ONE thousand new job opportunities could be created as part of Northern Powergrid's proposals to invest £3.2 billion in the region’s drive towards a net zero future.

The company's draft plan for 2023-28 sets out its aims to deliver an electricity network across Yorkshire, the North East, and northern Lincolnshire that embraces and enables regional decarbonisation.

It has been submitted to Ofgem as part the price control review process that will culminate in late 2022.

The plans see investment increase by 36 per cent to more than £600m per year to ensure the region’s power network can support the expected growth in electricity demand from the anticipated electrification of heat and transport.

Phil Jones, chief executive, said: “We are setting out our intentions as one of the leading investors in the region’s transition to net zero. We see it as a fantastic opportunity and a significant responsibility. Our network will be instrumental in the shift to low carbon energy and we are responding to the calls from our stakeholders to invest in the network technologies that will make it all possible.”

The plan details how the network operator will strengthen its role as a regional leader of decarbonisation and invest in decarbonisation technologies, systems, and strategies, to offer its customers enhanced services across its entire business.

Northern Powergrid also outlines its plans to tailor its services to vulnerable customers to support a socially inclusive transition to net zero, and boost its workforce through new jobs and harnessing the talent of a diverse team.

Phil added: “We’re going to create the low carbon network of the future at the same time as improving service levels across the board. That means significant change in the way we do business. We need to learn new skills, create new job opportunities in the region and make the most of innovation, particularly in the area of data and digital technology.”

Northern Powergrid’s draft 2023-28 business plan is a product of extensive engagement. It has been shaped following some 300 events, 55 panels and 52,000 interactions with stakeholders, from school-age pupils and customers to local authority partners and industry veterans.