Green Expo 2022 targets the City

Green Expo 2022, the new three day event in Chester on June 16-18 is making special plans for investors and businesses with ESG and green credential ambitions. The event is the first of its kind and important to North West England and North Wales as they develop plans for a carbon neutral future. Local, national and international organisations will show how they are achieving their plans as they move towards net zero.

The Green Expo Business Conference at the Riverside Innovation Centre on the Thursday (16^th June) will see nationally known speakers tackle topics on each of the UK's Climate Response strands, Power, Buildings (& Homes), Industry, Transport, Natural Resources (& Farming), Adaptation & Resilience.

Investors and visiting businesses from outside of the region will also be invited for a personal tour of the Peel NRE facilities at Protos and Plastic Park and at the University of Chester's Thornton Research facilities. This, together with the Welcome and Awards Dinner the night before at Eaton Park, make it a high value flying visit to the green heart of the North West.

According to the Green Skills Taskforce 2021 report over 60,500 new jobs will be created in the North West by 2050 to get the UK to NetZero and according to Net Zero North West this will sustain up to 650,000 jobs, the largest number of all the UK regions. An afternoon session at the conference will focus on the skills gap and how organisations have overcome this.

Major sponsors include Peel NRE, Encirc, Tatton Group, with Grosvenor Estates and the University of Chester. Other sponsors like SP Energy, EA Technology, Deepbridge Capital and NatWest Group are involved with specific events and the Green Expo Awards on the Wednesday evening. Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East Councils, together with Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and Chester BID have provided 'Green Shoot' funding.

Myles Kitcher, Managing Director of Peel NRE, part of Peel L&P said; "Peel NRE plays a huge role in helping the country to deliver clean growth and a circular economy and our partnership work in the North West is significant as we strive to become the UK's first low carbon infrastructure cluster by 2030. We look forward to discussing the environmental and economic benefits of our projects at Green Expo 2022 and will be connecting with others to share best practice and build upon our own expertise."

John Egan, North West Lead for HyNet, a major consortium working on a project in the region to generate, store and distribute hydrogen will be presenting an update on the project. He said; "The Climate crisis that we are facing demands urgent and meaningful changes in how we travel, grow our food, heat our homes and fuel our industry.  There is no single solution, but instead multiple actions are required.  Some of the technologies are new and unfamiliar, and Green Expo will be an opportunity to come and learn."

Cheshire West & Chester Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has set a carbon neutrality target of 2030 for Cheshire West and Chester and 2045 for the Borough.

Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth, Economy & Regeneration at Cheshire West and Chester Council said; "Green Expo is about celebrating Cheshire West's journey to becoming a world leader in low carbon energy and technology. In the coming years it will bring thousands of new jobs and opportunities to our area, with Chester and Ellesmere Port at the centre of circular economy innovation and the epicentre of the green industrial revolution."

Philip Cox, Chief Executive of Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership said: "Cheshire and Warrington has the potential to be to be a world leader in zero carbon energy technology and innovation, and the first decarbonised industrial cluster in the world, putting the region at the forefront of the UK's drive to net zero. It is by working with a range of local, national and international partners and organisations we have the best chance of making our ambitions a reality.

"We need businesses to take the lead so we can achieve net zero and this event will be a great chance to hear about the plans that organisations have and the opportunities for investment. It is also our chance to discuss how we can all work together to achieve net zero to combat climate change and also maximise the potential benefits it can bring to businesses, residents and the economy."

Project Director for Green Expo Jane Harrad-Roberts summarised; "Chester has over a thousand years of history in renewable energy and it is only natural that we should demonstrate why Chester and Cheshire can become the green heart of England."

More information on Green Expo is at https://greenexpo.uk