A manifesto for progress

As we launch our election 2019 call to a new government, Utility Week magazine editor, Suzanne Heneghan outlines why we need a manifesto for progress.

Time, and net zero, waits for no man, and while debate continues about the colour of the country’s future government, utilities hanker to see vital progress.

The outcome of the general election may be one of the hardest to call in decades, but come 13 December, industry will be banging on the door of Number 10 for some long-awaited answers to a raft of increasingly urgent questions.

There is no more time to lose on how the shape of the future energy mix will look, or in identifying the best joined-up national roadmap for achieving decarbonisation – regardless of who comes to power.

We need to know the plan now.

And although utilities are not the only businesses to suffer months of delay and deliberation, they are allowed to feel frustrated.

That frustration, born out of months of limbo, is coming through
loud and clear at private industry events. Back in the summer when it became obvious that the promised energy white paper would be sidelined by Brexit, the sector was far from happy. Now some industry leaders are loudly demanding an end to the procrastination.

They feel the time has come for some big ticket decisions and,
as one chief executive put it, to ensure the current opportunity for attracting major investment no longer goes begging.

Since the announcement of the election we have seen a flurry of
strong messages for government coming from voices right across the sector. As a seasoned observer and supporter of the whole industry, Utility Week today launches its own pan-utility manifesto urging government action on four key fronts.

We call on policymakers to: empower utilities to deliver net zero
by 2050; help them forge a new social contract with the public;
protect investment in the delivery of lifeline services; and foster
innovation to stimulate a green economy across the whole country – including recognition that the differing needs of our regions are not always best-served by a one-size-fits-all centralised approach.

Over the coming three weeks we will be using this critical
national moment to highlight some of the most pressing issues for utilities, and we will be sharing the thoughts of industry, such as National Grid System Operator director Fintan Slye, writing exclusively for Utility Week.

Come December, the new government needs to hit the ground
running and to join our industry in supporting a manifesto for
progress.

Suzanne Heneghan, editor, Utility Week magazine
suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com