The inaugural Scottish Energy Futures Conference, hosted by Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and SPE Aberdeen, is set to take place at P&J Live on March 4 and 5 2025.
The two-day conference will bring together industry experts, thought leaders and innovators to explore the exciting future of the Scottish energy industry.
Around 20 speakers will deliver individual presentations or take part in panel discussions, including Sarah Knight, development manager at Crown Estate Scotland, Lord Nicol Stephen, CEO of Flotation Energy and Maggie McGinlay, chief executive of Energy Transition Zone.
There will also be an exhibit featuring universities with ideas and concepts as well as developers and companies with technologies that are ready to be used in the real world as part of the energy transition.
Conference programme
Attendees will hear about the innovations and challenges shaping the Scottish energy landscape and how these impact the future of the energy transition.
The conference will feature discussions on:
Offshore Wind
Experts like Andy Overton from ORE Catapult and Tim Wilms from Vattenfall will explore the offshore wind industry’s challenges and future. They will discuss the growth and development of floating offshore wind and the importance of leveraging oil and gas innovations to enhance safety in the industry.
Offshore Electrification
Verlume’s Graceann Robertson will showcase the decarbonisation of offshore power delivery through rechargeable subsea battery packs. Meanwhile Apollo’s Will Brindley will share lessons learned from an offshore charging trial.
Offshore Power Grids
Discuss the infrastructure challenges faced in the transition to net zero and how we can maximise and de-risk power grids to ensure efficiency for grid-scale energy production.
Development and Use of Hydrogen
Lawrence Wilcox from the National Decommissioning Centre will discuss how the industry repurposes legacy oil assets for green hydrogen production and how this shift contributes to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.
Integration of Digital Technology
Discover the application of Digital Twin technology and its potential to revolutionise energy solutions by 2045 and learn more about AI-driven innovation within offshore wind operations.
Other topics include the geothermal resource beneath our feet, wave and tidal economic benefits, cable layout for floating tidal energy convertors and sea water electrolysis without desalination to name a few.
A unique conference
Ian Phillips, section director & programme committee chair of SPE Aberdeen, says: “What we’ve chosen to do is to focus on real world projects that are actually happening as opposed to lots of theory.
“There’s an awful lot of talk about the energy transition. We’re trying to sharpen that focus and say, these are the material things that are happening In Scotland to deliver the energy transition.”
Jean Morrison, chairperson of AREG, adds: “Majority of the conferences that are happening don’t necessarily happen in Aberdeen even though 70% of the supply chain for the offshore industry as well as the oil and gas industry are based in and around the city.”
Not-for-profit event
As organisers, AREG and SPE Aberdeen believe the not-for-profit nature of their event is a real advantage.
Ian points out: “The fact that we’re both not-for-profit organisations means that we can access people who a lot of the commercial conferences just can’t. That means that we can deliver much more.
“We’re here to service the needs of the industry ultimately.”
Jean adds: “As a not-for-profit conference, we do care. For us, knowledge sharing and learning is hugely important. It’s about inspiring the next generation. We want to give early career professionals opportunities to learn. We want people to take away something real that they can apply in their workplaces.
“We want them to make connections and do business as well. We want them to get some real leads and potentially great partnerships. Some projects could happen as a result of this.”
Keynote dinner
A keynote dinner will be held on March 3 2025, fostering insights from industry leaders into the future of the energy transition in Scotland.
This exclusive gathering offers attendees a valuable opportunity to network with experts and peers in a relaxed setting ahead of the two-day conference.
Register now
Don’t miss the opportunity to shape the future of renewables and the energy transition.
In addition to early bird rates, early career professionals can attend for FREE with every full-price ticket purchased!
For more information and to register for the event, visit the Scottish Energy Futures Conference website.
