The National Infrastructure Commission is seeking views to help shape the country’s first ever National Infrastructure Assessment.
As well as questions on issues that cut across all types of infrastructure, such as resilience, the commission wants views on the following energy specific issues:
- What is the highest value solution for decarbonising heat, for both commercial and domestic consumers? When would decisions need to be made?
- What does the most effective zero carbon power sector look like in 2050? How would this be achieved? Note: the “zero carbon power sector” includes the generation, transmission and distribution processes.
- What are the implications of low carbon vehicles for energy production, transmission, distribution, storage and new infrastructure requirements?
The call for evidence is open until Friday 10 February 2017. Submissions should be less than 20 sides of A4 paper in length and can be emailed to [email protected].
The commission also published its response to the consultation on on the process and methodology of the NIA, which closed in August. The commission maintained its position that upstream energy extraction was outside the scope of the NIA. It said: ”The impacts of upstream energy extraction and processing on infrastructure service demand will be taken into account, but the commission does not believe that extraction of globally traded commodities in its own right is a priority area to cover in delivering against its objectives. This will remain out of scope.”
Publishing the call for evidence and the response, the commission’s deputy chair John Armitt said: “Alongside today’s publications I am absolutely delighted to announce the launch of the first of our expert advisory groups. Leading thinkers from across industry, business and academia will work with the commission to make sure that our work is subject to rigorous scrutiny before publication. The commission is absolutely committed to ensuring that the analysis and advice we produce is held to the very highest of standards, and these expert advisory groups will help make certain that is the case.”
The commission’s expert advisory groups will be divided into a technical panel and an analytical panel.
Members of the technical panel are:
- Tim Chapman, Arup
- Brian Collins, professor of engineering, UCL
- Graham Dalton, chief executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation
- Richard Dawson, director, Centre for Earth Systems Engineering Research Newcastle University
- Isabel Dedring, director global transport leader, Arup
- Jim Hall, professor of climate and environmental risks – Director of the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University
- Hanif Kara, AKT II founder and equity director
- Robert Mair, professor of civil engineering, Cambridge University
- Natasha McCarthy, head of digital and data policy, Royal Society
- Lucy Musgrave, director, Publica
- Robbie Owen, head of infrastructure planning and government affairs, Pinsent Masons
- Nick Pidgeon, professor of environmental risk, Cardiff University
Members of the analytical panel are:
- Mike Batty, Bartlett professor of planning, UCL
- Nick Crafts, professor of economics and Economic History, University of Warwick
- Diane Coyle, professor of economics at the University of Manchester
- Amelia Fletcher, professor of competition policy, Norwich Business School
- David Newbery, Emeritus professor of economics at the faculty of economics, University of Cambridge Economies, University of Oxford
- Henry Overman, professor of economics, Centre for Economic Performance London School of Economics
- Andrew Sentance, senior economic adviser, PWC
- Jon Temple, professor, Bristol University
- Tony Venables, BP professor of economics and director of the Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich