Industry Minister Chris McDonald will address a Durham Energy Institute conference on renewable energy transition next week.
Mr McDonald, who is Labour MP for Stockton North and was appointed Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in September, will be a keynote speaker at the Energy Days 2025 conference, which takes place from November 3-4.
Mr McDonald will be joined by Fiona Hill, Chancellor of Durham University, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and whose father was a coal miner; and Chris Stark CBE, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power at DESNZ, and a former chief executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee.
The event is this year being held at the newly restored Redhills, home of the Durham Miners’ Association.
It will be attended by industry and community leaders, and is open the public.
The event will explore how County Durham’s rich industrial heritage can once again drive the region’s transformation into a leader in clean energy. Minewater heating, new hydrogen technologies, the future of offshore wind energy, and clean shipping will be among the topics discussed. Local communities will be represented, including through intergenerational workshops led by primary school children.
Professor Simone Abram, Executive Director of the Durham Energy Institute at Durham University, said: “The Durham coalfield once powered a nation. Today, it holds remarkable potential for our clean energy future. This conference brings together world-leading research with the voices of communities who understand what transformation means. Together, we’re charting a path that honours our industrial heritage while building a green, just future.”
Andrew McIntyre, Chief Executive of Redhills, said: “This is a vital conference for the energy sector in County Durham and the United Kingdom.
“For many decades the Durham coalfields were recognised across the globe for world-leading innovation in coalmining. Forty years on from the Miners’ Strike, Redhills is focused on building a clean and just future for our communities, with new technology and sustainable energy, from our rich coalfield. This conference brings everyone together – young and old, industry leaders and local communities, inspired by the miners’ motto- ‘The Past We Inherit, The Future We Build’.”
Energy Days 2025 takes place November 3-4, 9.30am to 6pm at Durham Miners’ Redhills. Entry ranges from £10 to £30. To register, visit www.redhillsdurham.org/event/dei-conference or email dei.events@durham.ac.uk.