Utility Week articles from April 2007

Utility Week archives from April 2007

News.
April 6, 2007... Milestone: the UK government has approved the development of three new gas fields in the southern North Sea, one of which is Britain's 350th offshore oil and gas scheme. The Caravel, Shamrock and Kelvin fields will be operated by Shell and...

ELECTRICITYAll-island market will be jointly regulated.(News)
April 6, 2007... by Steve Hobson The all-island single electricity market (SEM) for Ireland will be regulated by a committee composed of representatives of the utility regulators of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and a third party to handle...

News.(Biomass)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... ENERGY 'Heat before co-firing' for wood fuel The priority use for wood fuel should be local heat generation, followed by small-scale combined heat and power generation, according to a new strategy document from the Forestry Commission....

Features.
April 6, 2007... German Baltic link German firm Wingas has revealed plans to build two pipelines linking to Nord Stream, the pipeline that will export Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea. Wingas, owned by Wintershall and Gazprom, has applied to the...

News.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Independence day Ofgem has formally decided that connections company Fulcrum Pipelines, an affiliate of National Grid's gas distribution business, can be licensed as an independent gas transporter. Sea power Consultancies Faber...

ENERGYBuncefield group wants tough fuel site standards.(News)(Buncefield fuel depot)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... The overriding need in maintaining the safety of fuel depots is to ensure the integrity of the primary containment, according to an independent investigation into the explosion at Buncefield fuel depot in December 2005. Sixteen of its...

News.(Buncefield fuel depot)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Keep a lid on it: a temporary task group set up to suggest safety improvements in the wake of the Buncefield fuel depot explosion should be succeeded by "comparable leadership" in the sector to improve standards, according to a report for the...

Features.
April 6, 2007... ENVIRONMENT EIB offers carbon capture cash fund The president of the European Investment Bank (EIB) has promised MEPs that his institution will help finance the construction of carbon capture demonstration projects. He indicated that...

eNERGYEon admits defeat in Endesa takeover war.(Features)
April 6, 2007... by Janet Wood Eon has struck a deal with Acciona and Enel that will end the long-running battle to take over Spanish utility Endesa. Announcing that Eon would abandon its bid, chief executive Wulf Bernotat said the two Spanish companies'...

ENVIRONMENTCarbon dioxide emissions up.(News)
April 6, 2007... by Roger Milne The government has been left on the back foot over its climate change strategy after the latest official statistics showed that carbon dioxide emissions are increasing, largely because of the power sector. During 2006,...

ELECTRICITYDNOs delay new charges.(News)(distribution network operators)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Western Power Distribution implemented a new charging regime on 1 April that will make it easier for distributed generators to connect to its network, but most distribution network operators (DNOs) will not change their charging structures...

News.
April 6, 2007... ELECTRICITY Green demand is outstripping supply UK firms with internal "green power" targets for 2007 will have a tough time sourcing enough UK renewable energy, according to business information specialist Datamonitor. The...

Features.
April 6, 2007... THE 6 April Publication of IPCC report on climate change impacts and adaptation, Brussels 13 April Utility Week has a one-week publishing break 16 April Parliament returns after Easter recess 17 April ...

News.(Department for Education and Skills)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... New diplomas given the go-ahead The government has given the go-ahead to education providers to offer up to 40,000 places to young people on the first batch of the new diplomas from September 2008. The Department for Education and...

News.(Ogden Water)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Monster splash: a Yorkshire reservoir has been at the centre of reports of a strange hump-backed beast, first spotted last week at Ogden Water near Halifax. And no, it wasn't an early April Fool's prank or a sighting of Nessie. It was "Oggie",...

Comical relief.(Features)
April 6, 2007... Tax relief is available for companies investing in CHP, but trying to get hold of it is no laughing matter . James Macauley calls for a rethink The government has committed itself to an ambitious emissions reduction programme. Building on...

Features.(National Allocation Plans)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... ENVIRONMENT US 'to be ready for ETS link by 2013' The US could have a federal greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme up and running by 2013 and be ready to link with the European Union's scheme at the same time. The possibility was...

