We had a really strong agenda for the latest meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Central South, when we turned our attention to energy and the barriers to good growth in our region.
The discussion got underway following a presentation from Stephen Lowe, Specialist Policy Officer at the University of Southampton sharing the context and outcomes from the recently published Clean Energy South Paper.
A joint initiative from the University of Southampton in partnership with Business South, the document highlighted our region has the potential to be leading the UK’s clean energy economy.
But currently Hampshire and the Solent faces an energy deficit. Renewable energy generated in the region only meets 8% of demand – for every £1 spent on electricity 92p leaves the region.
And the report also underlined the vast untapped potential that could transform the region into:
• a net exporter of green energy
• generating new jobs
• reducing energy bills
• contributing to the region’s £81bn annual economic output.
Caitlin Berridge-Dunn, Head of External Affairs at Utilita, addressed the meeting from the point of view of domestic energy consumers and shone a light on the make-up of a typical bill and the results of their survey of 5k plus people. She outlined their Fairer Energy campaign and cautioned the UK is in danger of having a two-tier energy system, with those who can least afford it, paying for lack of investment in the network.
Mike Sellers, Director at Portsmouth International Port, shared their 10-year journey to electrification and the issues they had faced along the way.
The session was chaired by Richard Quigley MP and it was followed by a dinner at the Institute of Directors, where energy was high on the agenda for the discussion around the table. Attending MPs and Lords included Lord Alan Whitehead, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Luke Murphy,MP, Lord Ben Stoneham and Darren Paffey, MP.
