West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce to urgently address current energy cost crisis.

By Pro Enviro Ltd
schedule31st Aug 22

Repowering the Black Country (RtBC) is a programme of initiatives, funded by BEIS and UKRI, supporting Black Country businesses and allowing them to take advantage of global clean growth opportunities to make the transition to a net zero industrial future. The Black Country Industrial Cluster consists of more than 3000 energy-intense manufacturing businesses. 

The objectives of RtBC include providing a cost-efficient sustainable energy infrastructure, establishing an effective localised circular economy, and creating a resource and waste utilisation strategy across the Black Country. Once established and proven, it’s likely that Repowering the Black Country will act as a blueprint for similar projects across the UK.

Two years ago, Pro Enviro (a specialist carbon abatement, energy management and engineering process efficiency consultancy) was chosen as a valued partner to RtBC, and is successfully utilising its knowledge, experience and on-line tools to advise and support this innovative project. At the same time, Pro Enviro is helping many well established and energy intensive manufacturing Black Country Businesses (including Servosteel, Thomas Dudley, MWW and Three-Way Pressings) mitigate the energy cost crisis and support them on their individual journeys to net zero. 

Recently, RtBC and the West Midlands Combined Authority announced the creation of the West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce. The Taskforce will explore economic pathways for energy-exposed West Midlands industries, to offer support through the current energy crisis. The taskforce members include MAKE UK, The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Dudley, and Repowering the Black Country.

Pro Enviro’s MD, Nersi Salehi, (pictured, 2nd left) has more than 30 years of experience in the field of developing Low Carbon policies and strategies for the manufacturing and energy intensive sectors of the UK economy. Nersi is passionate about helping the UK transition to Net-Zero and is delighted to support RtBC’s responsibilities as part of the Industrial Energy Taskforce. 

The Industrial Energy Taskforce will build on the work already underway to identify specific short-term measures government and industrial partners can take to mitigate the immediate impacts of industrial energy cost increases.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands said:

“The West Midlands has more than 16,000 small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses, many based across the Black Country, that have been the engine of economic growth over the past century.

“Many of these businesses will drive future innovation, with the manufacturing of Electrical Light Vehicles, for example, identified as a key growth cluster opportunity in our Plan for Growth. But rising energy costs are hitting families and businesses hard, and unlike big steel works or chemical plants the kind of support such diverse supply chains need is complex and challenging.

“That’s why I have launched a new Industrial Energy Taskforce to identify the kind of action required to provide urgent support to the most exposed local businesses. It was brilliant to launch the taskforce in Dudley alongside Mike Wood MP, and together we can make the case to the Government that the West Midlands and the Black Country need bespoke support to address the huge challenge facing our regional economy.”

Matthew Rhodes, Director of Repowering the Black Country and Chair of the West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce said:

“This is a vital issue for our regional economy, and the Repowering project team are delighted that our efforts are now being recognised by government. The Mayor’s Industrial Energy Taskforce is a significant acceleration of our work to mitigate the energy cost crisis for the industrial base of this region and we’re looking forward to working with government and partners to find urgent solutions – we need competitive energy costs to keep more than 290,000 people employed in skilled jobs across this region.”

The Industrial Energy Taskforce will be a small, focused, time-limited group of West Midland based industrialists who will work in partnership with government to:

  • Identify and support short-term interventions to deliver more effective support to energy-exposed WM businesses
  • Identify and promote medium-term interventions (e.g., regulatory changes and levies) which inhibit the competitiveness of West Midlands industry
  • Engage with partners and investors to find ways to act on these recommendations with urgency

Initial findings will be reported in October 2022.

For further information about our decarbonisation strategies, carbon reduction tools and energy efficiency opportunities, please visit  www.proenviro.co.uk , or call us on 01788 538150.  

For more information about Repowering the Black Country, visit: www.repoweringtheblackcountry.co.uk