UK Energy Minister to Speak in Opening Session at All-Energy 2025

Published:  09 April, 2025

With just a few weeks to go before All-Energy opens at Glasgow’s SEC, the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference has announced that following a keynote address by Scotland’s First Minister, The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP, the UK Energy Minister, Michael Shanks MP (pictured) will be speaking in the conference opening plenary session on Wednesday 14 May. He will then join a panel discussing Britain’s Clean Power Mission.

“When the two Ministers have finished their keynote addresses we move to a what I know will be a stimulating panel discussion on the Clean Power Mission 2030,” explained Event Manager Anam Khan of RX, owners and organisers of the two day event. “We are delighted that Minister Shanks is staying on to take part in the panel discussion before undertaking a lightning tour of the exhibition.”

The 90-minute session will be chaired by Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower who will also give a short address after the Lord Provost’s Civic Welcome and the showing of a special video message from Professor Sir Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is to remind the audience why Clean Power 2030 and ultimately Net Zero are so important to the planet. Then come the two political keynotes and finally the panel discussion.

In addition to Minister Shanks, panellists Juergen Maier, Chair of Great British Energy; Andrew Lever, Director – Energy Transition at the Carbon Trust; and Councillor Susan Aitken will set the scene from their organisation’s point of view, and then the inter panel discussion will begin.

“The Day 2 (15 May) plenary sessions follows a similar format,” explained Anam Khan. “This time Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde will be in the chair. The keynote speaker will be Chris Stark CBE, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

“The panellists are Professor Keith Bell, ScottishPower Chair in Smart Grids, University of Strathclyde, Co-Director UK Energy Research Centre, and member of the Climate Change Committee; Tom Glover, UK Country Chair, RWE; Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive, Energy UK; Darren Davidson, Vice President UK & Ireland, Siemens Energy; and Rachel Fletcher, Director of Regulation and Economics, Octopus Energy.”

Following the two plenary sessions, the All-Energy conference breaks into 11 parallel streams covering all forms of renewable energy; grid and networks; decarbonisation of heat; – Scotland’s Acting Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan MSP will deliver a keynote address in the first of four sessions on heat. There are also streams and sessions on the decarbonisation of cities – two of them on Glasgow’s Net Zero Routemap; transport and industry. In addition to the main conference, there are seven show floor theatres within the exhibition.

At lunch time on Day 2, Tim Pick MBE, Commissioner, Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission; *Chair of the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership will be enjoying a fireside chat with Ed Reed, Editor of E-FWD.

Anam Khan explains: “That’s not where it ends, far from it, other topics that come under the conference spotlight include sessions on topics as varied as investment to skills and training, Purchase Power Agreements (PPAs) to hydrogen; attracting young people to the industries we serve to energy storage. Added to which there are sessions on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) and Mental Health in the workplace. The full programme is online.”

All-Energy Exhibition & Conference | Renewable Energy Event

Registration is open at https://www.all-energy.co.uk/PR All-Energy is free to attend for all with relevant business, governmental and academic interests and includes admission to the major exhibition, the main conference and show floor theatres; and the Civic Reception, held courtesy of the Rt Hon Lord Provost of Glasgow, which is an integral part of the Giant Networking Evening on 14 May at the Glasgow Science Centre.

The All-Energy exhibition has long been renowned for its dynamic atmosphere with a high level of business activity taking place and this will be very much the case again on 14 and 15 May. This year’s 270+ exhibitors come from 17 countries – Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan from all over the UK and Northern Ireland. The full exhibitor directory is online.

All-Energy is a ‘Smart Event’ meaning visitors no longer have to collect business cards or carry around flyers or brochures. They just need to look out for the Colleqt QR Code at every stand and feature area to quickly get their information using their smartphone and thus sharing their details with exhibitors. They will receive a summary email each day with detailed information on each exhibitor they have scanned.

All-Energy’s headline sponsor, Shepherd and Wedderburn, celebrates its 11th year in the role; other sponsors include Noventa, Hitachi Energy UK, Statkraft, SEFC, Black & Veatch, SGS, Flexitricity, AMSC, XING Mobility Inc and the University of Sheffield. Glasgow Convention Bureau is All-Energy’s official partner; and The Society for Underwater Technology is its Learned Society Patron. All combine to make this year’s show, set right in the middle of Glasgow’s Climate Week, and during Glasgow’s 850 year celebrations, a very special two days.