Route map to secure clean energy to power business and housing growth

SEMLEP is to connect national energy experts from government, local councils and business to agree energy priorities to pursue the fast-growth-clean-growth ambitions for the South East Midlands. 

At the launch of the South East Midlands Energy Strategy to be hosted at Cranfield University on Thursday 28 February, businesses will discuss how to ensure planned housing and business growth is powered in line with our commitments to cut emissions and improve energy efficiency.

Constraints to energy supply and distribution are already identified as restricting business growth. Scenarios outlined in the strategy, based on forecast growth, suggest that electricity demand could rise by 130% by 2050.

The South East Midlands – which includes Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Luton, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury Vale is recognised as the place that will lead Britain’s economic growth in the future. A key part of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, this wider Arc area is expected to deliver up to one million new homes and 1.1m new jobs by 2050.

Priority actions set out in the new energy strategy look at how to address energy supply and distribution issues, mapped against demand and new technologies to help avoid these constraints for business.

It will also set out actions to allow the South East Midlands to rise to the challenge of decarbonising heating, through the rollout of low carbon heat networks and greater heat efficiency of buildings.

Dr Kerry Mashford OBE, SEMLEP’s Board member, who is launching the Strategy on the day says:

“Across the SEMLEP area, ensuring that sufficient clean, decarbonised energy is available to fuel the high growth projected in business activity and population, is already a challenge. This will continue to be the case against a background of decarbonisation and systemic change in the energy sector.

With the South East Midlands Energy Strategy launching, we have set the basis for understanding and meeting this challenge, and we now look forward to working with energy network operators, energy suppliers, business and public sector stakeholders on an ongoing basis to ensure the SEMLEP area takes advantage of the clean growth opportunities that the energy system transformation provides and has energy where and when it’s needed.”

Other speakers at the event include:

Patrick Allcorn, Head of Local Energy at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Nick Bolton, Founder of Electric Corby, Maxine Narburgh, Regional Manager at the Greater South East Energy Hub, Professor Phil Hart, Director of Energy and Power at Cranfield University and Sue Davies, Corporate Energy Manager at Luton Borough Council, Steve McAteer, Deyton Bell Limited. 

Securing energy infrastructure is a key part of the area’s emerging Local Industrial priorities. At the event, businesses will hear about funding opportunities for business, council and university-led projects that will improve energy efficiency, improve renewable energy production or enhance research and innovation in energy solutions.

For more information or to register for the launch event, click here.