Eric Brown, executive advisor, Energy Systems Catapult

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

• Progress that has been made since the conference last year
• How we are preparing to deliver on the Clean Power 2030 ambition
• The changing role of gas in the energy system

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

• Accelerating delivery
• Moving digitalisation forward to support transformation
• People, skills and jobs
• Planning and consenting… legitimacy

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

It brings together the community focused on networks and how they will transform.

Ben Golding, director - Clean Power 2030, DESNZ

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

I’ll be talking about the Government’s approach and our Clean Power Action Plan, how we see the big challenges and what action we need to take in response.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

Always great to hear different views and perspectives on our approach to the energy system and to deepen my understanding of the risks as well as the opportunity.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

Not surprisingly, the biggest challenge for me is how we ensure we decarbonise power, by 2030, in the way that delivers the maximum benefit to households and businesses.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

It’s a great chance to hear from people across the industry. I always come away with new ideas, and with at least one perspective or challenge that I hadn’t thought about at all before attending.

Corinna Jones, director of clean power, National Gas

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

Overview of our approach at National Gas to the energy transition and closer targets such as Clean Power 2030. Technical findings to date and timeline for next steps.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

The general approach across the industry and identify areas of collaboration to ensure we can rapidly progress the transition.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

Production, transportation, storage and demand need to transition together in order to meet the targets and an optimised approach.  Sessions like this enable that cross sector discussion to occur.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

Networking, understanding each others approach, identifying areas of collaboration and sharing learning.

James Earl, CEO, Future Energy Networks

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

I will be speaking on the important topic of 'Defining the role of gas networks in a net zero world', covering the collaborative work the gas networks are doing to support the near term Clean Power 2030 mission as well as work to increase the proportion of renewable gases, including biomethane and hydrogen, in the mix and enabling wider energy system decarbonisation.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

There has been an awful lot of buzz in the sector in the past few months post-election, but now is the time that energy needs to be turned into tangible action. I'm looking forward to hearing more about how we can work together across gas and electricity networks, as well as with other utilities, to not only deliver Clean Power 2030 but look beyond that to deliver a whole energy system for Net Zero.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

We need to transition away from natural gas, but natural gas is more fundamental than it ever has been to our energy system. At the time of writing it is overcast and cold outside my window, with gas providing nearly two thirds of our power generation while wind and solar are providing no more than 5%. We still heat around 85% of our homes with natural gas, and the fuel plays a fundamental role in keeping our lights on, our industry productive and our energy secure. The task to move away from natural gas is nothing short of monumental and will need a mix of all technologies, including increased electrification, renewable gases like biomethane and hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and others.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

Collaboration in the utilities sector has never been more important than it is now. The Clean Power 2030 mission will only be delivered with collaboration - the electricity sector cannot deliver clean power alone, and neither can the gas sector. The Utility Week events provide a brilliant opportunity to forge the strong relationships and partnerships that will be needed to deliver against the challenges which lie ahead of us as an energy industry.

Mike Wilks, partner - energy networks, Baringa

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

Some uncensored views on the realities and challenges that need addressing if Net Zero is sought to be delivered in the timeline the UK Government is seeking.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

The opportunity to discuss and debate what needs to happen for Clean Power 2030 and wider Net Zero ambitions to be realised.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

Lack of pace in enabling and delivering the connections and infrastructure needed to deliver Net Zero timeline ambitions.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

It’s a great opportunity for all key stakeholder to discuss and debate the current hot networks topics and shine a light on practical reality vs paper ambition.

Stewart Reid, head of future networks, SSEN

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

Hear how monitoring, data, analytics, field processes and tools are coming together to revolutionise how we manage faults on electrical networks.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

I would like to hear how the new players in the industry (NESO, GB Energy,  Market Facilitator) are working to get decisions made and banishing procrastination from the transition to Net Zero.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

Uncertainty in terms of the specific uptakes of Low Carbon Technologies. Establishing Supply chain scale internationally and managing the increasing complexity of the new Energy System of Systems.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

It brings together the industries experts and supporters and lifts our heads out of the weeds to check we are all still on mission.

Steven Whyte, grid modernisation lead for Europe and India, AECOM

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

I’m looking forward to discussing the importance of taking a holistic approach to energy transition projects in the UK, drawing on AECOM’s experience in critical infrastructure projects across the energy, transport, and water sectors.

My session will cover DCO planning consent, using the Great Grid Upgrade as an example, the need for regional, European and global perspectives, and how to engage stakeholders while ensuring the right skills for successful delivery.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

With Clean Power 2030 only five years away, I’m eager to hear credible, actionable strategies from policymakers, regulators, and delivery organisations that will turn government ambition into real progress. I am particularly interested in exploring how we can accelerate decarbonisation in electricity and heat, with a focus on how district heating can become a standard in local authority planning and integrated into broader masterplanning. I’m also keen to learn more about community-led energy solutions and how business models can align to deliver savings to consumers.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

From my perspective, the industry is facing three key challenges:

1. A tendency to focus too much on perfection rather than celebrating steady progress, leading to wasted time and resources. Incremental reform is often more effective than large-scale transformations, and we need to act quickly.

2. The growing skills gap, with a shortage of key talents that threatens progress. The UK has an opportunity to attract top talent to lead in this space.

3. The need for a regulatory framework that supports timely infrastructure delivery, balancing consumer protection with the need to avoid regulatory barriers that slow down decarbonisation.

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

Future Networks 2025 is an excellent platform for a broad range of stakeholders to share ideas, test solutions, and learn from each other, while engaging with global perspectives and challenging existing approaches. It highlights the importance of diversity in driving the energy transition forwards and accelerating progress.

Alex Buckman, innovative solutions architect – flexibility, Energy Systems Catapult

What can we expect from your contribution at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025?

You can expect me to look beyond some of the immediate challenges to set a framework for how we push on through 2030 and onto to Net Zero in 2050. My contribution will focus on innovation rooted in independent, whole energy systems analysis from Energy Systems Catapult. I hope it will be thought provoking and challenging, but persuasive and exciting.

What are you most looking forward to hearing about at the conference? 

There's so much going on within the networks and flexibility space at the moment. I'm really looking forward to hearing about the latest perspectives on how we can accelerate infrastructure and operational development to deliver a system that works for consumers and UK industry alike. 

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry at the moment, in your opinion?

We're facing a double whammy of mega-challenges - an ambitious near-term drive to meet our 2030 milestone, and a more fundamental shift across the whole energy system by 2050. I think the biggest challenge is balancing our efforts between the two. 

Why is the Utility Week Future Networks Conference 2025 important to the industry and to you?

The Utility Week Future Networks Conference gathers some of the most influential speakers in the networks space in a single location, as well as a passionate and engaged delegate list. It's really important to share our thinking and learn from others within the conference.