JAPANESE car maker Nissan has announced plans to build a wind farm at its Sunderland plant.

If it receives planning permission, the wind farm would be the first in the North-East to be entirely in an industrial area.

The application, for seven turbines, which would cut carbon dioxide emissions at the site, has been welcomed by environmental groups.

It comes only a day after a report into renewable energy suggested green energy could create more than 30,000 jobs in the region.

The turbines would provide the plant with enough electricity to power the equivalent of 2,600 UK homes. It is hoped the wind farm, the first at a Nissan site, could be in operation by next autumn.

A spokesman for environmental campaign group Greenpeace said: "Any efforts to reduce the impact business has on the environment are certainly to be welcomed."

The Wearside plant also announced it has received international recognition for earlier environmental measures introduced at the site.

The factory has been reaccredited with the ISO 14001 certification -the international standard for environmental management.

Green initiatives introduced at the plant include using nearly 100 per cent returnable packaging, creating and maintaining a feeding ground for wildfowl and recycling waste water, solvents and sand.

Graham Bagley, the senior engineer at Nissan Motors UK, said: "Continuous improvement plays a large part in achieving the ISO standard, and the wind farm is central to our aim of cutting power plant emissions and generating energy in a safe and environmentally friendly manner."

The announcement came after the launch of a report recommending that up to 13,000 turbines are built off the region's coast.

Commissioned by Greenpeace and supported by the Department of Trade and Industry, the report estimated the turbines could generate 38,000 jobs in the North-East.

Already the most efficient car plant in Europe, Nissan bosses said the wind farm would help ensure it stayed commercially competitive.

However, the Greenpeace spokesman said: "Businesses are one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, which are already killing thousands of people through climate change."