Established in 2017, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) provides the Government with impartial, expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges. This means assessing how to make the UK’s infrastructure ‘fit for the future’ within a tight fiscal envelope of 1.2% of GDP. In October, the NIC’s published its second National Infrastructure Assessment. This set out ‘probably the most comprehensive assessment yet’ of the infrastructure costs of reaching Net Zero with a bold package of recommendations across power, networks and heat.
Whilst there will be costs to replacing our outdated energy infrastructure, the Commission is clear that there would be a high cost to inaction, but that well-judged investment would lead to permanently lower costs for households (with a reduction in energy bills by the 2030s). As the report summarises: ‘We stand at a pivotal moment in time, with the opportunity to make a major difference to this country’s future. But we need to get on with it’.
We are delighted to welcome a guest speaker from the NIC to provide a summary of their work here. This will be followed by a discussion from our expert panel as we discuss the energy sector’s response to the NIC’s recommendations.
You can read the NIC’s key recommendations on energy and Net Zero here.
Speakers tbc
