While Brexit may feel like the only game in town, president and COO of Global Transmission for National Grid Ventures, Jon Butterworth, says its most pressing challenge is how to cost-effectively accelerate the transition to a more dynamic low-carbon energy system, while maintaining a robust security of supply
As someone who is responsible for a significant amount of investment in electricity interconnectors that directly link Great Britain with mainland Europe, it’s fair to say the last two-and-a-half years have been hard work.
No matter what industry you are in, the Brexit process has been complex and unpredictable. I have a team of experts who have devoted hundreds and hundreds of hours to Brexit, attentively following each new twist, working with government, the regulator, and our partners, and preparing contingency plans for a range of outcomes.
But although Brexit has consumed enormous amounts of time and emotional energy, it’s certainly not the biggest challenge we face in the energy industry today.
I’m not downplaying the need to manage Brexit well for consumers, but the reality is that even under a no deal scenario we expect electricity to continue to flow between Great Britain and EU Member States.
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