Home to some of the UK’s most stunning beaches, acres of unspoiled countryside, wide open skies and thousands of years of history, Northumberland is actually a pretty amazing place to live and work when you stop to think about it.
While the heavy industries that once dominated the region (coal, steel and shipbuilding) have slowly died out, they have been replaced by new and exciting prospects to provide job opportunities to local people. In the past five years alone, South East Northumberland has become home to some of the UK’s largest investment projects.
AkzoNobel Ashington
AkzoNobel’s Ashington manufacturing facility was a welcome boost for the local economy when it opened its doors in 2017. The £100 million investment in the state-of-the-art plant saw the creation of hundreds of jobs for local people and continues to be one of Ashington’s largest employers.
With its roots firmly planted in the local community, AkzoNobel has provided support to a variety of local causes and organisations to help rejuvenate the town which is now home to its world-famous Dulux decorative paint brand. Find out more: www.akzonobel.com
North Sea Link
In 2017, the tiny village of Cambois became home to the North Sea Link interconnector project – a €2 billion project to construct the longest subsea interconnector in the world.
A joint venture between Statnett and National Grid, the North Sea Link will connect the electricity systems of the two countries via high voltage subsea cables from Kvilldal in Norway to Blyth in the UK.
Passing through Norwegian and British waters, North Sea Link will transfer enough renewable energy back and forth to power up to 1.4 million homes across the UK. Find out more: www.northsealink.com
Lynemouth Power
Perched on the coast near the former colliery village of Lynemouth, the conversion of Lynemouth Power Station to clean, biomass energy by Czech company, EPH, is currently one of the largest civil engineering developments in the UK.
The project has created hundreds of jobs for local people and suppliers in the past few years. Now in its final stages, the conversion has seen major investment both on and off-site, including the construction of six new silos, the development of bespoke, large-scale handling facilities at the Port of Tyne, resurrection of the trainline from the port direct to Lynemouth Power Station, and a comprehensive overhaul and modification of all on-site equipment. Find out more: www.lynemouthpower.com
Britishvolt
The most recent investment project announced for the region is the construction of the new £2.6 billion Britishvolt “gigaplant” on the former site of Blyth Power Station.
Set to create up to 3,000 jobs for local people, as well as a further 5,000 in the wider supply chain, the lithium-ion car battery manufacturing plant will be the first of its kind in the UK and the largest industrial investment in the North East since the Nissan factory opened in Sunderland. Find out more: britishvolt.com
