Nick Winser CBE is appointed today (6 July 2022) as the UK’s first Electricity Networks Commissioner, in the government’s latest step to ensure secure, clean and affordable British energy for the long term.

Earlier this year, the UK government set out ambitious targets to boost UK energy generation from clean technologies, such as offshore wind and nuclear reactors. Accelerating the country’s domestic supply of clean and affordable electricity will help to drive down bills and increase energy independence – but this also requires new network infrastructure to support it.

Nick’s new role as Electricity Networks Commissioner will be pivotal in helping ensure the right infrastructure, such as electricity poles and transmission lines, are in the right places so clean, British-generated electricity can flow to households across the country.

This includes dramatically reducing timelines for delivering onshore transmission network infrastructure by around 3 years and developing recommendations to help halve the end-to-end project process by the mid-2020s.

Nick has extensive experience in the electricity networks field spanning 30 years, and in advising government and industry on energy policy. He is currently chairman of the Energy Systems Catapult.

Nick’s appointment follows recent announcements of Simon Bowen as industry advisor for Great British Nuclear, and Tim Pick as the government’s Offshore Wind Champion to further boost the UK energy mix for generations to come.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

I am delighted to appoint Nick Winser as the UK’s first Electricity Networks Commissioner.

Nick will play a pivotal role in ensuring the right network infrastructure is in the right places to ensure households can benefit from our abundant supply of clean, affordable, home-grown energy.

Newly appointed Electricity Networks Commissioner Nick Winser said:

Electricity networks are essential to transporting new low carbon power generation, such as that from offshore wind and nuclear, to where it is needed, in homes and businesses across the country, where it will be used more and more for new purposes like charging electric vehicles and heating households through heat pumps.

I look forward to taking on this important new role where I can help accelerate the delivery of new electricity transmission infrastructure, helping to provide consumers with a secure, reliable, supply of green electricity, while keeping costs as low as possible.

British Office Taipei and the Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs co-hosted the fourth UK-Taiwan Energy Dialogue to discuss ports for the offshore wind industry, biomass energy, and pathways to reach net zero by 2050 on 5 July. The Dialogue was attended by John Dennis, Representative at the British Office Taipei and WANG Mei-Hua, Minister of Economic Affairs, and was chaired by Julie Scott, Head of Energy Diplomacy of Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and YU Cheng-Wei, Director General of the Bureau of Energy (BOE). The participants reached agreement to cooperate on a joint project on offshore wind ports development.

John Dennis, Representative at the British Office Taipei said,

I am delighted that our fourth Energy Dialogue has produced another round of rich discussions on our partnership as we work towards a net zero future together. Since the last Dialogue it has been excellent to see Taiwan publish its net zero roadmap and take steps to enshrine its targets in law. Our growing partnership is perhaps most clearly evident in offshore wind, where we now have 36 UK companies set up here in Taiwan to support the development of the sector as it rightly aims to become a hub for the region. I am sure the joint project agreed here will further deepen our already strong co-operation on energy and climate change.

WANG Mei-Hua, Minister of Economic Affairs said:

To tackle climate change, we have announced the target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. We also published “Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050” in March of this year, which includes 12 specific strategies and increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix as one of the key strategies. Taiwan and the UK have common goals of continually developing low-carbon energy and achieving net-zero emission. I hope both sides continue to exchange views in the energy field in the future.

Julie Scott, Head of Energy Diplomacy at BEIS said,

I am glad to have the opportunity to co-chair the fourth UK-Taiwan Energy Dialogue with Director-General YU Cheng-Wei of the Bureau of Energy, and welcome Taiwan Power’s upcoming mission to the UK later this year, including a visit to Drax Power Station. I am convinced that we can further enhance the bilateral collaboration on sustainable biomass energy, building on the links established through this Dialogue.

YU Cheng-Wei, Director General of BOE also said:

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all participants from both sides for sharing your insight and experience during the meeting. I am happy to see the progress of the Taiwan-UK joint research project on carbon emissions reduction and the advice given by both sides for Taiwan’s pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050. I also expect to see that both sides can work together to create mutual benefits while moving toward net-zero transition.

During the Dialogue, the UK’s Department for International Trade and BVG Associates described the crucial role port infrastructure has played in developing the UK’s offshore wind sector. UK ports are continually evolving to support supply chain needs and achieve the UK’s ambitious renewables generation targets. Participants reached agreement on a joint project to support the long-term development of Taiwan’s port infrastructure.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy shared UK experience and best practice in the sustainable use of biomass as part of the transition away from coal. Taiwan Power Company shared their assessment of the future of biomass in Taiwan and will have a follow up visit to the UK to draw on UK expertise in the sector.

The UK’s Energy System Catapult then highlighted the importance of floating offshore wind and grid transformation while providing an update on the Catapult’s progress in developing scenarios for Taiwan’s pathways to net zero. In the subsequent discussion the British Office Taipei proposed a joint research project further exploring policies and technologies to improve grid resilience.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Right Honourable Liz Truss welcomed His Excellency Mr. Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt to London on 5 July for the inaugural meeting of the UK-Egypt Association Council.

The inaugural Association Council created a new platform to further the ambition laid out in the UK-Egypt Association Agreement, signed in December 2020. Within this framework, the Ministers had fruitful discussions on the development of the strategic partnership between the United Kingdom and Egypt.

The Ministers welcomed a number of recent commercial successes between the UK and Egypt, including:

• The two-line Cairo Monorail project, which includes trains manufactured in Derby, and is supported by UK Export Finance (UKEF)
• The sale of two ex-Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships to the Egyptian Navy, including contracts for their refit and upgrade;
• The opening of a new 66MW solar farm by Globeleq, following an investment worth $80m;
• The finalisation of a $100m investment by British Investment International (BII) to acquire Alfa Medical Group;
• The launch of commercial operations at the Lekela wind farm, following an investment worth $325m.

The Ministers discussed prospects for enhanced economic cooperation between the UK and Egypt. They agreed to working intensively to grow bilateral trade and investment, including through tackling any barriers to trade and sharing expertise. They also committed to work towards reviewing and improving market access in the agriculture, healthcare, energy, and financial sectors, through the newly established subcommittee on trade.

The UK and Egypt emphasised their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and investment in healthcare and education, given both fields’ direct impact on levelling-up, job creation, and enhancing the quality of public services.

The Minsters welcomed deeper technical collaboration that will support joint work to overcome market access barriers in priority sectors. Including:

• A new phase of collaboration between NHS’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Egypt’s Unified Procurement Authority (UPA), helping to institutionalise Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Egypt.

• A joint statement of intent signed between Egypt’s Energy Regulatory Authority (EERA) and the British Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM,) to help in reforming Egypt’s renewable energy regulations.

The Ministers welcomed strengthening cooperation in Africa and exploring trilateral cooperation opportunities with African countries in various fields, particularly infrastructure.

The UK welcomed Egypt’s preparations to host COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh (November 2022) as it takes over the COP Presidency. The UK and Egypt reinforced cooperation to deliver ambitious outcomes at COP27 building on the Glasgow Climate Pact and previous COP decisions. Both countries noted the importance of supporting developing nations in effecting a just transition, including through the transition to sustainable energy and green hydrogen, as well as in adapting to the impacts of climate change, including through the sustainable & integrated management of natural resources, enhancing resilience and building technical and technological capacities in this regard. The UK commends Egypt’s leadership and efforts on renewable energy generation and opportunities for British investors and firms within the energy sector.

The Ministers also discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including on consular issues and human rights.

The Ministers looked forward to holding the meetings of the Association Council regularly to further enhance Egypt-UK cooperation in various fields and take stock of progress.