Resilience at what cost? Security, affordability and decarbonisation under pressure

BIEE Policy Conference 2026

Resilience at what cost? Security, affordability and decarbonisation under pressure

2026 may be the most challenging year yet for the UK energy transition. Geopolitical tensions and military conflict continue to threaten global energy supplies. Political consensus on net zero is fracturing. Supply chain pressures and cost inflation are squeezing investment in key technologies. And energy bills remain a live issue for households and businesses alike.
Yet the same forces reshaping the global energy landscape are also creating real opportunity — for investment, for industrial renewal, and for communities that stand to benefit from a cleaner, more secure energy system. The question is not whether change is coming, but whether the UK’s energy system, its institutions, and its policies are built to absorb shocks, adapt to disruption and emerge stronger than before.

The BIEE’s biennial policy conference brings together senior figures from government, industry, academia and civil society to engage seriously with this challenge. This year’s theme — Resilience at what cost? Security, affordability and decarbonisation under pressure — puts the hard trade-offs centre stage.

Key themes will include:

• UK energy security in a changing world — help or hindrance for the energy transition?
• Resilient returns — building investment certainty in turbulent times
• Climate preparedness — adapting the energy system for a less predictable future
• Consumers and resilience — who bears the cost, and who shares the benefit?

Speakers

Confirmed speakers listed below. Further speakers to be announced soon.

Opening keynote

• Michael Shanks MP | Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Keynotes

• Dhara Vyas | Chief Executive, Energy UK
• Tim Gould | Chief Energy Economist, IEA

Speakers

• George Anstey | Senior Managing Director, NERA
• Kruthika Anastasia Bala | Managing Director, Resources Now
• Josh Buckland | Director of Strategy and Policy, EDF Energy
• Rose Chard | Senior Advisor Fair Futures, Energy Systems Catapult
• Eoin Devane | Acting Director – Net Zero, Climate Change Committee
• Richard Druce | Senior Managing Director, NERA
• Bill Farren-Price | Senior Research Fellow and Head of Gas Research, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
• Jessica Gwyther | Senior Fiscal Analyst, Head of Climate and Energy, Office for Budget Responsibility
• Ben Leich | Head of Policy, Great British Energy
• Donna Leong | Director of Analysis and Chief Economist, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ)
• Lucie Middlemiss | Professor of Environment and Society, University of Leeds
• Ana Musat | Executive Director, Policy & Engagement, RenewableUK
• Iona Penman | Market Design Manager, Octopus Energy
• Deborah Petterson | Director of Whole Energy System Resilience, National Energy Systems Operator (NESO)
• Rob Rome | Director of Commercial, Customer & Regulation, National Grid
• Adam Scorer | Chief Executive, National Energy Action (NEA)
• Simon Sharpe | Managing Director, S-Curve Economics
• Rosalind Smith-Maxwell | Senior Director, Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners

Why attend a BIEE Conference?

BIEE Policy Conference Series

The British Institute for Energy Economics (BIEE) is a unique meeting place for government, investor, business and academic interests in energy. The BIEE’s biennial policy conference is an opportunity to join these stakeholders and decisionmakers in discussing how to turn the UK’s energy goals into action.

BIEE conferences are renowned for the quality of speakers they attract, for their open, productive discussion and debate and for their diverse participants. It is the interaction between these groups, and their combined reach across the industry, that makes the conference unique.

Organising Committee

Chair:

• Juliette Richards (NESO)

Committee:

• Fang Fang (Climacore)
• André Gentil-Kraatz (Ikarus Capital)
• Sam Hollister (LCP Delta)
• Owen James (DESNZ)
• Tanya Morrison
• Firyuza Nafasova (University of Reading)
• Ruben Pastor-Vicedo (National Grid)
• Slawomir (Sam) Raszewski (University of East London)
• Peter Taylor (University of Leeds)
• Joanna Whittington (BIEE VP)
• Despina Yiakoumi (NESO)

Sponsors

National Grid Ventures is the competitive division of National Grid plc, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. It operates outside of National Grid’s core regulated businesses in the UK and US where it develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies and partnerships to accelerate the development of our clean energy future. National Grid Ventures’ diverse portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable energy businesses across the UK, Europe and US includes sub-sea electricity interconnectors, liquefied natural gas, battery storage, wind and solar power.

NERA is a global leader in providing economic analysis, expert testimony, and policy recommendations for complex disputes and challenges. NERA offers a range of services across industries and topics, such as big data, commercial litigation, econometrics, statistical analysis, class actions, damages, and regulatory economics.