We had a fantastic second meeting of the Southampton Energy Coalition at St Mary’s Stadium this week. The Coalition is a platform I have established, in partnership with Energy Minister Lord Alan Whitehead CBE, to allow key players in the city to collaborate and increase our energy resilience.
The Coalition was established after research from the University of Southampton and Dr Alan Whitehead showed that our city could reach full electricity capacity as early as 2026. With the port electrifying, buses going greener and more data centres on the horizon, Southampton urgently needs more capacity and more clean energy of its own.
It was brilliant to get over 60 people in the room this week, including SSEN, ABP, Blue Star, Star Energy, Bring Energy and Southampton General Hospital, alongside Darren Paffey MP. There was a real buzz and a feeling of partnership at the meeting, which is exactly why we created this coalition in the first place.
National and local ambition
As a group we reflected on the national picture, where the Labour Government has set a very ambitious target of achieving clean power by 2030, with major investment going into renewables, storage, grid upgrades and green jobs. A big part of this is Great British Energy, the new publicly owned clean-energy company. It is already investing in supply chains, supporting emerging technologies and offering grants through its Energy Community Fund for local solar, wind and battery projects.
Locally, Southampton City Council is aiming for a net-zero city by 2035. The updates shared today showed just how committed our partners are to helping us get there.
Great progress happening across the city
I’m really pleased that SSEN has invested £155 million into strengthening Southampton’s grid. They will upgrade substations and cables and, following consultation, are now preparing to install additional cabling to secure future electricity needs. They are also in early discussions with Great British Energy about local battery storage solutions.
ABP explained that 48 percent of the port’s electricity already comes from solar power which is incredible. However, long waits for new grid connections are now limiting further renewable expansion at the port, which is a major obstacle for one of the city’s biggest energy users.
Bring Energy and Star Energy gave an update on the geothermal programme. They are working closely with large energy users in the city and have set out a clear pathway toward new geothermal wells, drilling and a renewable heat network by 2030. They also highlighted the need for strong public backing to help make this a success.
Blue Star shared how they are navigating rising energy costs while modernising their fleet with cleaner buses. Finally, Southampton General Hospital outlined its impressive £50 million programme of energy-efficiency improvements and renewable technologies, which will help cut bills and reduce emissions from one of the city’s most important public sites.
A number of organisations asked how they can get involved with Great British Energy. The good news is that funding is open now and groups can apply to the Energy Community Fund or explore opportunities through GBE Local. Our MPs’ offices and the Southampton Energy Coalition can act as your local coordination point if you want to discuss an idea, explore a pilot project or need guidance on how to apply.
Next Steps
We finished with a collaborative workshop where stakeholders shared their biggest challenges and successes. Common themes included high energy costs, pressure on substations and the need for more local community energy projects across the city.
As part of this, we aim to submit our key asks to the relevant Government bodies soon. We will also work on a city-wide plan that ties together local community renewable generation, grid issues, and the needs of the port and industry. This plan will be written collaboratively by various stakeholders to ensure it reflects the priorities and expertise across Southampton.
We will meet again in the spring and stay closely in touch in the meantime.
If you would like to be involved in the coalition or want to feed in your ideas, please get in touch at satvir.kaur.mp@parliament.uk.