Cornwall academic leads energy security research

A Cornwall-based academic today (2 April 2009) launched a major new research project to tackle the issue of energy security. Professor Catherine Mitchell, of the University of Exeter’s Tremough Campus, is leading the project, which was launched at the Royal Society in London.

Today’s conference, Energy Security in a multipolar world, brought together expertise in energy policy, supply chains, international relations, foreign policy and low carbon technology.

The conference focused on questions like: Is Britain’s energy supply under threat from global political insecurities? How will the world-wide recession affect our capacity to source energy? As resources become more scarce and the threat of climate change grows, how vulnerable is Britain to losing the energy supplies we take for granted?

The research cluster is led by the University of Exeter, with the University of Sussex, and is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Speakers at the event included: Catherine Mitchell (Professor of Energy Policy, University of Exeter), Andy Stirling (Professor and Science Director of the Science Policy Research Unit) and Jim Skea (Professor and Research Director of the UK Energy Research Centre). 80 academics are expected to attend, with the aim of analysing what we mean by energy security, and how to improve it. 

Professor Catherine Mitchell of the University of Exeter, said: “The last few years have seen Britain move from being a net exporter, to a net importer of energy. Shifts in economic and political power around the world are making Britain’s energy supplies more vulnerable. Our imports and supply chains are based on plentiful supply and relatively cheap oil, not something which can be guaranteed in the future. This research cluster will bring together, for the first time, expertise in energy policy, international relations and supply chains to address these concerns and recommend solutions. By working together we believe we can help Britain find a way to manage and mitigate the significant risks we currently face.”

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “A proper understanding of facts and evidence are vital to both our prosperity and continued survival for generations to come. It is a testament to the University of Exeter and its role in the Tremough campus of the Combined Universities in Cornwall that Professor Catherine Mitchell, a Cornwall based academic, is making such an important contribution to this internationally important debate.”

Renowned in politics and academia as a leading expert on energy policy, Professor Catherine Mitchell joined the University of Exeter’s Geography department on the Tremough Campus in Autumn 2007. Since joining the University, she has established a new Energy Policy Masters degree on the Tremough Campus.

Previously at Warwick Business School, Professor Mitchell has also worked at the Universities of Sussex and California. She was formerly a member of the UK Government’s Energy Advisory Panel, international advisor to the New Zealand Government Energy Review and worked in the UK Cabinet Office on the Energy Review. She is currently responsible for policy and regulation within the infrastructure and supply theme of the UK Energy Research Centre and frequently advises national and international NGOs and other institutions on energy-related issues. She makes regular media appearances and is well-known as an, often outspoken, ambassador for a sustainable energy system.

You can find out more information on the project website - www.exeter.ac.uk/energysecurity

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