Response to ‘Mission Control’ announcement to deliver clean power by 2030

Professor Peter Bannister, Chair of the Sustainability and Net Zero Policy Centre at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) said: “Moving quickly to appoint Chris Stark to lead the clean power 2030 Mission Control centre shows that the Government are serious about delivering on their commitment to clean power by 2030.

“Achieving this will not be an easy task and the Mission Control must work across government to deliver a whole systems approach that takes generation and transmission infrastructure, energy demand, regulation, skills and the emerging impact of climate change into account.

Transition to clean power

“The transition to clean power is needed both to meet the UK’s climate commitments and reduce our dependence on imported energy. The UK’s current sustainable generation output is 133 TWh. We estimate that power demand in 2050 will be over 4-times this figure – at around 600 TWh – as heat, transport, and industry ‘go electric’ in the drive to decarbonise. We’re pleased that the urgent need to scale-up clean energy capacity has been recognised.

“The planning and delivery of such systems often takes decades but must now be accelerated. This requires substantial changes to existing planning, consent, and regulatory approval processes. We must also acknowledge the challenge of climate change itself, which will increase the frequency of extreme high and low temperature events, posing challenges to both the generation / demand-side of the electricity system.

Providing valuable insight

“Chris’s experience on the Climate Change Committee should provide the valuable insight needed to tackle these problems. The IET is ready to support the Mission Control in developing the expert led, evidence-based policy the Government needs to meet its ambitious targets and tackle society’s greatest challenges.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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