Hergen Haye

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Hergen Haye has been the Head of New Nuclear at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) of the British government since 2010.

Background

Since joining the then Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 2001, [Haye] has led on a number of key governmental projects including Competition policy for the DTI Enterprise Act 2002, the Consumer Credit White Paper 2005, and European Energy Policy where he led on behalf of the UK response on the completion of the single market reform. In 2007 he led one of the largest Government consultations on the future of nuclear power and in February 2008 he was appointed Head of Distributed Energy & Heat Policy, ensuring the development of a coherent UK micro generation and distributed Energy policy.

Wined and dined by nuclear lobbyists

In November 2012 an investigation by Spinwatch revealed that the OND's top officials continued to enjoy what some would see as excessive hospitality from an industry they are meant to regulate. Since the Coalition Agreement was signed in May 2010, Hergen Hayes and two other senior OND officials have been wined and dined over 50 times by nuclear companies or those with a stake in nuclear new build, including pro-nuclear pressure groups, law firms and accountancy firms.

Hergen Haye, who is in charge of new nuclear build at the OND, meanwhile has tucked into breakfast at the Cinnamon Club, and lunch at the Forge at Covent Garden, where there are over 500 wines to choose from. He has received dinners at the exclusive Reform Club in Pall Mall, where annual membership is just under £1,500 and the Cavalry and Guards Club, which offers seven banqueting suites to choose from in its exclusive Mayfair surroundings. Officials from the Department have also attended "receptions" at the RAC Club, the Houses of Parliament, the House of Lords, the Royal Society and the Science Museum.

This hospitality is part of a multi-million pound lobbying effort by the nuclear industry to become a central tenet of the Coalition government’s low carbon energy. It seems to have paid off.

CV

• Director, Nuclear Public Engagement, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, January 2007 – January 2008 (1 year 1 month)
• Director for EU Energy Policy Department of Trade and Industry March 2005 – January 2007 (1 year 11 months)
• Deputy Director for Consumer Credit Policy, Department of Trade and Industry March 2003 – March 2005 (2 years 1 month)
• Assistant Director, Competition Policy, Department of Trade and Industry, January 2002 – March 2003 (1 year 3 months)