2026 Agenda
Interested in speaking in 2026? Teresa Ndlovu, Senior Conference Producer, to see how you can shape our 2026 Agenda.
The UK faces some of the highest electricity prices in the world and projected to rise further by 2030, potentially surpassing levels seen during the Ukraine crisis. The nation’s remaining electricity-intensive industries face an existential threat. This session examines the risk of job losses, production cuts, plant closures, and offshoring if energy costs continue to climb, and explores whether the UK can balance its net zero ambitions with industrial competitiveness.
- Why UK electricity prices remain among the highest globally and the role of gas prices in driving costs, particularly following the Ukraine conflict
- The threat to electricity-hungry industries, including potential job losses, production cuts, plant closures, and offshoring due to unsustainable energy costs
- Strategies to achieve net zero targets while reducing energy prices to protect industrial capacity and maintain economic competitiveness through 2030 and beyond
Battery storage is becoming essential to strengthen project economics and enhance reliability, especially amid the UK’s drive for energy security and resilience. Yet integrating storage into PPAs requires new commercial thinking. Contract design must capture fluctuating storage value, degradation, and lifespan, while navigating Ofgem’s evolving rules and National Grid ESO’s flexibility reforms.
- From generation-only to hybrid PPAs: how corporates evaluate renewable + storage propositions and what drives contractability
- Defining commercial structures for co-located storage: duration, dispatch rights, degradation risk, and revenue stacking within PPAs
- What unlocks demand: practical examples of buyer-led requirements that make storage-integrated PPAs bankable and scalable
PPA structures are being reshaped by increased price volatility, evolving policy frameworks, and changing buyer risk appetite. The UK and Ireland provide timely case studies of how these pressures are influencing PPA design, while insights from other power markets with comparable characteristics help illuminate which challenges are structural, which are transitional, and which solutions are transferable. This opening keynote panel focuses on how PPAs are being redesigned to remain bankable, flexible, and scalable in a rapidly changing market environment.
- Which approaches to negative pricing, price caps, and market intervention are most effective for responding to volatility in PPA pricing and execution across different market designs?
- Managing Multiple Stakeholders in PPA Transactions
- What are the implications of next-generation PPAs with shorter tenors, hybrid structures, and embedded flexibility for buyers, sellers, and financiers?
Speakers
PPA pricing dynamics are shifting across Europe, with declining capture expectations and rising negative price exposure reshaping deal economics. As these pressures filter into the UK and Ireland, buyers and sellers must recalibrate pricing models, structures and risk allocation to sustain transaction momentum.
- How are falling capture rates and widening discounts affecting UK & Ireland PPA valuations?
- Are negative prices and curtailment now central commercial risks rather than contractual edge cases?
- What new structures can bridge the growing gap between buyer fair value and seller return thresholds?
Moderator
Corporates such as hyperscalers and data centres are shifting from annual REC accounting to 24/7 matching for greater ESG credibility. In the UK and Ireland, this trend intersects with grid congestion and locational pricing reform.
- Why 24/7 matching is gaining traction under Scope 2 frameworks.
- Risks and system impacts: location constraints, flexibility requirements, and cost exposure.
- Practical strategies for implementing hourly matching in constrained UK grids and Ireland’s I-SEM system.
Day 1 - Energy Buyer Stream
Day 1- Energy Developer Stream
Bristol Port is creating the infrastructure to support over 260 floating wind turbines, unlocking 4.5GW of renewable energy for the UK market. This case study explores how port-led investment de-risks project delivery, strengthens supply chains, and accelerates the availability of renewable energy for buyers and sellers.
- How does Bristol Port’s infrastructure enable large-scale floating wind projects and reliable energy supply?
- What role does port-led investment play in reducing construction and delivery risk for developers and buyers?
- How can the port support the growth of the offshore wind market while contributing to Net Zero 2040?
Speaker
- How battery storage operators combine energy arbitrage, balancing mechanisms, ancillary services, capacity markets, and local flexibility to maximize asset profitability
- Navigating declining revenues from saturated services like Dynamic Containment, grid connection delays, and regional disparities
- Deploying AI-driven dispatch systems and balancing multiple revenue streams against rising TNUoS charges to maintain competitive returns
Power Purchase Agreements offer long-term price certainty and energy security, but only when risk is clearly understood and managed. In this case study, BAE Systems shares how it set clear PPA guidelines, assessed real versus perceived risk, and aligned commercial, legal, and technical teams to structure successful renewable energy contracts.
- Setting the guardrails: Defining PPA criteria, red flags, and decision thresholds early
- Understanding real risk: Bridging physical energy realities with legal and commercial terms
- Making PPAs work: Structuring wind, solar, and on-site solutions for long-term value
Speaker
- Overview of global manufacturing
- Changing manufacturing dynamics
- The growing importance of bankability
- Forecasts of the renewable market
Speaker
Day 1 - Energy Buyer Stream
Day 1- Energy Developer Stream
Industrial buyers in manufacturing, construction, and heavy industry are difficult to engage in renewables.
- Barriers to participation: energy intensity, credit, and risk tolerance.
- Innovative contract structures and blended pricing to appeal to industrial buyers.
