Chris Stark — former chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, and former director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish government — has been appointed by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to lead a new ‘control centre’ aimed at ‘turbocharging the Government’s mission to provide Britain with cheaper and clean power by 2030’.
This new ‘Mission Control’ will be the first of its kind in government with a ‘relentless focus on accelerating the transition away from volatile fossil fuel markets to clean, homegrown power, to boost Britain’s energy independence and cut bills for the British people’.
Mission Control will be a one-stop shop that will bring together a top team of industry experts and officials to troubleshoot, negotiate and clear the way for energy projects, working with ‘key energy companies and organisations’ — including the regulator Ofgem, the National Grid, and the Electricity System Operator — to remove obstacles and identify and resolve issues as they arise.
Path to ‘net zero’The aim is to speed up the connection of new power infrastructure to the grid, and ‘cleaner, cheaper power to people’s homes and businesses’. As, Chris Stark will bring extensive expertise working with the energy sector to remove barriers and achieve the clean power mission on the country’s path to ‘net zero’.
Mr Miliband said: “Years of under investment has left our country suffering energy insecurity, with working people paying the price through their energy bills and a cost-of-living crisis. That cannot happen again. This new Mission Control centre, benefitting from the expertise and experience of Chris Stark’s leadership — and bringing together the brightest and best in the national interest — will have a laser-like focus on delivering our mission of clean power by 2030.
“Making Britain a clean-energy superpower will not only keep bills down but also create hundreds of thousands of good jobs, while protecting national security by keeping dictators out of our energy markets. It will allow us to play a leading role in tackling the climate crisis. The launch of Mission Control comes alongside the work of Great British Energy — a new company to be owned by the British people, with new infrastructure by the British people, delivering power back to the British people.”