Investing in Renewables 2026 Programme

Sponsored by Leidos

All delegates and speakers are invited to join us the evening before the conference begins for relaxed networking at the Virgin Hotel, Edinburgh.

Location: Eve Bar & Restaurant, 18-20 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JR
How to book: Email Amy Lynch, Event Manager to confirm your attendance

Global uncertainty, rising costs and shifting priorities are all reshaping the world of finance and investment. While oil and gas markets have seen gains, renewable energy must compete harder than ever for capital. This session will explore how well placed the UK and Scotland are in the race to secure investment and will consider the fine balance between price stability and project viability.

Recent geopolitical tensions and inflation levels at home mean that finance and investment in the UK have been operating in a challenging environment. There have been winners as the price of oil and gas has climbed but the political will for lasting price stability for consumers will only come from accelerating the deployment of renewable energy projects, backed by the investment needed to deliver it. How are the UK and particularly Scotland faring in the competition for energy market investment?

In this session you’ll hear:

• Where the UK and Scotland sit in the global investment picture.
• How changes in US energy policy are impacting other markets.
• The investment proposition across renewables, storage and oil and gas.

Welcome and Chair
Claire Mack, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

Speakers
Alasdair Campbell, Managing Director, InfraRed Capital Partners Limited
Calum Black, Director International Tax & Transaction Services, EY

It’s the big issue – what is the actual cost of our highly volatile and high transmission charges to projects here in Scotland. We’ve recently seen key projects rule themselves out of bidding in CfD allocation rounds directly citing these costs as the reason. This session will explore the most recent evidence and data to look at what these charges mean for projects and their impact on the overall cost to consumers –either absorbing the cost into projects or projects simply not being built.

In this session you’ll hear:

• TNUoS decoded, what impact do transmission charges have on overall project costs.
• How project variables affect Contracts for Difference prices and the implications for consumers.
• How energy market reform could help projects reduce the threat of failing to secure investment.

Speakers
Helen White, Head of Commercial Asset Management, Ocean Winds

Beyond fixing transmission charges, what else is needed to create a truly competitive investment environment? From floating offshore wind to supply chain development, this session takes a holistic view of Scotland’s strengths to consider the parallel approaches needed across procurement and finance to accelerate the build out of projects and bring costs down.

What more can be done to secure a better environment for projects in Scotland to reach financial close and bring in investment? This session will touch on the role of newer technologies such as floating offshore wind and how they could be procured in different ways to reduce costs and secure a domestic supply chain which will help us deliver at pace and to scale. With no shortage of opportunities across the offshore wind pipeline, the solutions for projects might not be the same as they are for factories and technologies so we will need a number of parallel approaches to be successful. 

In this session we’ll explore:

• What has enabled and what has stood in the way of major energy investments in Scotland.
• What key questions Investment Committees are asking before making decisions.
• How to deliver integrated approaches to securing investment.
• What more we can do to ensure that Scotland is making the most of the move to an energy system dominated by clean infrastructure.

Speakers
Iain Sinclair, Chief Strategy Officer, Maraen
Úna Brosnan, Founder & Director, Innovative Climate Solutions