Richard Barker from Iona Capital was a presenter and panellist at the Powerhouse Energy Conference in Warrington the 6th December 2017. The conference focused on the opportunities that the renewable and distribution energy transition offer in the context of the Norther Powerhouse. Presenters covered various topics including new renewable energy projects in development, Government’s role in achieving the Northern Powerhouse’s energy aspirations and the challenges and opportunities of securing investment in this rapidly developing sector.
Richard’s presentation provided an overview of Iona’s funds and offered a wide ranging analysis of how the investment community view current financing opportunities in distributed and renewable energy. He provided a review of the UK’s ‘Railway Mania’ in the 1840s as a historical analogy for the current investment risks and opportunities. He also discussed how the definition of energy infrastructure was changing as the UK moves from large centralised generating projects with predictable income profiles and a ‘static’ regulatory environment to smaller, distributed projects in an uncertain environment with opaque revenues.
The following link to Insider Northern Powerhouse provides a more in depth review of the conference.
