Cheshire and Warrington have set out their ambitions to be world leaders in net zero carbon energy, innovation and technology ahead of the COP26 conference.

At Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership’s economic summit, held just weeks before the global climate conference COP26, it reaffirmed its commitments to reach net zero and urged businesses to take the lead and put into action the changes required to achieve net zero.

A poll of businesses at the event, which was held at Chester Racecourse, found that more than 90% of those in attendance regarded the transition to net zero as an opportunity for their business and not a risk.

The sub-region is home to one of the highest polluting industrial clusters in the country, near Ellesmere Port, and recognises the importance of the shared responsibility to reach the net zero commitments.

Last week, it was announced that the low carbon and hydrogen energy project HyNet North West, including the potential for hydrogen production plants at Ellesmere Port, has been selected by the Government as a lead project for investment and could now receive major funding.

Cheshire and Warrington is one of the first areas in the country to put together a decarbonisation investment plan, unlocking £1bn of capital investment.