Mayor calls for government to bring global green investment expo to Teesside

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has urged the government to bring a global green investment event to the region.

Writing to both the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, Mayor Houchen said that “the Tees Valley would be the perfect place for the inaugural event”.

Set to go ahead in September 2022, the global green exports and investment expo would aim to secure global investment into the UK for the development of green industries in a bid to meet the government’s net zero 2050 target.

Mayor Houchen commented: “From carbon capture, utilisation and storage, to offshore wind and developing hydrogen as a fuel source, Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool are already at the forefront of the government’s mission to cut emissions.

“But if we are to meet the ambitious target set by the government for the UK to be a net zero nation by 2050, we must roll out more ground-breaking technologies even faster, and we cannot do this without investment.

He added: “Every day I see a range of projects and ideas in businesses and research centres across Teesside that could play a hugely important role in meeting our emissions reduction and climate change targets, they just need exposure and investment to take them to the next level.

“Bringing a global green investment expo to Teesside would do just that. This means more local jobs and more cutting-edge technology exported from Global Britain around the world.

“The government cannot get to net zero without Teesside’s engineering, chemicals and processing expertise, so there is no better place for the inaugural green investment expo than Teesside. So, I look forward to working with Kwasi and Liz to show off what Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have to offer to international investors.”