MORE than £6bn has been invested in energy projects across the wider North-East over recent years. Recent milestones include:

* The UK's first offshore wind farm established in Blyth, Northumberland, in 2000.

* Emergence of County Durham-based Romag Holdings plc as one of the largest producers of photovoltaic modules in Europe.

* Novel tidal power systems brought to market by Tyneside-based SMD Hydrovision.

* Market-leadership in grid solutions for wind farms and other distributed generation by Econnect, based in Hexham, Northumberland.

* Investment by Norwegian-based oil and gas supplier Seadrill in a new engineering design operation in Blyth.

l The development of the country's largest biomass power plant and biodiesel plant, and the current construction of the largest bioethanol plant, all on Teesside