Energy Industries Club

From Powerbase
Revision as of 13:07, 3 November 2012 by Rich (talk | contribs) (A Complaint and Request To Remove From the Site)
Jump to: navigation, search
Nuclear spin.png This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Background

The Energy Industries Club (EIC) is an energy industry body that keeps its membership secret. Its members are drawn from firms and companies in the field, including suppliers, major customers, oil and gas companies and nationalised industries.[1]

Its website says that members meet over eight lunches a year, at the Naval and Military Club in St James Square, London. A "high profile guest speaker provides a brief presentation and opportunity for lively discussion" about "current and future challenges affecting the energy industry". The website adds: "To facilitate free discussion, meetings are private with no reporting of the proceedings."[2][3]

Pro-nuclear lobbying

On March 15, 2005, the club organized a gathering of UK's top opinion formers – analysts, corporate traders and members of the media – to hear a speech by Mike Alexander, the Chief Executive of British Energy entitled "UK Nuclear Energy: fuel of the future?".[4]

Committee

The following people are listed on the Club’s ‘Committee’ webpage: [5]

President

Past Presidents

Members

Secretary/Treasurer

Other Past Presidents

Other Past Presidents include Robert Evans and Archie Lamb REF NEEDED

Guest speakers

In 2012 and 2013, guest speakers have included:[7]

In 2005/6, guest speakers included:[8]

A Complaint and Request To Remove From the Site

NuclearSpin has had a request from the EIC to remove its listing from the website. The page was first written in 2006 and and was then largely based on an article by Jonathan Leake and Dan Box in the New Statesman.[9]

The EIC's Secretary and Treasurer, Steve Blackwell, says that the article is “garbage”. He argues that it "tried to imply that the Energy Industries Club is some sort of ‘secret society’ supporting nuclear". He adds: "It is nothing of the sort - purely one where people with an interest in energy meet over lunch with high level speakers from across the sector. Some members used to work in the sector and remain members even though they are retired. We have former Chairmen of the major energy companies who still attend occasionally”.

Blackwell says that the meeting to which Dan Box was invited by the EIG was conducted under Chatham House rules and therefore should not have been reported. He also points out that the membership list is not secret as such; it is just never given out to protect members.

Although the EIC says it is neither pro nor anti-nuclear, it may have pro-nuclear members. Blackwell, who has a history of working in the gas industry, argues that although he has no axe to grind either way on nuclear, if we are going to have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions then as Britain’s ageing nuclear power plants are decommissioned they are going to have to be replaced by new nuclear power plants.

The EIC set up a website in March 2012, upon which other information on this page is based.[10]

Related Articles

Resources

  1. Jonathan Leake, The nuclear charm offensive, New Statesman, 23 May 2005, accessed 11 Jan 2010
  2. Location, Energy Industries Club website, undated, accessed 3 November 2012
  3. About, Energy Industries Club website, undated, accessed 3 November 2012
  4. Mike Alexander, CEO, British Energy Group plc, UK Nuclear Energy – Fuel of the Future?, accessed 11 Jan 2010
  5. Committee, Energy Industries Club website, undated, accessed 3 November 2012
  6. David Porter OBE, The Energy Lectures website, accessed 11 Jan 2010
  7. Luncheon Dates, Energy Industries Club website, undated, accessed 3 November 2012
  8. The Energy Industries Club, Programme 2005/2006
  9. Jonathan Leake and Dan Box, The Nuclear Charm Offensive, New Statesman, May 23, 2005
  10. Domain registration information for www.eicuk.org, GoDaddy website, undated, accessed 3 November 2012