People of Durham
coming together to shape
our energy futures.
Have you noticed how emotional everyone is about energy?
Whether it’s drilling, or mining, or enormous turbines, or nuclear. It all stirs up so much fire in people. But it can be so hard to talk to each other about it.
Have you noticed that we’re living through a massive transformation of our energy system?
The turbines and the panels and the charging stations springing up across the landscape?
And have you worried about who’s in charge of all that? And whether they’ve learned the lessons of the past, that run seam-deep here in the North East?
The Durham Energy Council is a project inspired by these questions, and inspired by Durham’s deep heritage of Energy Democracy.
We were powerful, once
Durham used to be an international centre of power.
It could be again.
Colliery communities worked together over 100s of years, organising and fighting to build many of the rights and protections we enjoy today. They created power for themselves from nothing, and passed that on, building it generation by generation.
Representatives from each of Durham’s pit villages would come together at the Pitman’s Parliament in Redhills. Together they would debate and shape energy policy for the region, the nation, and the world.
That power and tradition was decimated by the UK government through the 1980s and onwards. And many communities have never recovered from it.
But now, as we live through the next great energy transition, what woul it be like to rekindle those traditions of energy democracy. For Durham communities to be powerful again.
What is the Durham Energy Council?
The project is about regular people shaping our energy futures. It’s about making sure people who so often feel ignored and unimportant have the opportunity to shape energy policy - just as their Ancestors did in this County.
Volunteers from across County Durham have joined the DEC. They come from a huge range of backgrounds and perspectives, but what unites them is their curiosity, their willingness to listen, and their hope for the future.
The Councillors have taken part in a series of workshops, energy site visits, and a national energy conference. They have built up their knowledge and experience about all things energy.
The Durham Energy Councillors have created a Manifesto, laying out a set of values to shape the energy transition we are all living through. The Manifesto will be launched at Redhills on Thursday 11th June.
Durham Energy Manifesto
The Durham Energy Manifesto is a beautiful document, prepared by volunteer Durham Energy Councillors from across Durham.
The document draws on our heritage and our imagined futures. It contains:
A handbill of demands, to guide policymakers in their work to transform our energy system.
A letter to future generations, explaining the moment we live in
A broadsheet newspaper, filled with articles penned by different energy councilors on topics ranging from “What is Net Zero” to community energy case studies
The manifesto will be launched at Redhills on Thursday 11th June.
North East 100 Top Energy Influencers
We have worked with our partners in academia, energy sector, and politics to create a list of the North East’s 100 Top Energy Influencers - the people who are working to shape our great energy transition. A limited edition copy of the Durham Energy Manifesto will be handed to each of the people on the list, and each will be invited to respond to the manifesto and engage with the ongoing work of the Durham Energy Council.
Our Plans for the Future
There is enormous potential for community-led energy transition work across County Durham.
We have plans to launch the next phase of the Durham Energy Council following the launch of the Manifesto in June.
We welcome expressions of interest in joining the DEC - please don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information.
The Durham Energy Council project has been made possible with the support of Durham Energy Institute, and Point North. A huge thank you to both organisations for making this possible.
