In April UKERC Director Rob Gross travelled to Washington DC at the invitation of the World Bank Director of Energy, Demitrios Papathansiou, to participate in the World Bank Energy Forum 2026.
The biannual Forum brings together more than 400 World Bank country specialists from around the world for a week-long series of lectures, panel discussions and interactive activities focused on the World Bank‘s mission on energy. With a primary duty to alleviate poverty, the World Bank’s priorities in energy focus on getting more out of grids, expanding supply and managing emissions responsibly.
Professor Gross chaired a plenary panel with participants from South Africa, Brazil, India and China, focusing on the industrial and economic growth opportunities created by the energy transition. He provided an overview of the UK’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission, and presented data on the jobs and economic benefits UK policies were creating, before moving to chair a panel discussion and audience Q&A. The visit provided an opportunity to discuss areas of shared interest and between Bank experts and UKERC across whole systems energy, including electricity market design, system operation, affordability and industrial policy.