The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has relaunched its Net Zero Council in order to hasten the UK’s mission to become a clean energy superpower.
Led by energy secretary Ed Miliband and Co-operative Group CEO Shrine Khoury-Haq, the council is made up of some of the UK’s biggest businesses, charities, trade unions and local authorities, working together to examine how the nation can best take advantage of the opportunities for a decarbonised society.
Members include National Energy System Operator (NESO) CEO Fintan Slye; Ian Stuart, UK CEO of HSBC; SSE CEO Alistair Phillips-Davies; minister for climate Kerry McCarthy; and Chris Hulatt, co-founder of Octopus Investments.
At the relaunched council’s first meeting yesterday (5 February), members focused on agreeing on the group’s main priorities for 2025/2026. These include providing expert input to inform government strategies relating to net zero, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to decarbonise while getting the best results from the net zero transition, supporting the development and delivery of sector roadmaps, helping businesses to develop transition plans and investors to identify opportunities, and informing the government’s approach to public engagement with net zero.
Ed Miliband said: “Businesses and leaders across our country recognise that clean power and accelerating towards net zero represents the economic opportunity of the 21st Century. This council is about mission-driven leadership, bringing government, business and civil society together to turn ambition into action.
“By working in partnership, we can drive the investment, innovation and industrial transformation needed to make the UK a clean energy superpower.”
Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of The Co-operative Group, said: “Working urgently for a faster, fairer transition to a greener, cleaner economy is an absolute imperative. For the sake of our planet and for every community here in the UK and around the globe, it’s crucial we work together to unlock the significant opportunities the transition will bring for economic growth too.”
Another title for Miliband
This is the latest in a string of positions occupied by the energy secretary, who could be argued to be one of the most proactive energy secretaries in recent history.
Since taking office in July last year, Miliband has been appointed co-chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council – marking the first time a secretary of state has taken on the role, which is usually given to a more junior political figure. Additionally, as reported on our sister site Solar Power Portal, Miliband is now the co-chair of the Solar Taskforce, as well as the Mission Board, a ministerial forum tasked with accelerating clean energy investment across the UK.
