Dieter Helm

Background

One of the founders of the economic consultancy, Oxera. Helm is a non-executive director of Oxera Holdings Limited, parent company of Oxera Consulting Limited; a Director of Helm Associates Ltd; and a Fellow in Economics, New College, University of Oxford. ^[1]

Influential Committees

Helm is on the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, is the Chair of Defra's Academic Panel; as well as being on the DTI's Sustainable Energy Panel Advisory Board, and the Ministerial Task Force on Sustainable Development. ^[2]

Influential Voice

Helm is a key advisor to the government on energy policy, and is said by government insiders to be close to Geoffrey Norris, Blair's key pro-nuclear advisor. Experts say that Helm has consistently attacked renewables and energy reduction scenarios as being ineffective tools to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and security of supply.

In the past, he has also said that British consumers should have been forced to buy nuclear power in order to save the "stricken generator British Energy and protect the struggling nuclear industry". ^[3]

His perspectives have been used by the pro-nuclear forces to argue their case. For example, the Nuclear Industry Association picked up on Helm's comments to the programme "If":

"Under the present arrangements no one is directly responsible for ensuring that the lights stay on. As Dieter Helm remarked at the conclusion of the film, 'If you want the lights to stay on, if you want security of supply, if you want what a modern economy needs you have to be absolutely clear what your priorities are, who has the right powers and how they will be exercised, then the market works. But we’re a long way from that point yet, and that is the challenge that should be at the DTI’s door morning noon and night.'

"In conjunction with the programme, which was watched by 2.8 million people, the BBC posed the question, 'Should Britain keep nuclear power?' on their website. The results shown here reveal that more people than might be expected are heeding 'the wake-up call'." ^[4] Bernard Ingham also quoted Helm in January 2006. ^[5]

The Nuclear Conference Circuit

Helm is also due to speak at a BNES event in March 2006, called "Securing the Future - The Role of Nuclear Energy� sponsored by the World Nuclear Association, Nuclear Industry Association, and UKAEA and co-organised by the Institution of Nuclear Engineers. ^[6]

He is due to speak at the Adam Smith Institute's inaugural "Nuclear Industry Forum" in May 2006 along with:

• Vincent de Rivaz, CEO, EDF Energy
• Vincent Maurel, Member of the Executive Board, President & CEO of Framatome ANP, Areva
• Andrew Duff, CEO, RWE nPower
• Bill Coley, CEO, British Energy
• Sir David King, Chief Scientific Advisor, HM Government
• Jake Ulrich, Managing Director, Centrica Energy
• Lauri Piekkari, Vice President Finance, TVO
• Chris Murray, Chief Executive, Nirex
• Roger Ewart-Smith, Managing Director, Rothschild
• Dr Sue Ion, President, BNES

External Links

• ^Dr. Dieter Helm Details on University of Oxford Department of Economics Website

• ^ Dr. Dieter Helm Details on Oxera Website

• ^ Planet Ark "Interview - UK Must Protect Nuke Industry, Save BEnergy - Expert" September 19, 2002

• ^ Nuclear Industry Association, "If... the Lights Go Out", Newsletter, Issue 4 - April/May, 2004

• ^ Sir Bernard Ingham, "Text of Talk to CPS Seminar" SONE Website, January 10, 2006

• ^ British Nuclear Energy Society, "Securing the Future -The Role of Nuclear Energy" Queen Elizabeth Conference Contre, March 21-23, 2006