The boss of Cumbria's Local Enterprise Partnership is preparing to chair a keynote session at a major energy conference

Cumbria LEP's chief executive, Jo Lappin, will take on the role at the Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse Conference, which will take place at the Bonus Arena, Hull, on November 5 and November 6.

The event has been organised by the Northern Powerhouse 11, a collaboration of the eleven Northern LEPs, which cover 76 local authority areas.

Conference organisers say that it will “showcase the innovation, leadership and opportunities across the North of England in energy, decarbonisation, transition and clean growth”.

Jo will chair a plenary session on day one of the conference looking at the role of the nuclear industry within the clean growth agenda in the Northern Powerhouse.

The panel will be made up of Tom Greatrex, chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, Alan Woods, strategy and business director for Rolls Royce, Craig Lester, deputy director for advanced nuclear innovation at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Andy Scargill, vice president, Nuclear and Clean Energy, at Jacobs.

Jo said: “Cumbria LEP is delighted to have been asked to play a prominent role in the conference.

"It reflects Cumbria’s nationally significant position within the energy and clean growth agenda.

"We have the largest concentration of nuclear skills in the UK and one of the world’s major concentrations of civil nuclear expertise, especially in decommissioning, waste management and environmental clean-up.

"Cumbria also has internationally recognised expertise in offshore wind, alongside emerging capabilities in wave, tidal and new battery technologies.”

Conference tickets are available online at npenergyconference.com

Business groups and local authorities are making the case to both Government and international investors for investment in the North’s energy and clean growth potential.

A north-wide NP11 Energy & Clean Growth Strategy is set to be unveiled at the conference.

The ambition is to attract Government and international business investment and support and to demonstrate that the North must be at the heart of the UK’s strategy to achieve the net zero carbon emission target.

Lord Inglewood, chair of Cumbria LEP, said: “Here in Cumbria, we have great businesses that are at the forefront of low-carbon energy innovation and clean growth technologies.

“This conference provides these organisations with an international platform to promote their work and secure new opportunities both nationally and internationally."