Winning these two awards highlights the huge progress the Port has made towards meeting the ambitious Net Zero targets outlined in Tyne 2050 and becoming renowned as a hub for clean energy enterprise in the UK.
Over the past 12 months, Port of Tyne’s Net Zero strategy has seen diesel consumption cut by 260K litres, saved 2.3M kWh in energy and eliminated over 1,500 tonnes of CO2. The Port also launched the Tyne Clean Energy Park, which has already welcomed its first tenant Equinor, which will operate and maintain what will be the biggest windfarm in the world from the Port. This will play an important role in supporting the government’s goal to power every UK home with offshore wind electricity.
The awards recognise the port’s movement towards zero emissions and decarbonisation and for the work it is doing in bringing different organisations together to support a wider net zero future.
On receiving the awards, Matt Beeton, CEO at Port of Tyne said:
“We are thrilled and I want to give credit to everyone at the Port for their unfailing commitment in driving the port forward. Our clean energy objectives are intentionally ambitious and what we have achieved so far demonstrates that maritime can make a huge impact in achieving a clean, green future.
“We also want to shout out to clean tech companies who haven’t yet engaged with us to view the Port as a partner for bringing their technology to market and potentially use our site as a test bed to accelerate adoption of clean energy across maritime. And let’s not forget that ultimately this is not just about business, it is vital for us as individuals, for our families and our futures. We need to work together to improve the environment and make all our clean goals come to fruition.”
Addressing the awards ceremony, Robert Courts MP, UK maritime minister said that the pandemic has demonstrated how resilient maritime and everyone associated with the industry has been. He stressed how important the new ‘clean maritime’ awards are and that they should act as a beacon for other nations and industries to recognise and reward efforts towards delivering a cleaner environment. Reaffirming the Port’s own strategy, he said that by ‘Collaborating together we will deliver our Maritime 2050 commitments and strengthen our position as a leading maritime nation.’