scale of opportunity and investment these projects are bringing to our region.”
“Thanks to government backing, private sector innovation and the skills of Teessiders, these projects are creating thousands of local jobs. They’re creating opportunities for young people, supporting local supply chains and giving businesses across our region the confidence to grow.”
Rich Denny, managing director of the Northern Endurance Partnership, said:
“NEP will underpin not just NZT Power, but a whole network of future carbon capture projects across Teesside and the Humber, with benefits for those regions and throughout our UK-wide supply chain.
“The investment already flowing into Teesside – into jobs, skills and the supply chain – is real and it is growing.
“We were proud to share that progress with our local representatives today and demonstrate the momentum being built here as we look towards our next stage of delivery on the Humber.”
Louise Hellem, CBI chief economist, said:
“This report makes clear the sustained scale of the opportunity in the UK’s Net Zero economy.
“It shows that clean power and decarbonisation are no longer future ambitions – they are already a significant and growing part of the UK’s industrial base.
“Across energy, manufacturing, services and supply chains, the UK has the expertise to build on this strength and capture even greater commercial opportunities.
“At a time when the UK must strengthen energy security and drive growth, the Net Zero economy is becoming central to the country’s future competitiveness.
“With global competition intensifying, government and business must work together to attract investment and scale up delivery.
“The UK cannot afford to step back from an industry already contributing £100billion to the economy and with huge future growth potential.”