Fishy tales and bellyaches.(News)
April 6, 2007... What can the great man say about the following? He will allow you to be the judge. Disconnector is indebted to Private Eye for this gem. Apparently, one Stalin Avramov is threatening to plunge Bulgaria - and certainly the capital Sofia -...

News.
April 6, 2007... Winner takes all: pictured are two high-rollers at a recent James Bond-themed ball organised by Southern Water which raised [pounds sterling]155,000 for charity WaterAid. More than 400 staff and guests took part. The ball now holds the...

News.(public education courses)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... More youngsters stay on at school Government statistics revealed last week that the number of young people under 19 attending public education courses was 688,000 for the academic year beginning October 2006, 5.1 per cent up on 2005. ...

waterAccusations fly after Galway crypto outbreak.(Features)
April 6, 2007... Galway local authorities last week reached a deal with Ireland's environment minister Dick Roche on short and long-term solutions to a cryptosporidium outbreak in Galway City. Measures include identifying the source of the outbreak and...

News.(British Energy)(ScottishPower)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Mild winter papers over the cracks as generation goes offline National Grid's assessment of energy supplies during the winter of 2006/07 was that gas supplies were greater than anticipated but the availability of generation was lower than...

GASDorset facility could store 1bcm.(News)
April 6, 2007... Egdon Resources has formally applied for planning permission and approval from the government to develop a gas storage scheme on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, capable of storing a billion cubic metres of gas deep underground. The company's...

News.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Warming to the idea: The Isle of Grain is to be the site of the UK's largest combined heat and power plant. At present, National Grid uses natural gas to warm liquefied natural gas stored at the Isle of Grain gas terminal before it is delivered...

Features.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... On the horizon: Denmark's National Energy Authority has given Dong the green light to build a 215MW offshore windfarm, the Horns Rev 2 project, in the Danish sector of the North Sea, 23km northeast of the existing Horns Rev 1. Horns Rev 2 will...

GASPipes affiliates get regulatory independence.(News)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Ofgem has decided that connection firms affiliated with gas distribution network operators can be licensed as independent gas transporters in their own right and not treated as part of the host in respect of price controls. The regulator's...

ELECTRICITYInternational Power in share swap.(News)(Mitsui)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... International Power has agreed a change of ownership structure with its partner Mitsui. The independent power company will sell a 25 per cent equity interest in Rugeley, Deeside and Indian Queens to Mitsui. It will acquire an extra 5 per...

News.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Protest on tap: Northern Ireland's devolved executive has been warned that it still faces huge opposition over water charging. The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance said the executive should abolish the so-called "tap tax", and general...

Features.
April 6, 2007... Too many rules, not enough scrutiny It is a fact of political life that much UK environmental and, increasingly, energy-related legislation is driven by the European Union. It is effectively hatched in Brussels courtesy of the European...

pan-utilityMeter trial companies named.(News)
April 6, 2007... by Steve Hobson Five companies have secured government funding for two-year trials to determine how smart metering can reduce energy demand. They are Scottish and Southern Energy, Eon, ScottishPower, EDF Energy and British Gas Business....

News.(development permission for solar water heating and small wind turbines)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Power boost: ministers this week began consulting on firm proposals to remove the need for planning permission for microgeneration such as solar water heating and small wind turbines. Under this plan they would become permitted development....

The battle of Hastings.(Features)(Hastings Fund Management acquisition)
April 6, 2007... Hastings Fund Management is taking on Ofwat and its anti-merger policy . Linda Wain assesses how the sides stack up A proposal to merge the management and operations of Mid Kent Water and South East Water has sparked controversy in the...

ELECTRICITYFinland makes plans for next nuclear plant.(Features)
April 6, 2007... Finnish utilities Fortum and Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) are to start Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in April as part of their plans to make formal applications to build a sixth nuclear power reactor (FIN6). The EIA is the first step...

News.(briefs)(Norman Broadbent)(Achilles Group)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Andrew Marsh will join water utility Severn Trent to manage the company's media and government relations, with effect from mid-June. Marsh moves from the Consumer Council for Water, where he was head of public relations. Jennifer Leith and...

