The Northern Powerhouse should lead the energy transition with deals, not words.

That is according to Denise Massey, the Managing Director of the Energy Innovation Centre.

She says the shift to a green economy will require businesses from across all energy sectors to pull together and work in the same direction, if the UK is to achieve the energy trilemma challenge of sustainability, affordability and accessibility.

She believes that the energy industry in the north of the country is well placed to lead this collaborative effort.

Ms Massey said: “Cross-sector collaboration in the industry is challenging and almost too big a task to tackle nationally but the Northern Powerhouse is ideally placed to start a shift towards a collaborative way of working.

“We’ve got an incredible asset base in terms of energy – nuclear, gas, electricity, renewables, offshore – and a comprehensive network of small and medium sized enterprises primed for innovation. It’s all right here in the region.

“We could provide a framework for how the different strands of the sector could work together and provide part of the blue print which could, over time, be rolled out nationally.”

Former Chancellor George Osborne has taken up a new job as chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which will bring together businesses and politicians to commission research, share ideas and aim to hold the government to press ahead with devolution for the north.