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On 30 March 2023, the Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, delivered the keynote address at a high-level RUSI discussion on energy, security and climate change.

Speaking on the day that the government unveiled its new Energy Security Plan – part of the Powering Up Britain programme – Mr Stuart outlined the evolving global risks and threats of climate change and the destabilising effect of energy competition, and addressed the need for the UK to move towards cleaner, renewable energy sources.

The minister’s speech was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Al-Karim Govindji, Global Head of Public Affairs, Energy at DNV.

Panellists included:

• The Rt Hon Amber Rudd, Home Secretary 2016–18 and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 2015–16.
• Dr James Henderson, Head of Gas Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
• Melissa Stark, Managing Director and Global Lead for Renewables and Energy Transition Services at Accenture.

This event was held as part of RUSI’s UK National Security and Net Zero project. This project, supported by the European Climate Foundation, seeks to increase both knowledge and discussion on the national security implications of the net zero transition, and understanding of the existing synergy between net zero and national security and how this relates to policymaking.

The first research paper for this project examined national resilience and the UK steel industry. Future publications will explore the risks of reliance on hydrocarbon imports from the Middle East and Russia, improving energy security through the energy transition, the role of China in net zero supply chains, and net zero supply chain risks.