IChemE announces launch of new Energy Centre
21st January 2015
IChemE deputy president, Dr. Andrew Jamieson, announced the forthcoming launch of the Institution of Chemical Engineers’ (IChemE) new Energy Centre in Westminster on Monday night.
Dr. Jamieson was speaking at the annual dinner of the Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies (PGES), which brings together members of parliament (MPs), members of the House of Lords, industry leaders, academics and professional bodies.
Dr. Jamieson gave a brief overview of the Energy Centre and he said: “The impact of increasing greenhouse gas emissions has become more apparent and we will see the urgency of the low carbon energy transition climb up the ladder of concerns for voters and consumers alike.
“Perhaps where the ‘NHS’ and ‘immigration’ are on the lips of politicians today, ‘climate change’ will be in five years’ time. IChemE’s Energy Centre will demonstrate that when it comes to energy and climate change solutions, chemical engineering matters. The world needs better energy policy. Chemical engineers can help.”
Around one hundred members attended the dinner, including Ed Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. The guest list also featured MPs and peers from all main political parties, along with a wide range of opinion formers from across the energy sector.
Ed Davey MP spoke about the inherent uncertainty in the energy challenges we face, pointing to the dramatic fall in oil prices in recent months as evidence of this. He called upon members of PGES to “help us reduce the uncertainties, help us do the impossible, be practical but visionary”.
The Energy Centre will do just this, by giving chemical engineers a coherent and credible voice on energy policy issues. It will highlight the role of chemical engineering solutions to the energy challenges facing society.
The centre will produce authoritative and digestible position papers, for use by policymakers around the world, on different topics relating to the energy challenge from a chemical engineering perspective.
IChemE’s Energy Centre will be officially launched in March 2015.
For more information, visit www.icheme.org/energycentre or email energycentre@icheme.org