Features.
April 6, 2007... PAN-UTILITY Commission favours taxes over rules The European Commission signalled last week that it wanted to see greater use of "market-based instruments" such as green taxation to achieve both environmental and energy goals. ...

ENERGYUS weather to hit National Grid results.(News)
April 6, 2007... National Grid said the major pressures on revenue in the 12 months to 31 March had been weather-related. In a pre-close trading update, it cited storm costs in the US and "under recovery" of revenue in the UK gas distribution business as a...

Features.(briefs)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... INTERVIEW Ofreg chief executive Iain Osborne discusses the progress of domestic energy competition, the prospects for an all-island energy market and taking on water regulation WATER Plans for the sewage-busting 32km tunnel under...

ELECTRICITYOffshore links will be open to competition.(News)
April 6, 2007... by Janet Wood Licensed transmission system owners will be allowed to compete to provide grid connections for offshore projects, the Department of Trade and Industry and Ofgem have decided. Government and the regulator had jointly...

eNERGYOfgem readies network plans for summer.(News)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Ofgem last week promised to publish by early summer its initial thinking on the long-term development of electricity networks. That commitment came in the regulator's latest corporate strategy and plan, which set out Ofgem's priorities for...

Ministers bid for green credibility.(Features)
April 6, 2007... Rising carbon emissions take the shine off the government's climate change leadership performance. Both trade and industry secretary Alistair Darling and environment secretary David Miliband made major speeches last week signalling future...

Green yonder.(Features)
April 6, 2007... Proposals to band the Renewables Obligation have met with widespread condemnation, but what are the alternatives? David Burrows reports Government consultations can go one of two ways. Either they are left in an in-tray gathering dust or,...

GASRWE quits networks in the Netherlands.(Features)
April 6, 2007... by Simon Jones RWE Energy Nederland has agreed the sale of its two gas distribution networks to Dutch transmission firm NRE. The two holdings, Obragas Net and Netbeheer Haarlemmermeer, should be transferred to NRE in the summer. The...

Scotland 'needs skills rethink'.(News)
April 6, 2007... by ZoA' Grainge The Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCOC) has slammed the public provision of skills in Scotland. It called for the creation of a single body to co-ordinate a "flexible, demand-led focus" on delivering skills and training....

ENVIRONMENTScotland trumpets climate progress.(News)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Scotland's climate change programme has made "encouraging progress", according to an annual report published by the Scottish Executive. The report said carbon dioxide emissions in Scotland in 2004 were 16 per cent lower than in 1990, while the...

ELECTRICITYScottishPower shareholders vote for Spain.(News)
April 6, 2007... At an extraordinary general meeting on 30 March, more than 97 per cent of ScottishPower shareholders endorsed a takeover of the company by Spain's Iberdrola agreed by the boards of the two companies in November last year. The deal had been...

Easy does it.(Features)(intelligible legislation)
April 6, 2007... Despite the trend for drafting intelligible legislation, many utility licences remain archaic and impenetrable . Roger Barnard prefers the simple life Few would disagree that in a democracy the law must be accessible and as far as possible...

Features.
April 6, 2007... No light at the end of the Tideway tunnel On the day after the Budget, environment minister Ian Pearson announced outline approval for a Thames Tideway tunnel to temporarily store overflows of stormwater and sewage to stop them discharging...

News.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... PAN-UTILITY Severn Trent and United 'on target' Severn Trent and United Utilities' 2006/07 preliminary results will be in line with expectations when they are announced in June, according to pre-close statements from the companies. ...

ELECTRICITYCouncil has its wires crossed over powerline.(News)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... A council in northeast England has ended up in hot water with the Local Government Ombudsman and faces either paying for 1,600 metres of overhead power line to be buried or paying for a householder to have a wind turbine installed on his land....

WATERLaw change needed to ease competition.(News)(Water Act 2003 )(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... by Steve Hobson The competitive water market in England and Wales may not deliver and will have to be amended by government legislation if it is to offer customers a real choice of water supplier. This is likely to be the outcome of...

