Holyrood Energy Summit 2026

How can Scotland build a balanced energy system? Was Scotland too ambitious with offshore wind? Are we achieving a Just Transition? What is the future of the North Sea?

With the 2026 election on the horizon, energy policy is fast becoming one of the defining issues of the national conversation. Questions of ownership, security, investment, and fairness are front and centre – the decisions made now will help shape manifestos, budgets, and infrastructure for the next decade.

Join us, for free*, at Holyrood’s inaugural Energy Summit where we kickstart the year by bringing together public sector leaders, community stakeholders, and elected representatives for a half-day of discussion, policy challenge, and practical insight. This is a vital opportunity for direct engagement with the leaders shaping the future of Scotland’s energy.

Across the day, we will: 

  • Discuss what a balanced, secure, and fair energy system for Scotland should look like
  • Explore how energy investment can deliver jobs, skills, and economic growth across communities
  • Examine Scotland’s strategic role in the UK energy system, including grid, governance, and security
  • Hear directly from senior leaders on what energy policy could look like beyond 2026
  • Host a live debate on the benefits and challenges of nuclear energy

Whether you work in local government, energy policy, regulation, or community leadership – this is a vital opportunity to engage directly with the people and priorities shaping Scotland’s next energy chapter.

Register your free* place and/or enquire about the many commercial opportunities available at this event

You can easily use the red buttons at the side of this page now to:

  • Register your free* place for the conference and therefore be one of the first to hear more about our agenda and speakers
  • Enquire about the many speaker, sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available at the Energy Summit. You can also email sales@holyrood.com to discuss commercial opportunities at this event.

*This event is free to attend for those working in the public sector (subject to Holyrood approval).

Event Details

Renewable energy options are abundant, from wind and hydrogen to solar and carbon capture storage and beyond, but Scotland needs to get the mix right. To kickstart the conference, this discussion will take the temperature of the issue as a whole.

This panel will explore topics including:

• The importance of securing a variety of renewable energy sources and how this can be done
• What would happen if this mix were not balanced correctly?
• Balance between private and public investment
• Scotland’s involvement in construction and national security concerns

Offshore wind is expanding but hitting roadblocks. Wind farms are being told not to generate wind due to grid restrictions, shares are plummeting, and construction is being outsourced rather than localised. This begs the question, was Scotland too ambitious?

Join this panel to hear our speakers discuss topics including:

• The existing challenges and limitations of Scotland’s offshore wind
• Who should own Scotland’s wind? Who owns it now?
• Does Scotland see enough industrial return and jobs from hosting wind farms?
• What’s next?

Robert Gordon University’s June 2025 report warned that the UK risks losing tens of thousands of offshore energy jobs by 2030 unless urgent and coordinated action is taken immediately.

In this panel, speakers will explore questions including:

• Are enough jobs being created in the energy sector?
• What is the role of oil and gas now?
• Do we need more transferable skills in the workforce?
• How does training need to adapt to handle the increase in renewable energies and decrease in oil and gas?

This new style of session will bring together four speakers to debate a key question, Should the Scottish Government be Open to Nuclear Energy?

Here’s an opportunity to have your say. Vote at the beginning, hear the discussion, and see if your opinion changes.

The North Sea has been a key energy generator for Scotland for many years, but is it the time to withdraw old energy sources to make space for new ones?

Join this debate to hear our panellists’ thoughts on:

• What a post-oil and gas North Sea looks like
• Transition implications for communities and offshore workforces
• The North Sea Consultation: What impacts will it have on Scotland’s energy?

A key question when discussing renewables is whether the energy grid can be built fast enough to support Scotland’s energy ambitions.

Hear our panellists discuss topics including:

• Grid interconnectivity, capacity, and network modernisation
• Who controls and who benefits?
• Devolution and ownership
• The role and impact of GB Energy

Tess White MSP
Shadow Minister for Equalities
Scottish Conservatives
Douglas Lumsden MSP
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy, and Transport
Scottish Conservatives
Michael Shanks MP
Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
UK Government
Fergus Ewing MSP
MSP for Inverness and Nairn (Constituency)
Scottish National Party
Professor Paul de Leeuw
Director of the Energy Transition Institute
Robert Gordon University
Jeremy Grant
Freelance Journalist
Andrew Bowie MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland | Shadow Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Scottish Conservatives
Chris Stark CBE
Head of Mission Control for Clean Power 2030
UK Government

    Event Details