The Humber’s role as a “UK energy powerhouse” was showcased prominently at a conference held in Yorkshire.
Speakers at the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit, held at the National STEM Learning Centre in York, included our Managing Director Dr Iain Harris and Andrew Hockey, the CEO of our member, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).
Dr Harris highlighted the critical role of the Humber in UK energy supply and security, but warned that £44bn of investment waiting to be unlocked in energy infrastructure relies on “fiscal stability and investor confidence.”
Our Managing Director was joined on a panel by Humber Freeport CEO Simon Green, alongside representatives from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and solar energy specialist Xerogrid.
The conference also saw a strong presence from our member Phillips 66 UK, where Senior Advisor (Public Affairs) Paul McCartan chaired a session which featured some of the company’s rising star apprentices.
Now into its sixth year, the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit brought together delegates from industry, academia, local government and members of the public to discuss the region’s progress in reducing emissions and adopting low carbon solutions.
Dr Harris said: “The Humber is already an energy powerhouse. We have the people, the natural resources, the skills and the companies to drive the energy transition and reindustrialise the Humber.
“For a long time, fiscal stability was a key advantage for the UK when it came to attracting international investment. In the last few years, though, that has changed and those companies are perhaps looking at us in a different way.
“The investments we are talking about securing are multi-billion pound projects. For that to happen, companies need certainty for 20 or even 30 years, and at the moment that is extremely hard to find.”
Dr Harris and Mr Green were joined on the panel by Lucy Allis, Interim Strategy Manager for Low Carbon and Environment at the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Ian Emberton, Director of solar energy specialist Xerogrid.
The panel focused on what makes Yorkshire a clean energy powerhouse, with conversation centring largely on the Humber.
Mr Green said: “When it comes to climate change, you cannot avoid the obvious fact that the Humber emits four times more carbon than any other estuary in the UK.
“There was a realisation, rightly, that we need to do something about it, and the region has since worked very effectively in a collaborative way to respond to the challenge.
“There will not be a silver bullet for that challenge – it’s about finding the collective solutions that will take the region forwards.”
Taking to the stage at the same conference was Andrew Hockey, CEO of the ECITB. Mr Hockey’s message focused heavily on workforce needs and the skills and expertise required to deliver the infrastructure for clean growth.
Mr Hockey said: “We need to build an integrated workforce with the skills to deliver the infrastructure needed to reach net zero.
“The level of infrastructure which is needed to advance the energy transition can only be achieved through a flexible and adaptable workforce which is ready for the challenge.”
Mr Hockey emphasised that engineers, electricians and fellow trades professionals must be equipped with the capability to work on wind farms, nuclear power stations, hydrogen plants, and oil and gas infrastructure alike.
He said key to unlocking the engineering construction skills challenge was a dial shift from “green skills” to simply “industry skills.”