Funding could lead to rapid charging points in Northumberland for electric vehicles

Following a region-wide call led by Northern Powergrid the electricity network operator for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire reviewed evidence from local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, local businesses and developers as part of the national Green Recovery Scheme.

This led to a final shortlist of 14 projects for submission and it has been announced today that the electricity regulator Ofgem and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have approved all of them, which will result in a total investment of £53million.

The project in Northumberland will see £600,000 allocated for electricity infrastructure at sites in the Alnwick and Morpeth areas and at Purdy Lodge near Belford.

A Northern Powergrid spokesman said this will “create capacity that could enable rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging on the A1 trunk road and potentially enable small-scale generation projects”.

He added: “This investment in network infrastructure across the North will help with the response to the climate emergency, bring forward more green jobs and be completed quickly, with the upgrades to the electricity network taking place within the next two years to enable economy-boosting projects to come to fruition faster.”

The other projects include £3million worth of upgrades in Newcastle city centre.

Patrick Erwin, policy and markets director at Northern Powergrid, said: “Confirmation of this £53million investment across all 14 projects we proposed is a great boost for the region and could not have happened without the informed input of all those who had their say in where these upgrades are needed most.”