Energy commissioners appointed to UK Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission

Eight energy and nature experts have been appointed commissioners for the Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission in the UK to assist with developing the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, expected later this year.

The eight commissioners combine almost 200 years’ worth of experience across energy policy, environment, industry and academia and will form a new Advisory Commission for Mission Control.

This Commission will support Chris Stark, head of the UK’s Mission Control, a control centre launched aiming to advance the government’s 2030 ambitions, providing expertise to deliver the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which will set out the path to decarbonise the country’s electricity grid.

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The full list of commissioners include:

• Nick Winser: Over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector, including having been CEO of National Grid across UK and Europe, and president of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

• Tim Pick: Over 25 years in the energy sector and an advocate for offshore wind having been the UK’s first Offshore Wind Champion.

• Juliet Davenport: Founder of the Good Energy company and president of the Energy Institute. Davenport has been an innovator for over 20 years, working on ideas to fight climate change and transform the energy sector for the better.

• Robert Gross: As well as being director of the UK Energy Research Centre since 2020, Gross is professor of Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College.

• Craig Bennett: Chief executive of The Wildlife Trust and former CEO of Friends of the Earth, Bennett has 20 years’ experience in designing and contributing to executive education and leadership programmes at numerous universities and business schools.

• Jo Coleman: With 35 years’ experience in the energy industry, Coleman is board member of several energy organisations, with a background in engineering and major project delivery in the oil and gas sector.

• Lucy Yu: CEO and founder at Centre for Net Zero, Octopus Energy Group’s not-for-profit AI and data-driven research institute, which was set up to advance tech-driven energy systems that benefit humanity.

• Dr Simon Harrison: A leading voice in public policy around the ways engineering can help with the energy transition and decarbonisation. Harrison was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2023 – the highest accolade in the profession.

Commenting in a release, energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “The best way to take back control of our energy security and create highly skilled jobs is to speed up the rollout of renewables and transition towards clean homegrown power.

“The Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission, benefiting from decades of experience across industry and academia, under Chris Stark’s leadership, will have a laser-like focus on delivering our mission for clean power by 2030.”

Added head of Mission Control Chris Stark: “The Clean Power by 2030 is a statement of our ambition. This mission will unlock good jobs and protect the consumer, and it is key to our energy security.

“We will work closely with our partners in industry to deliver this mission at pace – these are eight leading figures in their field to drive that partnership.

“I’m looking forward to working with all 8 commissioners to unblock barriers, spot the opportunities, and deliver a clean power system by 2030.”

Originally published on Enlit World.