Marking EEEGR’s 25th anniversary, chair Kevin Keable captures its essential orchestration role in our evolving energy system
When I look at where we stand today, one thing is clear: the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) is stronger, more relevant and more influential than at any point in its history.
When John Best first asked me to join EEEGR back in 2001, I told him it wouldn’t work. At the time I felt the region lacked confidence in itself. I believed there was too much apathy and not enough belief in what we could achieve together.
Not long afterwards I joined anyway, and I was quickly surprised by just how much my business – and I personally – gained from being involved.
Over the past 25 years EEEGR has become one of the most effective regional industry organisations in the UK. Our House of Commons receptions have ensured that the voice of the East of England energy sector is heard in Westminster. SNS, our flagship conference and exhibition, has welcomed tens of thousands of people through its doors. Companies have arrived looking for contacts and left with contracts.
Our networking breakfasts, lunch-and-learn sessions and industry events have helped businesses collaborate, innovate and grow. Multiply that across a quarter of a century and EEEGR has helped generate tens of millions of pounds of business for companies in the region and far beyond.
But the value of those contracts tells only part of the story.
From the first gas landfalls at Bacton to nuclear generation at Sizewell and the rapid expansion of offshore wind across the Southern North Sea, the East of England has repeatedly powered the nation. What lies ahead, however, is not simply a shift from fossil fuels to renewables. It is a fundamental transformation of the entire energy system – one built on integration, resilience, infrastructure and, above all, people.
As I write, conflict in the Middle East is again pushing gas prices upwards and reshaping the global conversation about energy security. The transition to a lower-carbon system will take decades, not years, and it will never stand still. A decade ago data centres were barely part of the conversation. Today they are transforming electricity demand.
Electrification is essential, yet constrained by grid capacity, planning friction and public concern.
There is no silver bullet and no single solution.
Which is precisely why the East of England matters so much.
Our region sits at the centre of the UK’s energy system and uniquely possesses the full energy blend. Flexible gas generation provides resilience. Hydrogen anchored at Bacton could connect our coast to national industrial demand. Carbon capture and storage in the Southern North Sea may transform depleted fields into long-term storage assets. Nuclear longevity at Sizewell B and the development of Sizewell C will provide dependable baseload power for generations. Geothermal offers emerging potential built on decades of subsurface expertise, while interconnection, grid reinforcement and storage will strengthen system flexibility.
And then there is decommissioning. Since EEEGR was founded we have spoken about the scale of this opportunity. Today that multi-billion-pound industry is finally coming into view, bringing major activity to our ports and supply chain and we are leading on it.
So where does that leave EEEGR?
Our five Core Principles remain clear: protecting the environment, growing the economy, strengthening education and skills, expanding the supply chain and driving regional engagement. But the way we deliver on those principles is evolving.
EEEGR is increasingly becoming the convening force that ensures nationally significant energy projects translate into long-term regional prosperity. We listen across the entire energy ecosystem – government, developers, operators, SMEs, educators and communities – aligning ambition with delivery.
We advocate not just for projects, but for the infrastructure, investment and political clarity required to deliver them.
In 2025 EEEGR joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the East of England, strengthening the region’s voice in Westminster and ensuring the energy sector is represented with real evidence, experience and insight.
The East of England faces a striking paradox. We host some of the UK’s largest energy investments and world-class supply chain companies, yet some coastal communities still face high economic inactivity and persistent deprivation.
Energy cannot simply pass through our coastline. It must lift our communities with it.
Our role in this evolving system is orchestration.
EEEGR works closely with local authorities and industry, acting as secretariat for three sector councils covering Gas Transition, Marine Science and Technology, and Onshore Renewables, while collaborating closely with the EastWind Offshore Cluster. We are helping drive development of the Bacton Energy Hub and supporting the region’s growing decommissioning sector.
Recently I was asked to join the North Sea Future Board, a national group of twenty industry leaders chaired by the UK Energy Minister and advising government on the long-term transition of the North Sea’s energy systems.
That places EEEGR firmly at the table where critical decisions about supply chains, investment and workforce development are being made.
Over the next quarter century the region’s energy landscape will include expanded offshore wind, evolving gas production linked with carbon capture, hydrogen infrastructure, strengthened interconnection, nuclear newbuild, geothermal pilots and reinforced grids.
The question is whether East Anglia becomes merely a hosting ground for infrastructure, or the engineering, skills and industrial backbone of the UK’s energy transition.
The assets are here: the ports, pipelines, infrastructure and nuclear expertise. Decades of offshore experience are here. The capability of the supply chain is here.
EEEGR’s task is to convert that foundation into coordinated action.
We are now in a stronger national position than ever to influence policy, champion regional capability and ensure that energy investment translates into real jobs, skills and growth for our communities.
And John… perhaps I was wrong after all.
