Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum

Next steps for energy system flexibility

strategic frameworks | regulation & policy | coordinating delivery | network planning | grid capacity & resilience | low-carbon transition | integrating enablers | digitalisation & smart tariffs | retail innovation | consumer engagement & access

Morning, Monday, 17^th November 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: Duncan Stone, Deputy Director, Electricity System Flexibility, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Marzia Zafar, Deputy Director, Governance, Data and Digitalisation, Ofgem; Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy, Citizens Advice; Professor Keith Bell, ScottishPower Chair, Smart Grids, University of Strathclyde; and Co-Director, UK Energy Research Centre; Sarah Honan, Head, ADE: Demand and Steven Gough, Head, Flexibility, Elexon

Next steps for water infrastructure in England and Wales

reform & regulation | coordination & resilience | consumer & environmental protection | governance & oversight | strategic planning, development & renewal | improving financial resilience | long-term investment | adapting to climate change

Morning, Tuesday, 18^th November 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: Richard Thompson, Deputy Director, Water Resources, Environment Agency ; Anita Shah, Regulation Director, National Audit Office; Professor Ian Barker, Independent Expert and Dan Walker Nolan, Director, Policy, Water UK

Next steps for Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage development in the UK

policy development & strategy | Track-1 implementation & Track-2 criteria | cluster sequencing | investment & market development | demand-side coordination & supply-side readiness | Infrastructure delivery | regulatory frameworks | offshore storage

Morning, Tuesday, 18^th November 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: Alex Milward, Director, CCUS, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Denise Moylan, CCS, Hydrogen Director, Crown Estate ; Alistair MacFarlane, Head, UK Carbon Transportation and Storage, North Sea Transition Authority and Vanessa Lowe, Vice President, Energy Transition, Structured Finance, Santander

Next steps for environmental protection and the planning system in England

policy priorities & progress on targets | coordinating spatial strategies & delivery | implementation & regulation | Environmental Outcomes Reports | integrating nature-based solutions | multifunctional land use

Morning, Thursday, 20^th November 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair, Office for Environmental Protection; Dr Richard Benwell, CEO, Wildlife and Countryside Link and Professor Alister Scott, Professor, Environmental Geography and Planning, Northumbria University

Next steps for the UK battery sector - industrial strategy, manufacturing capacity and investment priorities

policy, strategy & finance | supply resilience & critical minerals | gigafactory deployment | commercialisation & IP | infrastructure-readiness | energy costs & grid access | circular economy & reuse | workforce & regional development

Morning, Friday, 21^st November 2025
Online

From the Westminster Business Forum

Keynote Speakers: Raja Hanna, Head, Manufacturing Batteries, Finance and Innovative Technologies, Department for Business and Trade; Dr Valentina Gentili, Battery Innovation Programme Director, Innovate UK; Martin Freer, CEO, Faraday Institution and Jonty Deeley-Williamson, Head, Learning and Development, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre

Next steps for regional transport policy and connectivity in England

evolving policy & funding frameworks | rail & road infrastructure delivery | planning, progress & priorities for combined authorities | coordinating with housing & local growth objectives | strategies for towns & rural areas

Morning, Tuesday, 25^th November 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair, Transport Committee; Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner, Transport for Greater Manchester; Richard McGuckin, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director, Place, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority; and Board Member, Urban Transport Group ; James Richardson, Managing Director, Transpennine Route Upgrade and Andrew Summers, CEO, Transport East

Next steps for transition finance policy, planning and regulation in the UK

entity & sector-level approaches | transition planning, implementation routes & regulatory expectations | credibility, scope & market impact | supporting growth | priorities for financial institutions | aligning with wider reporting requirements

Morning, Tuesday, 9^th December 2025
Online

From the Westminster Business Forum

Keynote Speakers: Irem Yerdelen, Deputy Chair, Transition Finance Council and Marie Freier, Head, Sustainability, Group, Barclays

Next steps for greenhouse gas removals - policy, regulation and market growth

funding & investment | market frameworks | business models | governance & assurance | infrastructure & deployment | technology mix | permitting & regulation | global standards

Morning, Thursday, 11^th December 2025
Online

Keynote Speakers: James Screen, Deputy Director, Greenhouse Gas Removals, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ; Dr Steve Smith, Associate Professor, Greenhouse Gas Removal, Smith School; and Executive Director, Oxford Net Zero and CO2RE, University of Oxford and Liam Lidstone, Business Leader, Energy Infrastructure and Clean Tech, Energy Systems Catapult

Next steps for solar power in the UK

UK Solar Roadmap implementation | Taskforce recommendations | policy & regulatory priorities | progress & key challenges | accelerating deployment & scaling up | ethical sourcing & domestic innovation in manufacturing | supply chain resilience

Morning, Wednesday, 14^th January 2026
Online

Keynote Speakers: Daniel Cox, Deputy Director, Renewable Electricity Strategy, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Chris Hewett, Chief Executive, Solar Energy UK; and Joint Chair, Solar Taskforce, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Next steps for hydrogen policy in the UK

forthcoming UK Hydrogen Strategy | implementation & coordination | regulatory framework | network integration | market development & building demand | commercial viability & economic sustainability | practical applications | planning & infrastructure

Morning, Thursday, 22^nd January 2026
Online

Keynote Speakers: Jane Toogood, Co-Chair, UK Hydrogen Delivery Council and Matt Barney, Chief Hydrogen Officer, GeoPura

Next steps for electricity market reform

Morning, Monday, 26^th January 2026
Online

Alicia Ford

Next steps for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project delivery

policy & strategic coordination | environmental safeguards & community trust | judicial review & accountability | regional alignment & infrastructure investment | commercial expansion & market confidence | planning capacity & local delivery

Morning, Monday, 2^nd February 2026
Online

From the Westminster Social Policy Forum

Keynote Speaker: Alicia Ford, Deputy Director, National Infrastructure Planning, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Core Sponsors

The core sponsor of the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum is Burges Salmon.

In Production

The Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum is planning a very full programme for the next 12 months.

Please give us a ring on 01344 864796 or email email info@forumsupport.co.uk to discuss future conferences.

We'd be happy to share ideas on areas to focus on, speaker suggestions, and other ways of getting involved.

Parliamentary Patrons of the Forum

The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum are:

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

Baroness Blake of Leeds

Baroness Boycott

Lord Berkeley

Lord Bradshaw

Lord Brennan KC

Dawn Butler MP

Ruth Cadbury MP

Sir Christopher Chope MP

Lord Curry of Kirkharle

Lord Dubs

Clive Efford MP

Baroness Foster of Oxton

Barry Gardiner MP

Rt Hon Lord Grayling

Andrew Gwynne MP

Viscount Hanworth

Wera Hobhouse MP

Rt Hon Lord Howell of Guildford

Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate

Rt Hon Baroness Kramer

Alex Mayer MP

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

Rt Hon Lord McNally

Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP

Lord Oates

Lord Ravensdale

Lord Redesdale

Baroness Scott of Needham Market

Baroness Sheehan

Alex Sobel MP

Rt Hon Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Lord Teverson

Lord Truscott

Baroness Verma

Rt Hon Lord Whitty

Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.