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UTILITY WEEK | OCTOBER 2020 | 17 Build Back Better Comment Justine Greening Rt Hon Justine Greening, Social Mobility Pledge founder approach to net zero pathways is adopted, he argues. "My view is that the networks themselves and the local authorities that we work with in those areas are best placed to kick this process off. "You can deal with the constraints that each area faces in a much more localised and focused way at the moment. We should be helping to facilitate ways for local author- ities to get the flexibility they need. "You may then go to a more centralised system when you've seen what happens and what works. "But to immediately set up something that tries to deal with 26 million individual connections and thousands of villages and particular areas of towns, which have their own issues, seems to be a big mistake to me. The danger is that we spend enormous amounts of time trying to establish that rather than actually getting on with deliver- ing something." Leading on the world stage With the COP26 climate conference being held in Glasgow in just over a year's time, the UK has a unique opportunity to show leadership through its actions on tackling climate change. For Phillips-Davies, there are immedi- ate opportunities to seize momentum on EV infrastructure, hydrogen and CCS. "The UK has a unique opportunity on CCS because it's got access to all of that offshore storage capability to start hydrogen that way. "I think that will prove to be cost advan- taged initially. I would hope we can get a couple of power stations announced at or around COP26, and ultimately we can turn those into hydrogen power stations by, for example, retrofitting burners. Then you can use the CCS capability of the plants to go into industrial processes, which will be far harder to decarbonise later on." Finding the right mechanism to enable this will be fundamental, he says, and would probably follow the CfD model. Again, he warns against balking at the upfront costs, pointing to the wider benefits in terms of cre- ating "firm, dispatchable and importantly, flexible power which is ultimately cheaper than nuclear". On the EV rollout, he says urgent action is needed now to reassure consumers they can look beyond combustion engines. All of this means mass job creation and Phillips-Davies believes this will be the key message for the industry to communicate to government and the wider public. James Wallin, digital editor "The UK has a unique opportunity on CCS because it's got access to all of that offshore storage capability to start hydrogen that way." U tilities firms are particu- larly well placed to play a major role in rebuilding the UK economy when the coro- navirus crisis finally ends. As organisations with direct influ- ence on households, including those in disadvantaged com- munities, they are in a position to engage and support what are oen hard-to-reach families and individuals. They are also potent genera- tors of opportunities. On-site, across vast supply chains and in the many innovative ways utility firms are diversifying, an abun- dance of new career openings are being created. Many are a doorway into a trade or profession in high demand, and loaded with career progression opportunities. These are the types of roles that the economy needs to come back stronger aer Covid -19. The reach of utilities firms into disadvantaged areas is a rare commodity, which can be harnessed to great effect when it comes to driving social mobility. Before coronavirus, Britain was a nation of inequality. Tal- ent was spread evenly around the UK but opportunities were not and where a person was born dictated their career trajectory. Sadly, the pandemic could only make this picture bleaker. That is unless businesses take up the call to do their bit to support the recovery. In doing so, by making bold decisions and adopting a mind- set that finds and rewards talent regardless of its background, it can also help their businesses to grow and become more resilient. Through our work with the Social Mobility Pledge, we have seen a number of utilities busi- nesses achieving formidable results in enabling people to fulfil their potential and dra- matically improve their career outlook. This must be stepped up post-coronavirus, but so too must the vital work of utilities in supporting households in financial difficulty. As the nation looks to come out of the coronavirus crisis, more purposeful activity is needed from any business able to deliver it. Even without the backdrop of the crisis and its economic fallout, purpose and profitabil- ity are increasingly becoming inseparable. And this trend will only accelerate as demand for help intensifies in the wake of the pandemic. Help with re-skilling As entire sectors are decimated, boosting employability and up- skilling will be crucial in ena- bling those affected to find a new path in life. This great effort requires a collaborative approach, with businesses oen operating as a facilitator, rather than trying to solve all problems themselves. For utility businesses, this is an opportunity to play their part in the post-Covid recovery, while also adding fresh talent and dynamism to their workforces and throughout their supply chains. It's a moment that must be seized. This is an excerpt of Justine Greening's column, which is available in full as part of our Build Back Bette campaign at: utilityweek.co.uk Utilities have a long reach into disadvantaged areas, which can be harnessed to great effect when it comes to driving social mobility. UtilityWeek