- Expanding offtaker diversity to improve project bankability in the UK market
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is undergoing its most significant revision since 2015, with proposed updates to the Corporate Standard and Scope 2 rules set to reshape how organizations define boundaries, report exclusions, account for electricity, and substantiate renewable energy claims. While final standards are unlikely before 2027, companies that wait for certainty risk being unprepared. This session explores:
- The key proposed changes
- The structural problems they address
- The strategic actions companies should take now to future-proof their GHG reporting
Power Purchase Agreements involve multiple parties with competing priorities. Developers seeking revenue certainty, corporate offtakers demanding price stability and flexibility, and lenders requiring bankability. This session explores practical strategies for managing these conflicting interests, identifying common friction points, and structuring deals that achieve financial close while creating value for all stakeholders.
- The distinct objectives of developers, corporate offtakers, lenders, and equity investors and where their interests align and diverge in PPA negotiations
- Where stakeholder interests conflict including contract duration, price indexation, volume risk, curtailment, and termination rights and strategies to find acceptable compromises
- Practical approaches such as hybrid structures, flexible offtake mechanisms, and credit enhancement solutions to balance competing demands and achieve financial close
High solar and wind penetration in early 2026 is driving wholesale prices to zero or negative during peak generation periods, creating substantial revenue risks for developers with pay-as-produced PPAs. This session explores the drivers and financial impact of price cannibalisation, and how developers can adapt their commercial strategies to protect project returns.
- How high renewable penetration during peak generation periods is driving zero and negative wholesale prices, and the impact on developer revenues under pay-as-produced PPAs
- Analysing frequency and duration of price collapse events in 2026, identifying vulnerable generation profiles, and assessing the financial exposure for solar and wind projects
- Alternative contract structures including baseload PPAs, shaped products, battery co-location, curtailment clauses, and hybrid revenue models to mitigate cannibalisation risk and secure bankable returns
Day 2 - Energy Developer Stream
Day 2- Energy Buyer Stream
AR7 delivered record capacity but exposed a critical challenge for renewable developers: government-backed CfD auctions alone cannot meet the pace and scale required for net zero delivery. With strike prices rising (offshore wind at £90.91/MWh, floating at £216.46/MWh), growing competition for limited CfD budgets, and persistent auction delays, developers must diversify revenue strategies. This session explores how AR7’s outcomes are driving increased reliance on Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) and hybrid revenue models, and what this means for positioning projects in AR8 and beyond.
- Rising strike prices, constrained budgets, and growing competition mean CfD support alone cannot sustain the renewable pipeline needed for UK net zero targets
- How CPPAs provide developers with additional revenue certainty, faster routes to market, and reduced dependency on auction outcomes and delays
- Combining CfD bids with corporate offtake agreements, optimizing project bankability, and adapting to evolving market dynamics and buyer demand
Public sector bodies face a uniquely complex path to procuring renewable power. From strict procurement rules and CfD market distortions to rising PPA prices and tightening budgets, this session unpacks the real-world challenges public buyers encounter and how they are navigating affordability, fairness, and net zero commitments.
- The procurement and governance constraints that shape how public sector organisations can engage in the PPA market.
- The tension between the CfD and PPA markets, including pricing dynamics, bidder behaviour, and implications for public value.
- The evolving business case for public sector PPAs, balancing cost pressures, CPI-linked pricing, wholesale forecasts, and environmental and social value obligations.
- Technology: Maximising Impact with Hybrid PPAs
How tech companies can combine solar, wind, and battery solutions to optimise renewable portfolios, reduce costs, and accelerate net zero goals.
- Steel: Emerging Low-Carbon Technologies
How steel producers can integrate geothermal, batteries, and other innovative solutions to reduce emissions, stabilise supply, and maintain production efficiency.
- Manufacturing: Decarbonising Hard-to-Abate Operations
Practical strategies for manufacturers — chemicals, cement, and industrial production — to integrate renewables and hybrid PPAs to cut emissions and energy costs.
- SMEs: Making Renewables Work Without Breaking the Bank
How small and medium businesses can access renewable energy, manage cost exposure, and scale sustainability initiatives with minimal complexity.
- Retail & Consumer Goods: Decarbonising Distributed Operations
How retailers can cut emissions and energy costs across stores, warehouses, and distribution networks while maintaining operational flexibility.
- Automotive: Hedging Renewable Price Volatility
Stabilise energy costs in automotive manufacturing despite fluctuating wholesale prices and PPAs — protect margins while meeting sustainability targets.
- Pharma: Structuring PPAs That Work
How high-energy pharmaceutical sites can select and structure PPAs to balance regulatory compliance, cost certainty, and renewable sourcing.
- Logistics: Cutting Scope 3 Emissions Across Supply Chains
Practical ways for logistics operators to track, reduce, and offset indirect emissions from fleets, warehouses, and distribution networks.
- Public Sector: Simplifying ESG & Energy Reporting
Step through actionable approaches for universities, hospitals, and local authorities to meet RE100, SBTi, and evolving government reporting requirements.
- Data Centres: Onsite & Private Wire PPAs That Deliver
How data centres can leverage onsite generation and private wire solutions to cut energy costs, secure renewable supply, and achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy.
