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125 Years On: RWE in the Humber

Last month, Chamber held an event in Hull where the future of the economy, in relation to decarbonisation and sustainability, was discussed by industry leaders. One of those industry leaders was Corrine Barry, who is the East Coast Net Zero Director for RWE − a global energy company for sustainable electricity generation, who kindly sponsored this event.

Barry was one of the keynote speakers on the day while also featuring heavily in other discussions and panels. During her address, Barry spoke about RWE and what they do, and also touched on why there is perhaps still a place for fossil fuels in the modern world.

Who Are RWE?

Barry began, presenting the work that RWE has done not only in Humber, Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, but across the globe. She explained how important RWE is to the energy sector in the UK and the role RWE has in championing the regions potential. 

“We were founded 125 years ago and today, we are one of the leading energy companies in the UK and Europe. We’re also a global leader in energy projects. We have a global footprint ranging from mainland Europe to Australia.” 

“We don’t just focus on one type of project. Some of them are battery storage, some of them are solar, some are onshore, and some are offshore. We also work in agriculture, which is a key part of decarbonisation that many people seem to forget.” 

“In terms of the UK, we provide over 15 per cent of the country’s power generation and that spans across gas, offshore, onshore, biomass, and hydro.”

“In the UK, we employ over 3000 people and we’re looking to invest a further 15 billion pounds into the UK’s energy sector. That is across offshore and onshore and across our portfolio, but that’s our commitment.”

Her Role at RWE

Barry explained that her role at RWE is effectively all about ensuring that decarbonisation is happening on the East Coast of the United Kingdom. Between 1990−2021, the UK decarbonised quicker than any other G7 country and the Government are still committed to reaching its net-zero target by 2050.” 

Explaining how she is assisting with these goals on the East Coast, Barry said,

“I represent RWE’s East Coast Net Zero Strategy, so I work from Blyth down to East Anglia, with a big focus on making sure we are doing what we can to decarbonise in line with the Government’s strategy.” 

“Based on the Paris Agreement, and also scientific data, we’ve aligned our strategy to ensure that all of our assets and projects are built and planned with decarbonisation in mind. We have to take ownership of that to do our bit.” 

Corrine Barry at Chamber's Future Economy Event

An Appraisal of Fossil Fuels (For Now)

For many years now, fossil fuels have been universally accepted as something that is bad and harmful to the environment. While Barry didn’t dispute these facts, she did acknowledge that RWE do still produce fossil fuels, and she didn’t shy away from that fact. 

Instead, she provided a very thoughtful, reasonable, and factual assessment of fossil fuels and explained why they are still a necessity, for now at least. She said,

“Although we are an energy company, we do still have fossil fuel production and that is key. The reason why is because of energy security reasons, and the way that our infrastructure is as a country at the moment, we cannot solely survive off just renewable energy sources.”

“Decarbonised fossil production plays a huge part in the security of power generation for the UK and energy security, and we’re fully aware of that. So obviously, while we’d all like to get to a point where there are no fossil fuels in our lifetime, that is not going to happen.”

“What we can do in the meantime, is make sure that we’re doing what we can, and this is where my role comes into play within our power stations and making sure that we are decarbonising those as much as possible. However, we do still need to provide the Government and the UK with energy security.”

Barry’s Plans for the East Coast

Barry’s role within RWE is entirely focused on the East Coast of the United Kingdom. When she discussed ongoing projects and her plans for the future, it became clear that carbon capture is something she is targeting in the area. She said,

“In the region, we are looking at several projects. We are looking to build a new power station in Stallingborough, which will be an 800 MW power station with carbon capture. Another project is to retrofit carbon capture to an existing power station, the biggest in England, which is based in Staythorpe. 

“These projects are huge investments, and the East Coast is an area that RWE are hugely committed to. At present, we have over 12 GW of renewable energy assets in the region. We are committed to helping decarbonise the whole UK, but the Humber region and the East Coast are key priorities in our strategic goals.

Chamber’s Roundtable Event:

To watch the full video of Corrine Barry’s speech at the Future Economy Seminar, please click below and subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

Chamber hosted a Chatham House Rule roundtable dinner with key stakeholders including the German Ambassador, Miguel Berger, Shadow Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience, Emma Hardy MP, Chief Executive of Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Dr Ian Kelly, and Liberal Democrat Leader of Hull Council, Councillor Mike Ross. They shared insightful dialogue regarding the future for sustainability and decarbonisation. Exclusive outputs from this roundtable will be made available to Curia’s Industrial Strategy Research Group subscribers.

Curia’s Industrial Strategy Research Group

Alongside the Health, Care Life Sciences Research Group and Foreign Policy and Defence Research Group, Curia’s Industrial Strategy Research Group offers privileged access to events, such as this one, with previous and upcoming events for subscribers including a gala dinner with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP, a reception with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt MP, and a jazz evening with Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Thangam Debbonaire MP, and Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, and Chi Onwurah MP. To find out more please email team@curiauk.com and visit our website here.

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