The inaugural Plymouth Energy Futures Summit, coordinated by Amey and the University of Plymouth, was held at the University of Plymouth on Tuesday 20 October 2026
What are the most effective and coordinated ways to ensure Plymouth has sufficient and sustainable sources of energy to power its future prosperity?
That was among the key questions asked at the inaugural Plymouth Energy Futures Summit, coordinated by Amey and the University of Plymouth.
The day-long event saw Amey bring together academics from the University with partners from businesses, local and national government, health services, community groups and energy suppliers based in Plymouth and across the UK.
Through a series of talks and discussions, delegates explored current and future demands for energy and how those demands can be sustainably met.
They also explored whether it would be possible to begin building an energy roadmap capable of supporting Plymouth's growth, attracting investment and delivering lasting economic and social value for the city and its communities.
The event comes at a critical time for the city and region, following UK Government investment in Plymouth’s dockyard and naval base and the city’s designation as a Defence Growth Deal area.
All of that will result in the development of new homes, business opportunities, transport networks and digital infrastructure, placing increased demand on an electricity system already facing capacity and connection challenges.

There are significant opportunities for us here in Plymouth over the coming decades and having secure and sustainable sources of energy will underpin all of that.

As a university, we’ve been on our own decarbonisation journey and it’s vital that we use what we’ve learned during that time to benefit our whole community. This event has been an important step towards doing that, and I am excited to see how we build on these discussions in ways that support our city’s future growth.

Amey brings together infrastructure, energy, consulting and delivery expertise, enabling us to look at energy needs as part of a wider, connected system rather than in isolation. Combined with local knowledge and experience, this puts us in a strong position to help Plymouth explore practical, integrated solutions that support its future energy needs and long-term growth.

David Aird
Business Director at Amey

The reason for bringing everyone together is we need to address how we meet growing energy demands in our city. What this summit has shown is we have the expertise to respond to that, and it’s provided a fantastic opportunity to exchange information, plans and ideas. We now need to develop a clear idea of what energy resources the future Plymouth will need, and how we can all play our part in delivering that.

David Healey
Expert in Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) at Amey
The inaugural Plymouth Energy Futures Summit, coordinated by Amey and the University of Plymouth, was held at the University of Plymouth on Tuesday 20 October 2026
The organisations represented at the summit included:
University of Plymouth; Amey; Amberside; Babcock International Group; CIGRE; Go South West; HQW Aerospace; National Grid; ORE Catapult; Peninsula Transport; Plymouth City Council; Plymouth Community Homes; Plymouth Energy Community; Plymouth & South Devon Freeport; Team Plymouth; University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; Vital Energi; Wales & West Utilities.