Clean energy ‘cannot be achieved by government alone’ Miliband tells summit

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, has told the UK Clean Energy Summit that clean energy offers the ‘best chance in decades to create a new generation of good, well-paid jobs.’

The conference and exhibition in Rotherham was a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

It was held at the Magna Science Adventure Centre, built on the former site of Europe’s one-time largest steelworks, Steelos, that at its height employed 10,000 people and produced up to 18m tonnes of steel a year. It now sits at the centre of the UK’s largest clean-tech cluster.

It brought together leaders from industry, policy and academia to explore the role of research and development, industry innovation and effective government policy in unlocking economic growth and societal benefit through the clean energy transition.

Addressing the summit, Ed Miliband, said:

I want to thank the University of Sheffield, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult for hosting this incredibly important event.

I accept your invitation to work with you to seize the huge opportunity clean energy presents for South Yorkshire and the country as a whole. We all know it offers our best chance in decades to create a new generation of good, well-paid jobs. The kind of jobs communities are crying out for.

This is a national mission because it cannot be achieved by government alone. We need local leaders, combined authorities, businesses, investors, academics and innovators working with communities up and down the country.

The event showcased the latest industry and academic innovations across the modern energy mix with panel sessions exploring the key challenges and opportunities of hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels, carbon capture and storage and small modular reactors.