Day 2 - Energy Developer Stream
Day 2- Energy Buyer Stream
Volatile markets and geopolitical uncertainty are making long-term power price forecasts increasingly unreliable, complicating investment and contract decisions. This session explores forecasting methodologies, emerging demand factors such as EVs and data centres, and the distinction between bankable forecasts for contracts and economic forecasts for strategic planning.
- The challenges of forecasting power prices in volatile and evolving markets
- Forecasting methodologies and the value of frequent updates versus static annual models
- How forecasting uncertainties affect investment decisions, contract risk, and developer creditworthiness
Local elections can shift energy policy priorities, regulatory enforcement, permitting processes, and incentives, creating uncertainty for project developers and corporate buyers. Changes in political leadership may accelerate or delay renewables deployment, influence subsidies, and affect grid access, all of which have a direct impact on procurement strategies and revenue stability. This session examines how upcoming local elections could alter market conditions and explores practical approaches for managing policy-driven risk.
• How local political cycles can influence energy policy, permitting, and incentives
• Implications for corporate procurement strategies and PPA negotiations
• Ways sellers and buyers can mitigate revenue risk and maintain project timelines
• Examples where election outcomes have historically affected renewables markets
Co-located Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are transforming renewable PPA economics by converting intermittent generation into firmer, higher-value delivery profiles. By storing excess energy and discharging during peak demand, BESS addresses solar cannibalisation, reduces curtailment, and enables premium pricing. This session explores commercial and contracting strategies from fully bundled hybrid PPAs to partial flexibility arrangements and examines how market characteristics determine the storage premium across different geographies.
- How to leverage co-located BESS to transform intermittent renewable output into firmer, higher-value delivery profiles by shifting energy to peak-demand periods, reducing cannibalisation and curtailment, and capturing premium PPA pricing
- How to structure hybrid renewable-storage contracts including fully bundled PPAs versus partial bundling approaches, and navigate the risk-return trade-offs for developers, offtakers, and financiers
Many companies have committed to 100% renewable electricity, but meeting these targets is not straightforward. Limited control over their value chain, high demand for RECs, and emerging regulatory rules make procurement complex. This session explores the practical obstacles corporates face in sourcing credible renewable energy and aligning their strategies with ambitious ESG targets.
- The barriers to achieving 100% renewable goals, including value chain and supplier limitations
- How to strategically combine RECs and Green PPAs to secure credible supply
- Approaches to manage cost exposure, compliance risk, and greenwashing concerns
- Provide guidance on procurement strategies aligned with ESG commitments under evolving regulations
Grid capacity and connection delays directly impact PPA availability, pricing, and project delivery timelines, critical factors for both energy buyers securing long-term renewable supply and sellers bringing projects to market. This panel examines the outcomes of recent grid reforms, analysing how connection challenges affect PPA deal flow, contract structures, and risk allocation. Experts will discuss what buyers and sellers need to know about grid constraints, how to navigate connection delays in PPA negotiations, and emerging strategies to de-risk projects and accelerate clean energy procurement in line with Clean Power 2030.
- Understand how grid capacity constraints and connection delays impact PPA pricing, availability, and contract terms.
- Identify which regions and technologies face over- or under-capacity, and how this affects buyer sourcing strategies and seller project pipelines.
- Explore practical risk mitigation strategies for buyers and sellers navigating grid uncertainty in PPA negotiations and project development.
- Discuss how buyers can structure PPAs to account for connection delays, and how sellers can improve project bankability despite grid challenges.
Ofgem has revealed that 140 data centres are seeking grid connections requiring 50GW of peak capacity—five times higher than government forecasts and far exceeding even the most ambitious demand projections. With 71 “mature” projects (20GW) already prioritized for connections, renewable energy developers face a critical challenge: competing for limited grid capacity against power-hungry data centres that could squeeze out clean energy projects and derail the UK’s 2030 clean power targets. This session examines the implications for renewable developers and the urgent need for grid connection reform.
- The 50GW pipeline, priority connection status for data centres, and how this unprecedented demand compares to renewable energy grid connection needs
- How data centre projects are potentially crowding out solar, wind, and storage developments in the connections queue, delaying decarbonisation and threatening the 2030 clean power target
- Navigating Ofgem’s proposed reforms including developer-funded connections, application fees to prioritize viable projects, and ensuring renewable energy maintains access to grid infrastructure
Wind power now accounts for 37% of UK generation, surpassing gas and marking a pivotal shift in energy security. Combined with record investment in offshore wind, solar, tidal, and battery storage, this renewable dominance is reducing import dependency and driving down bills, with a 7% energy price cap reduction expected in April 2026. However, a critical skills shortage in grid infrastructure construction threatens to slow deployment.
- How wind and solar dominance is reducing import dependency, enhancing grid resilience, and reshaping the UK’s energy security strategy away from fossil fuel reliance
- Record investment in offshore wind, tidal projects, battery storage, and grid upgrades through European interconnection partnerships
- The workforce gap in grid infrastructure construction and strategies to accelerate skills development to meet 2030 clean power targets
