“To make energy a source not of vulnerability but of strength,” Keir Starmer told world leaders in Belém on 6 November, using the COP30 stage to talk jobs as much as carbon. The Prime Minister warned against delay, then pointed straight to work in Hull, Greater Manchester and Belfast.

For readers in the North, two commitments stood out. First, the government reiterated that the £1 billion turbine order announced last year will keep blades rolling at Siemens Gamesa’s Hull plant. Second, Statera Energy has now confirmed a final investment decision for a 680MW battery at Carrington in Greater Manchester, which Number 10 says could power up to 2.2 million homes for two hours once energised.

In Hull, the blades are destined for ScottishPower’s 960MW East Anglia TWO wind farm, 33km off the Suffolk coast. The Reuters‑reported deal, worth more than £1 billion, underlined the city’s place in the UK supply chain; Siemens Gamesa says the Alexandra Dock factory now employs around 1,300 people after a major expansion.

Those blades won’t be travelling far to pre‑assembly. Peel Ports’ Great Yarmouth site, now rebranded as the Port of East Anglia, has secured new investment for an operations and maintenance centre and an upgrade to its Northern Terminal, with ScottishPower confirming pre‑assembly for East Anglia TWO there. Government papers put support at £15m as part of a wider £28m package, alongside a separate £10m upgrade and around 100 jobs.

Across the Irish Sea, offshore wind assembly is set to return to Belfast Harbour’s D1 terminal after a commitment of over £100m from the Mona and Morgan joint ventures. Enabling works are under way so the site is ready from 2028, with around 300 jobs expected and enough future capacity to help power roughly three million homes once both wind farms are online, according to the harbour and JV partners.

In Greater Manchester, Statera’s 680MW Carrington Storage scheme has reached financial close, with construction under way and energisation targeted for late 2026, the company said. “Investment in flexible infrastructure can help balance a renewable‑led grid and create skilled jobs,” added Statera chief executive Tom Vernon. The project sits alongside Highview Power’s long‑duration liquid‑air storage build at Carrington, planned at 50MW/300MWh and due in 2026.

Downing Street paired the local headlines with bigger national claims: more than £50bn of clean‑energy investment announced since last year and 800,000 jobs expected by the end of the decade. Those figures signal intent, but delivery still depends on a steady pipeline. Siemens Energy has warned the next renewables auction must be the strongest yet if the 2030 electricity target is to stay in reach.

Starmer framed the push as security as much as climate. “Can billpayers wait?” he asked, pointing to Hurricane Melissa’s devastation in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. With at least 50 deaths reported and billions in damage logged, the warning landed - and it raises familiar questions at home about flood resilience and energy‑efficiency funding in northern towns and coastal communities.

The UK also pressed the Global Clean Power Alliance launched with Brazil last year, aimed at fixing finance bottlenecks in emerging markets. A June update set out country and project workstreams to improve pipelines and bring in private capital - practical steps that northern manufacturers, engineers and ports can serve if orders keep coming.

The takeaway for the North is straightforward: blades made in Hull, batteries built in Trafford, and ships loaded in Great Yarmouth and Belfast. Now comes the graft - connections, skills, and a predictable flow of projects. If ministers keep that on track, the plan sketched in Belém turns into steady work on the Humber and across Greater Manchester, not just another big speech.