Budget brings renewable energy funding in North Lincolnshire

A £75 million funding boost from the government’s budget will target renewable energy in North Lincolnshire, starting with a deep water quay project in Killingholme.

The funding from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget will go towards the Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) project, a port facility for offshore wind.

AMEP represents a total £450 million investment from Able UK, a market leader in the field of renewable energy, and will cover an area of 783 acres on the Killingholme coast.

Once completed, 1,340 metres of new deep water quays will be placed alongside a 500 acre development site, designated for offshore wind development.

Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, welcomes the funding and claims the government are working hard to acknowledge the area’s concerns.

He said: “This latest announcement of government funding demonstrates the confidence in the plans and proposals which have been developed and are designed around attracting the investment needed to create well-paid, highly-skilled jobs.

“We have the skills and experience and we are now positioned as central to the development of a world-leading industry – people across North Lincolnshire will directly benefit from this announcement for years to come.

“The government is taking North Lincolnshire really seriously. This demonstrates their commitment to providing better paid jobs for local people – we are starting to see the Prime Minister’s ambitions for levelling up in the north and we are clearly now in receipt of more cash which will drive that.”

As well as this, Northern Powergrid has identified 38 locations in the UK, including Grimsby, Immingham and Harpswell in Lincolnshire, as places that would benefit from extra funding in energy infrastructure.

As part of the scheme, the electricity distribution business will invest around £50 million over the next two years in network capacity across the country, and Northern Lincolnshire could be selected for this funding.

This investment will support green growth projects and help them come to fruition faster, and the business has asked people with well developed plans to come forward.

A ‘call for evidence’ encourages people to contact Northern Powergrid and outline any plans they have for net zero or green developments.

Patrick Erwin, policy and markets director at Northern Powergrid, said: “We are proactively responding to the climate emergency and the industries like ours that are at the heart of that response must do what we can to speed up action.

“Our investment in the local power network is an important step on the road to economic growth and we want to invest in the places that will deliver the most benefit.

“We need people to come forward to tell us what plans they have – from an EV charging hub to a zero carbon homes development – so we can funnel our near-term investment to the place it can do the most good for our communities.”

Northern Powergrid’s call for evidence closes at 5pm on March 19.