John Roberts becomes chairman of UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy

10 February 2004

John Roberts, Chief Executive of United Utilities Plc, has today become the Chairman of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE), succeeding Brian Count, the founding Chairman.

The UKBCSE works to advance the sustainable energy agenda in the UK, EU and internationally. It brings together the Chief Executives of all Britain’s major energy companies including RWE Innogy, Powergen UK, EDF Energy, Centrica, Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern Energy, Shell UK, National Grid Transco and United Utilities.

Commenting on his new role John Roberts said:

“I am delighted to take on this important role.

The Council has a central role to fulfil as we work to take forward the vision the Government set out in its Energy White Paper last year.

Delivery of sustainable energy is now essential, and to get the right market drivers we need an open and frank dialogue with Government. The work of the Council is central to this challenge.

With the Prime Minister setting out how vital the climate change agenda is internationally, I know that through the Business Council he will get the positive responses from industry that will be vital to success”.

The UKBCSE has also announced that its founding Chairman, Brian Count (formerly Chief Executive of Innogy and now Chief Executive of RWE Trading) is becoming a Vice President.

In the year ahead the UKBCSE will be focusing on:

• Active engagement in the EU and international climate change process;
• Implementation of the EU emissions trading directive;
• Energy Network resilience;
• Energy efficiency and policy innovation to tackle fuel poverty.

David Green, Chief Executive concludes:

“Our work in the year ahead will cover key areas of post White Paper energy policy. New challenges are emerging, and work still needs to be done in many existing areas of policy – across all those involved in our work, there is a strong commitment to ensuring delivery.”

At the UKBCSE Annual Parliamentary reception, The Rt. Hon. Margaret Beckett MP, Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and The Rt. Hon Peter Mandleson MP, the Patron of the UKBCSE, will be making a few remarks (subject to Parliamentary Business).

Notes to Editors

1. This announcement is being made as part of the UKBCSE’s Annual Parliamentary Reception on Tuesday 10 February 2004 at The Atrium, 4 Millbank, London SW1, from 18:00 hrs. For more details, or to attend, contact Emma Penney on 020 7802 0167

2. John Roberts joined United Utilities as Chief Executive on 1 September 1999. He has previously been a director of Hyder plc and Chief Executive of Hyder Utilities, and before that, Chief Executive of South Wales electricity after its acquisition by Hyder. John was Chief Executive of Manweb from 1992, having previously been Finance Director and Managing Director.

He joined Manweb in 1967 as a graduate trainee, having graduated from Liverpool University as an electronics and electrical engineer.

A non-executive director of Volex Plc and a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. He has been President of the Electricity Association, Chairman of Young Enterprise Wales, Chairman of the Electricity Pension Trustees Limited and a member of the CBI Wales Council. He is a chartered engineer, a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a Companion of the Institute of Management.

For further information contact

David Green, Chief Executive, UKBCSE
Tel: 020 7976 4293
Mob: 07802 242487

Russell Marsh, Head of Policy, UKBCSE
Tel: 020 7976 4290
Mob: 07941 953634