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igem news

TRY WE MUST, FAIL WE MIGHT

IGEM’s CEO Neil Atkinson presents the key messages from afternoon case studies designed to
this year’s conference, plus next steps for the industry and its highlight the tangible progress of
demonstration projects underway
foremost institution across all UK regions.
In all, we saw a fabulous programme
WITH THE PRIME MINISTER set of questions for our community. We of speakers providing a holistic and
making energy announcements at the look forward to the Energy White Paper thorough review of the Transition in
Conservative Party conference, the when it is released. Action. The conference was itself a
subject of ‘Enabling the Transition/ The conference obtained a full view transitional moment for IGEM, too, this
Transition in Action’ and timing of of the energy landscape in which being our first virtual conference and
our conference was impeccable: the we now operate. From Gas Goes spread over five days.
transition is underway. Green, to the sharing of international With IGEM at the centre, the message
The external environment has perspectives on energy policy and is clear – get on with it, help deliver
manifestly changed since my first hydrogen strategies, it is clear things the demonstrations and help make
IGEM Annual Conference three years are moving apace. the transition work. How different the
ago. Back then, the discussions were As Chris Stark alluded: “Try sector now feels!
about what could happen if only there we must, fail we might”. The only disappointment? For
was clarity of policy and that there Governments across the an event of such international
were major worries about the lack of a world are waking up to stature, delivered well below
role for gas. the net zero imperative. market rates (free!) it was a
Today, much has changed and Conference delegates shame even more could not
there is action right across the energy also learned in depth attend to learn about what
landscape. As Chris Stark pointed about the technology will impact us all working
out with great acuity in his Sir Denis and processes that will in the sector. Fortunately,
Rooke Memorial Lecture, a multi-vector underpin the hydrogen any members who missed
solution is required for the UK to hit transition at scale, moving it can now access the talks
net zero and, within this, there lies an gas from grey to blue (via on IGEMtv.
extensive role for hydrogen and biogas the autothermal reforming
(for example, for BECCS). of methane combined with Catch up on all the conference
It was gratifying that both our CO₂ capture) to green presentations at bit.ly/
Minister of State, Kwasi Kwarteng, and (using renewables and IGEM-tv
Ofgem’s CEO Jonathan Brealey were electrolysers).
pleased to take the virtual floor of our All of this set
conference, addressing delegates and the scene
answering a very extensive and lively for the

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