Energy 2050 – Cutting Through The Energy Transition Conundrums
The third Energy 2050 Summit takes place in London, 28th – 29th November and remains committed to its original objective – to create a forum for the cross-sector debate and collaboration which will accelerate the energy transition.
The objective may remain the same, however the energy landscape evolves, continuing to throw up the uncertainties and complexities that are a part of any industrial revolution - as the energy transition can surely be classed.
Just a quick look at recent headlines in the UK alone, illustrates the state of flux…
An economic crisis hitting major floating windfarm projects announced alongside oil and gas producer Apache’s departure from the North Sea, and a decommissioning supply chain which may not have the required capacity to deal with the results.
The launch of Great British Nuclear and an accompanying £157m worth of technology grants, jostling beside reports that the small modular reactors expected to represent the next phase of nuclear energy will be technically and economically unfeasible.
News of half a £billon raised in certified green financing for the roll out of EV charging infrastructure, following the European Investment Bank’s survey earlier this year which reports that at a lack of skills – particularly in engineering and digital - will hinder the implementation of the energy transition without a long-term step change in education and training.
The UK government announcing at least 100 new production licences will be issued in the next round this autumn, whilst also confirming £millions for a new carbon capture scheme in north-east Scotland.
In those four paragraphs - particularly the last one, which more than hints at the balancing act between energy security and clean energy - we’ve given you the tiniest snapshot of the ongoing energy transition conundrum. There is a vast number of topics we haven’t (indeed, couldn’t, in this small space), touched upon that bring the situation into sharp focus, such as the viewpoint that rising energy consumption is already far outpacing green technology, and what’s more, is causing concerns for existing grid capacity.
You can see what we mean when we say that it's not hard to discern that the opportunities to debate, inform, learn are almost limitless in our current energy context. And that’s where Energy 2050 comes in.
Taking place just days before COP28 kicks off in Dubai, the Energy 2050 Summit will bring together the clean energy producers and distributors, the producers of fossil fuels, the technology developers, the policy makers, the thought-leaders and the investors to discuss the myriad routes which make up the global journey towards net zero. This is not an expo; this is a confidential forum for those who are leading the transformation.
As in previous years, we’ve not created an “obvious” energy transition agenda – our role is to help cut through the noise, allowing a range of perspectives from across the global energy industry to build and take forward a pragmatic approach which results in a sustainable transition.
Last year, the range of speakers who brought there almost encyclopaedic picture of 2022’s global energy challenges included: David Wright - Chief Engineer of National Grid; Rajat Katyal – HSBC’s Global Head of Oil & Gas; Matt Williamson – bp’s Head of Origination Hydrogen UK; Ignacio de Calonje – Chief Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation; Martin Porter – Secretary General World Nuclear Transport Institute; and Catharina Hillenbrand von der Neyen – Managing Director, Carbon Tracker.
This year, expect another agenda of industry experts looking to discuss technology and policy with you, across the spectrum of the decarbonisation topics, including:
The impact of US energy strategy on UK and European policies for the energy transition
The role of CCUS in the clean energy transition
Powering the energy transition with smart electrification
The role of biofuels in clean energy transitions
The challenge of greenwashing in the rush to a sustainable future
We have two days of discussion lined up.
