PUBLIC EVENT
Dr Simon Harrison FREng, Group Head of Strategy at Mott MacDonald, co-chaired the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) Working Group delivering the report on ‘Rapid decarbonisation of the GB electricity system’ which was published in July 2024.
In this Technical Briefing, Dr Harrison will review the report’s key messages and priority actions, with a focus on the essential role engineering will play in delivering the electricity system of the future.
Programme*
| 11.55pm | Zoom event opens |
| 12.00pm |
Introduction and welcome Dr Nick Starkey, Director of Policy and International, Royal Academy of Engineering |
| 12.05pm |
How can we rapidly decarbonise the GB electricity system? Key messages and priority actions from the NEPC report Dr Simon Harrison FREng, Co-chair of the NEPC Working Group |
| 12.40pm |
Q&A |
| 12.55pm |
Closing remarks Dr Nick Starkey, Director of Policy and International, Royal Academy of Engineering |
| 1.00pm | Online event closes |
*programme subject to change
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Dr Simon Harrison FREng
Dr Simon Harrison is a leading voice in public policy around engineering’s implications in energy transition and decarbonisation. He also holds senior positions in Mott MacDonald, developing its global strategy and developing its scope and expertise in both domestic and international markets. He has made major contributions to UK energy policy and has chaired important national committees and professional groups advising government on this area of great strategic importance, often providing important input to Academy outputs. He has served two terms as Vice President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, with contributions in strategy, membership, professional development, and knowledge solutions.
Synopsis of Dr Harrison's talk:
The new government has declared one of its five missions for government to be to decarbonise electricity by 2030, bringing forward by five years an already ambitious target set by their predecessors. Many have said this is not possible. However the Academy with the National Engineering Policy Centre has undertaken an initial piece of work that explores how such a rapid decarbonisation of the electricity system could be made possible. Co-chaired by Sir Patrick Vallance and Dr Simon Harrison the project took its inspiration from the ultra-rapid delivery of COVID-19 vaccines achieved during the pandemic. The report was published shortly after the recent general election, was very well received, and seems set to form a substantial part of an implementation blueprint being developed currently. The Academy/NEPC team remains closely engaged with the key players, most notably the newly established Mission Control, and the National Energy System Operator.
Simon Harrison will talk about how the thinking behind the work evolved, the findings of the work, and how things might move forward.