While the COVID-19 crisis may have temporarily put almost everything on hold, the UK government has nonetheless recently reaffirmed its commitment to its infrastructure plans. Two factors play strongly in favour of pushing ahead with these quickly. The first is that borrowing costs are at an all-time low and the second is that infrastructure investment is a proven way of generating economic growth, which makes infrastructure a key component of the government's strategy to restart the economy and emerge from the inevitable recession as quickly as possible.

The 2020 Summit, which is being held on 13-14 July, will provide a perfect opportunity for an in-depth analysis of the government infrastructure plans for the coming years and their implications for both the public and private sectors, as well as reviewing other relevant developments.

The 2020 Summit comprises two days:

Day one focuses on general infrastructure policy and the government’s key rail and road projects, as well as 5G and social infrastructure. Other topics covered on day one include the latest developments in government infrastructure policy, the conclusions of the Infrastructure Finance Review, the move towards more sustainable infrastructure and developing new regulatory models for infrastructure financing post-PFI.

Day two is devoted to energy and climate change. It reviews the specific policy developments in this area, as well as the latest developments in offshore wind, nuclear, storage and EV/smart city projects. The policy focus on the second day of the summit is on the role of infrastructure in delivering net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the green finance strategy, what might be included in the delayed Energy White Paper, the recent review of the capacity market, the principles for responsible investment and reform of the electricity market.

Keynote addresses at the summit include:

Update on the Government’s Infrastructure Policy
The Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Reforming project delivery to support the National Infrastructure Strategy
Nick Smallwood, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Moving towards sustainable infrastructure
James Richardson, Chief Economist, National Infrastructure Commission

Infrastructure Finance Review Panel conclusions
Matthew Vickerstaff, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure and Projects Authority, and Head of Government’s Project Finance Profession