WATERPublic have say on resources plans.(News)(Water Industry Act 1991)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Water customers have a statutory right to comment on companies' 25-year resource management plans under changes to the Water Industry Act 1991 that came into effect on 1 April. Water companies are now required by law to consult on their...

ENERGY'No guarantees' on winter gas.(News)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... by Roger Milne Significant investment in new gas supply infrastructure should continue to ease the UK's energy supply position next winter, but Ofgem has warned the industry of uncertainty over the availability of imports. That was...

News.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Latest UK energy statistics reveal rise in coal generation The latest quarterly energy statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry show that coal-fired generation was 11.6 per cent higher in 2006 than the previous year, an increase...

News.
April 6, 2007... Smart meter successfully detects water leaks Trials of a smart water meter launched last year by Severn Trent Services have successfully detected leaks on householders' properties. The intelligent concentric meter was developed by the...

ELECTRICITYSplits to follow all-island market.(News)
April 20, 2007... No generator should have a market share of greater than 40 per cent when the all-island of Ireland electricity market begins on 1 November this year, according to the joint regulators. The Single Electricity Market will be regulated jointly...

WATER Aqualia expands into east Europe.(expansion of spanish water company Aqualia)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... Spanish water company Aqualia has established a regional base in Prague as it seeks to expand across central and eastern Europe. Milan Konir, director of the new Prague office, said Aqualia was interested both in acquiring water companies...

News.
April 20, 2007... ELECTRICITY British Energy takes on Credit Suisse British Energy has begun proceedings against Credit Suisse to stop it consolidating creditors' interests in Eggborough power plant into a company called Ampere. Ampere would...

News.(OTW Services)(Thames Water)(Kemble Water acquistions)
April 20, 2007... New waste contract Scottish Water has awarded OTW Services a four-year, [pounds sterling]24million contract to provide waste management services in Scotland. The company was created last year by Thames Water and waste management company...

Khan means business at BGB.(News)
April 20, 2007... by ZoA' Grainge Since taking the helm at Centrica, chief executive Sam Laidlaw has made a number of changes at board and senior management level. One of these was Badar Khan, who last month took up his post as managing director of...

QCA to study new science Diploma.(News)(Qualifications and Curriculum Authority)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has been asked by the government to carry out further research into introducing a diploma in applied science at GCSE level in schools. QCA director of qualifications and skills Mary Curnock...

News.(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... Businesses ready to switch but have little faith in current regime About two-thirds of business customers would consider switching under the current competitive Water Supply Licence regime, according to a study commissioned by the Consumer...

Well read.(customer preference regarding electric suppliers)
April 20, 2007... Customer magazines can build brand loyalty among consumers who are beyond the reach of other marketing channels, says Julia Hutchison There are dozens of domestic gas and electricity suppliers in the UK offering hundreds of different energy...

WATERSouth East retreats on desalination.(South East Water Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... Tapping additional water supplies would be cheaper and have fewer environmental drawbacks than desalinating sea water, South East Water has said. The company found that exploiting groundwater supplies at South Heighton, Sussex, and...

Features.
April 20, 2007... THE 23-24 April Eurelectric conference on the challenges of building a retail market in Europe, Brussels 24 April Fortum Oyj first quarter 2007 results British Energy Association one-day conference on sustainable energy...

News.
April 20, 2007... Yup, it's a man dressed as a WC. Pictured is Rob Jameson (aka running toilet), one of WaterAid's London Marathon team this weekend. If you can't run, why not help the charity sew a woollen river (made of 60,000 blu e squares) to highlight the...

Features.
April 20, 2007... GAS Distrigas tries to forestall sanctions The European Commission is consulting on measures proposed by Belgian energy company Distrigas to reduce its market dominance. At issue are the company's long-term gas supply contracts,...

ENERGY Netherlands to go ahead with unbundling.(Features)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... The Netherlands government plans to force through its controversial network unbundling reform within months. Economics minister Maria van der Hoeven has told the Dutch parliament she will approve by June a royal decree to separate utility...

waterYorkshire and Southern pay for pollution.(News of unlawful sewage discharges )(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted two water companies for unlawful sewage discharges. Southern Water was fined [pounds sterling]8,000 with costs of [pounds sterling]2,010 at Canterbury magistrates' court last week. A fault...

