IF the first few freezing weeks of this decade have highlighted one thing, it’s the importance of having a bright warm house to come home to after braving the elements.

And this is why it is so important we have a reliable, secure energy supply if we are to provide for a future where our energy needs are only likely to increase still further.

The Government’s decision to develop nine zones for wind power off the UK coast comes as good news for the whole country, as it promises to source clean energy from our own shores.

And it is particularly good news for the North-East.

As our region is closest to Dogger Bank, the biggest zone to be developed, there are tremendous opportunities for the North-East in terms of job creation and also attracting further investment in the sector.

The North-East has already been identified as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area, and is developing a strong reputation in the field of new and renewable energy. The Tees Valley is particularly well-placed to capitalise upon this potential, having already been identified as one of the few major UK centres for carbon capture and storage.

In its recent energy report, the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) calculated that renewable and sustainable energy could create 40,000 jobs in the region and bring as much as £10bn of investment between now and 2030.

But if this potential is to be realised, we must ensure the region is ready and prepared. Efforts must be made to train a workforce and equip them with the skills they will need to work in this sector. Equally, infrastructure problems and a national planning culture that can prove unnecessarily bureaucratic and cumbersome must be examined and improved.

The UK is in competition with other countries also looking to capitalise on the opportunities the wind farms will create. The UK needs workers with the appropriate skills to ensure manufacturing and maintenance jobs benefit our labour markets. Equally, we need national planning policies that are as proactive as those on the Continent.

It is estimated that the wind power zones could feed 32GW of clean electricity into the UK grid, which is enough energy to supply nearly all the homes in the UK. Gordon Brown argues that these new policies on offshore wind energy place the UK ahead of every other country in the world.

Whether or not he is right is of limited importance. What is important is that these projects are given the support they need to thrive and to help drive our economy as well as the energy needs of the nation for the future.

● Martyn Pellew is NECC president.