The North West has been named as one of eight geological super regions’ set to drive annual £40 billion investment in jobs and economic growth in the U.K.
The survey by the British Geographical Society identified the areas with a subsurface composition that is ‘just right’ to potentially host multiple energy-transition technologies, which will help deliver the UK’s net zero aspirations as presented in the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan
Whilst other parts of the UK benefit from geology well suited to certain net zero technologies, such as shallow geothermal installations or critical minerals occurrences, these geological super regions contain subsurface formations and conditions that are favourable to multiple different technologies within a relatively small area.
The other regions identified are Northern Ireland,the Scottish Central Belt,north-east England, South Yorkshire and Humber region
the East Midlands and East Anglia, South Wales and south-west England
Michelle Bentham, BGS Chief Scientist for decarbonisation and resource management says
Matching subsurface technologies and favourable geological conditions is essential for identifying regions with opportunities for investment, providing a roadmap for the UK to reach net zero emissions and ensuring a reliable and sustainable clean energy future. These findings provide a clear and deployable roadmap for decision makers to direct resources to the areas where they can deliver the greatest impact and support the Government’s target of creating 650 000 jobs through renewable energy by 2030.
Much of the UK’s subsurface can support at least one of the energy-transition technologies assessed, but what makes these geological super regions stand out is their versatility and potential to host multiple net zero technologies.
Work still lies ahead to accurately map these subsurface regions and BGS is uniquely positioned to undertake such investigations due to our national remit, recognised geological expertise and national geological data holdings.