Features.
April 20, 2007... ENVIRONMENT Czechs ponder ETS legal challenge The European Commission is facing a second legal challenge by a European Union member state over the tough stance taken by the Commission on national allocation plans (Naps) for the second...

Sex crimes and burning bogs.(News)
April 20, 2007... The great man is well aware that all is not well within the wonderful new world of carbon offsetting. A "green con" might be a better way of looking at some of the deals on offer. And with that in mind, Disconnector was much taken with the...

News.
April 20, 2007... Is newly minted Northern Ireland regulatory supremo Iain Osborne having a Beatles moment? This photo opportunity as he carries the new sign to his office in Queen Street, Belfast, does have an echo of the famous fab four's Abbey Road album...

GASMilford Haven delays will restrict supplies.(News)
April 20, 2007... by Roger Milne Planning difficulties affecting National Grid's Milford Haven gas pipeline have forced the energy company to warn shippers that the scheme will be delayed. That will mean capacity constraints on companies that expected to be...

ENERGYFuel poverty will burn up [pounds sterling]1bn a year.(News)
April 20, 2007... Ministers have been told that they will need to spend about [pounds sterling]1billion a year for the next decade to ensure the government meets its fuel poverty targets. That is the assessment of the administration's advisers in a report...

ENERGYGermany's Glos plans incentive to cut grid fees.(German economics minister Michael Glos)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... German economics minister Michael Glos plans to introduce new gas and power network regulations before the summer. A draft law published by the ministry outlines a new benchmark-based incentive system that will cut grid fees by 1.5 per cent per...

WATERAgency warns on quality of groundwater.(News)
April 20, 2007... The impact of farming on groundwater is "not widely acknowledged or understood", according to the Environment Agency. It said that the largest proportion of the diffuse pollution affecting groundwater now comes from agriculture, and "diffuse...

waterIsle of Man considers fluoridation.(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... The Isle of Man government is considering adding fluoride to the water supply to help reduce the level of tooth decay. Paul Emerson, an Isle of Man NHS consultant, said: "Oral health for children is poor. Part of the reason for this is that...

Features.
April 20, 2007... Ofwat finds ally in push to unbundle water Ofwat chief executive Regina Finn has found an early ally in her so far low-key campaign to boost competition in the English and Welsh water sector, possibly by forcing unbundling of the vertically...

ENERGYLib Dems seek cap and trade policy.(News)
April 20, 2007... A "cap and trade" scheme should be used to give domestic energy suppliers incentives to sell less energy, the Liberal Democrats proposed this week. They also said suppliers should part-finance new so-called "energy mortgages" to encourage...

ENERGYSuppliers told to fund household monitors.(News)(electric meters)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... by Steve Hobson Government ministers have surprised energy suppliers by revealing plans to require them to provide free "real-time electricity monitors" to every UK household. Environment secretary David Miliband and his counterpart at...

Gas price control costings.(Features)
April 20, 2007... Work has started in earnest over the next gas distribution price control, with consultants commissioned by Ofgem suggesting that the assessment of operating costs submitted by the gas distribution network (GDN) operators can be slashed by...

ELECTRICITYConnections disputes prompt Ofgem probes.(Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... by Steve Hobson Energy regulator Ofgem is investigating complaints about unfair competition in connections against three electricity distribution network operators - EDF Energy, Central Networks and SP Distribution. The complaints, all...

waterUniversal metering on NIAUR table.(Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... Northern Ireland Water's (NIW's) newly formed regulator has signalled that it will consider universal metering for customers in the province. Setting out its regulatory principles, the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation...

News.
April 20, 2007... PAN-UTILITY NJUG outlines streetworks 'vision' The National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG) has launched a "vision for streetworks". NJUG said a survey of its members, which include the energy and water utilities as well as cable...

GASOfgem backs Grid's plans for NTS access.(News)
April 20, 2007... by Roger Milne Ofgem has endorsed controversial proposals from National Grid involving a new regime for accessing capacity on the high-pressure National Transmission System (NTS). However, implementation of the new arrangements will be...