Government must tackle energy ‘triple challenge’, says expert

Captain of industry calls for reform <em>– News</em>

By Colin Smith
Thursday 22 November 2007

The Government must do more if the United Kingdom is to successfully tackle a triple challenge in securing future energy resources; one of the UK’s captains of industry said this week (22 November).

Sir Roy Gardner, newly appointed chair of the Imperial College Energy Futures Lab Advisory Board, was the guest speaker at the Imperial College Energy Futures Lab Annual Lecture on ‘Securing our Energy Future’.

Sir Roy, who is also the President of the Energy Institute, a chartered energy industry professional membership body, said Britain’s historic self-sufficiency in energy is being replaced by an increasing dependence on imports.

Rising oil and gas prices, increased competition for energy resources from giants like India and China and the concentration of reserves in the hands of a few countries are some of the pressing energy issues facing the UK, he told a packed audience.

To secure the UK’s future a triple energy challenge must be faced. The first challenge entails the creation of a single, liberalised European energy market. Secondly, technology must be harnessed to both manage global demand and develop sustainable energy resources. These two goals can only be achieved, through the third, recruiting more people with the right skills into industry.

The UK government must meet this ‘triple energy challenge’ head on claimed Sir Roy. He said it must also continue to push the EU to create the right conditions for a single energy market.

Sir Roy also said that the Government must get off the fence on nuclear power, which he feels should play a role in the UK’s energy strategy. He also supported the Prime Minister’s call for the reform of the UK’s planning laws, which he says are “archaic” and constrain the development of energy resources.

In his lecture he called on the Government to: give industry more certainty; encourage energy efficiency; play a greater part in getting young people to develop the right skills and encourage them to see the energy industry as an attractive career choice.

Commenting about the need to secure the UK’s energy future, Sir Roy said:

“The real issue is not security of supply for individual countries but for Europe as a whole. Energy security requires not nationalism but co-operation. If we successfully meet our energy triple challenge then I believe we’ll be a long way towards delivering the energy security that is essential to our economic welfare.”

Professor Nigel Brandon   , Director of Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab, praised Sir Roy Gardner saying:

“We were delighted to have Sir Roy here at Imperial to stimulate some much needed debate on a sustainable approach to securing the UK’s energy needs,” he said.

Professor Brandon also welcomed Sir Roy to his new post as chair of the Energy Futures Lab Advisory Board. The Energy Futures Lab, a focal point for energy research across the College, plays a leading role in setting the energy agenda over the next 20 to 50 years. The Energy Futures Lab Advisory Board will work with the Lab to ensure that it meets its objective to create solutions to some of the major challenges facing the development of a sustainable energy future.

Newly appointed members include: Sir Roy Gardner, Chairman, Chairman of Compass Group PLC; Dr Paul Golby, CEO, E.ON UK; Syamal Gupta, Chairman, Tata International; Professor Sir Peter Knight, FRS, Principal, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London; Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive, Centrica plc; Eddie O’Conner , Chief Executive Officer, Airtricity; Sir John Rose, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce plc; Sir Neville Simms, Chairman, International Power plc, James Smith, Chairman, Shell UK; Professor John Wood, FREng, CBE, Principal, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London; and Philip Yea, Chief Executive, 3i Group plc.

The ‘Securing our Energy Future’: Energy Futures Lab Annual Lecture was held at the College’s South Kensington Campus, on Thursday 22 November 2007.