The firm that looks after the power grid in the north west of England has called on the Government to deliver a "clean, inclusive and resilient" recovery plan from Covid-19.

The chief executive of Electricity North West, Peter Emery has joined 200 business leaders in calling on the Government to commit to a coronavirus recovery plan that is in line with the UK's environmental goals.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Emery and others have called on the Government to commit to a plan that will help the country move towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050 "at the latest."

The letter stated: “The current crisis, in moving us all away from business-as-usual, has already created shifts in how we operate, and we believe we must use the recovery to accelerate the transition to net zero.

“Efforts to rescue and repair the economy in response to the current crisis can and should be aligned with the UK’s legislated target of net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.”

As the power network operator for the north west, Electricity North West is leading the way for the region’s transition to net zero.

Last year, the organisation launched its Leading the North West to Zero Carbon plan, which sets out how it is investing £63.5m from 2019-2023 in the latest technologies to drive down carbon emissions and help businesses, customers and its colleagues do the same.

Speaking about the role Electricity North West can play, Helen Boyle, the company's strategic decarbonisation manager, said: “As the power network operator for the region, we believe it is our responsibility to lead on the transformation to net zero and we are proud of the steps we have already made and the support we have provided to key businesses and stakeholders across the region.”