Page 41 - Gi February 2022

igem news

EVENTS

COMING TOGETHER negative headlines that emerged following
Hari said it can be hard to counter

COP26, but there was nevertheless a lot of
progress at the summit in particular with
regards to the debate over coal. Ninety per
cent of all global GDP is now under a net
Industry figures gather for a special business luncheon hosted zero target, he said. Unfortunately, all the
by both IGEM and Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) targets together still do not amount to a
1.5°C limit on warming.
AS COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS lifted Ollie then welcomed guest speaker The solution, he said, is a level of
across the UK, guests from both IGEM Hari Vamadevan, Regional Director, UK systems thinking that includes not only
and Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) & Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV, who the moves to decarbonise, but also the
gathered at London’s Park Lane Hilton gave an impassioned speech about the overall effect of those moves. It is no
to discuss the future of the gas industry future of the net zero challenge and the use, for example, to pat yourself on the
over a special business luncheon. work the various arms of industry and back for decarbonising one industry
A reunion of sorts after two years energy supply are doing to achieve the if the effect of that decision is higher
spent apart due to the pandemic, the all-important limit of 1.5°C as adopted imports from countries with vastly
event saw leading industry figures under the Paris Agreement. higher emissions.
with ties to both organisations come “COP26, energy transition, oil and “At a system level it’s really, really
together to share their thoughts on the gas – the words that can’t be said in the simple – but we just need to make sure
energy transition. room apart from with you guys (and we can deliver it and decarbonise one
EUA CEO Mike Foster welcomed the it’s really nice to hang out with you molecule at a time.”
guests before yielding the floor to IGEM guys) and the UK,” said Hari. “That’s After lunch, the floor was then given
CEO Ollie Lancaster, who said: “I’m so an interesting set of topics to find our to the audience for a lively open floor
pleased that we’ve been able to gather way through.” discussion, with contributions from
together around our shared interests in “I think the Chinese would call these people such as net zero champion Chris
what the gas system will look like in the interesting times, which is code for Train, Executive and Senior Adviser at
future and where we are heading.” ‘real uncertainty – it’s time to worry’. CT Energy, and David Parkin, Director of
Ollie added that it was refreshing to The once-upon-a-time chemical Progressive Energy.
be able to step away from the “industry engineer in me would call it ‘a lot of Guests were then able to spend the
merry-go-round” of COP26 and reflect degrees of freedom, with quite a lot of afternoon networking with other industry
on some of the achievements of the gas interdependent parameters’, which is figures or sharing a drink with colleagues
industry to date. quite challenging,” he added. before they went their separate ways.

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IGEMNews_Events.indd 2 27/01/2022 14:54