New energy projects vital to combat climate change despite local concerns - energy body chief

Martin Dronfield said the sector had to be sensitive to concerns of local people but cleaner energy was needed urgently.

Energy firm delegates visiting stands at the SNS 2022 :Energy Intergrated in the East exhibition at the Norfolk Showground (Image: © CHPV Media 2022)

In an interview at the body’s Southern North Sea 2022 event at the Norwich Showground Arena, he said: “We live in the most wonderful region and the industry owes it to the region – and organisations like EEEGR (East of England Energy Group) are committed to - the general public, the population, who are concerned about pylons, about buried cables, about sub-stations.

“We have some really difficult choices: climate change is real; climate change is affecting us all. Norfolk and Suffolk are two of the lowest lying regions in the UK. By 2050 we can seriously expect water levels to have risen and we can seriously expect areas of Norfolk and Suffolk underwater on a more regular basis. And so, it’s very real.

“We can't do nothing; we have to be sensitive to the environment. We have to be sensitive to people and places, that is an absolute given but we have to be sensitive with a sense of urgency. That balance is tough and it’s difficult.

“I speak to members of the general public on a regular basis who are concerned about the situation but who are directly affected, whose garden backs on to or whose village is next to – it’s a lousy situation to be in and I have a huge amount of sympathy

“But let’s be very clear, climate change is very real and it’s going to affect our region and many, many others if we don't do something urgently.

“In the meantime, we can't stop building projects –we can’t simply put them on hold, we can't expect people to build offshore projects and not connect them to the onshore network.”

Danielle Lane, a senior Vattenfall executive and Chair of Offshore Wind Energy Council said: “Community acceptance, public acceptance for any infrastructure is super-important and that is absolutely the case for energy infrastructure as well.

“We’re not going to be able to make the change that we need to make without bringing people along with us and really that is one of the core challenges that we have to face as an industry.

However, we have to do this; the imperative of climate change, of energy security and energy cost means that moving to a renewable system is where we need to go.

It doesn't mean though that we ignore people’s opinion, we have to work with community to make it happen.”

The conference and exhibition which was the first major annual EEEGR in-person event since before the pandemic was attended by more than 1,000 people on its first day.