The UK is facing a pivotal moment in its energy landscape. Rising energy costs are placing immense pressure on both businesses and consumers. Companies striving for growth are constrained by high operational expenses, while consumers are burdened by increased utility bills and inflated prices of goods – driven by the energy-intensive nature of manufacturing and transport.

The challenge facing government and industry is how to achieve a balance between affordable, reliable and efficient energy. The progress to meeting this is often hindered by fragmented approaches across government, industry and regulatory bodies.

This summit will bring together influential voices from industry, politics and the media to explore actionable solutions to securing energy independence, reducing energy costs and aligning policy and innovation to meet consumer and business needs.

Key questions we will explore:

• How can the UK diversify its energy sources to reduce reliance on volatile global markets?
• What role should government play in incentivising low-cost, low-carbon energy
• How can industry collaborate to drive down costs and improve efficiency?

Attending this summit, you will hear from government and opposition politicians, leaders from industries including energy, manufacturing, aviation, shipping and trade, and academia.

If you’re an MP, diplomat or civil servant, please apply here for a complimentary ticket.
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Agenda

Topics are subject to change‍

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Morning

8.45am-1pm

• Welcome breakfast
• Host’s opening remarks - Alex Wolfe, host of the Wolfe Power Club Podcast
• Welcome from Michael Gove - Editor, The Spectator‍
• Opening Keynote - Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Change Committee
• Session 1 – And, not or: why we should back a broad range of energy sources and technologies to ensure UK energy security, sponsored by Equinor
  
  • Panellists include: Mike Maudsley, CEO Enfinium, Dhara Vyas, CEO Energy UK, Holly Pattenden, Equinor’s UK VP Government Relations and Ben Wilson, President, National Grid Ventures (Chaired by The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman)‍
• ‍The Spectator’s Michael Simmons in conversation with Greg Jackson, CEO & Founder of Octopus Energy and non-executive member of the Cabinet Office Board

• Session 2 - Seconds, Hours or Seasons – what kind of energy storage should Britain build?
  
  • Panellists include: Baroness Luciana Berger, Chair, Energy Storage Association, Matthew Hickin, CEO, Sunsynk, Jason Howlett, CEO, Energy Storage Association, Professor Raphael Hirschi, Stellar Hydrodynamics & Nuclear Astrophysics, Keele University
• Session 3 - The Wind Debate
  
  • Panellists include: Kathryn Porter, CEO Watt-Logic, Matt Ridley, Science writer and journalist, Ana Musat, Executive Director, RenewableUK and Dan Marks, Research Fellow RUSI (Chaired by The Spectator’s political correspondent Lucy Dunn).
    
• Session 4 - Having the energy to trade: the challenge and the opportunity of decarbonisation for economic growth, sponsored by Port of Dover
  
  • Panellists include: Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Doug Bannister, CEO of Port of Dover, Olivia Powis, CEO, Carbon Capture and Storage Association and Jesper Christensen, Operations Director, DFDS

Afternoon

1-5.15pm

• Networking lunch
• Session 5 - Keeping Europe’s engines running: affordable energy for industry and mobility, sponsored by Bosch
  
  • Panellists include: Bill Esterson MP, Chair of Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, Dr. Steffen Hoffmann, Managing Director, Bosch UK & Ireland and Geoff Mansfield, Global Vice President for Low Carbon Fuels, Shell, Baroness Charlotte Vere, Group Head Market Development, Core Power and Harry Metcalfe, Harry's Garage & EVO Magazine founder (Chaired by The Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons)
• Session 6 - From sewage to jet power; new Sustainable Aviation Fuel for the UK and beyond, sponsored by Firefly Green Fuels
  
  • Panellists include: James Hygate OBE, CEO, Firefly, Glenn Morgan, Partner, SkiesFifty, Martin Gorricho, European Sustainability Lead, Boeing, Yvonne Moynihan, MD, Wizz Air UK, Lord Brady of Altrincham and Declan Maguire, MD Anglian Venture Holdings (Chaired by Wolfe Power Club Host Alex Wolfe).
• Session 7 - Paris in review: a decade on from the Paris Climate Agreement‍
  
  • Amber Rudd, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change during the Paris Agreement negotiations in 2015
• Closing Keynote - The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
• Thank you and closing address from Michael Gove - Editor, The Spectator‍
• Networking drinks

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