UK goes for new energy institute

The UK government set out its vision for the proposed Energy Technologies Institute and asked industrial partners for theirs, offering to commit £500 million over the next decade the private sector will do the same.

Spending £100 million per annum on research in low carbon energy technologies will be a big deal by anyone’s standards. The trade and industry secretary, Alistair Darling, said the institute will be the most important development in UK energy research and innovation for decades. “Bringing together the efforts and investments of both public and private sectors the Institute will have the potential to make a huge impact.”

The energy companies BP, EDF, E.ON UK and Shell have already been knocked into shape and have each offered £5 million a year towards the new body. The government wants to find a total of ten such core industrial sponsors, each making a similar donation.

Iain Conn, BP group managing director, noted that the company supports development of secure, clean and reliable energy supplies and is already taking actions in these areas. “The Institute will help us share experience and knowledge between public and private sectors to enable development of new technologies."

Diversity is the key to maintaining security of supply and tackling climate change, believes Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF Energy. “We are very enthusiastic about contributing to the research into energy technologies and to making the Institute a success."

The Institute will operate a joint venture company. It will be hosted by an existing institution, and the R&D will be carried out across the UK.

The UK Department of Trade and Industry is inviting companies to express interest in participating in the Institute by the end of November. It is aimed that it will be fully operational by 2008.

The objectives are: to increase the level of funding devoted to R&D; allow rapid commercial deployment of cost effective, low carbon energy technologies; provide better strategic focus for commercially applicable energy-related R&D; and connect and manage networks of the best scientists and engineers

The department is holding an information event on 11 October for those interested in becoming core industry partners or who are interested in collaborating in the work of the Institute or hosting it. More information on the event can be found on the department’s website.