Utility Week articles from August 2005

Utility Week archives from August 2005

telecoms; Austrian telco buys Mobiltel for e1.6bn.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Telekom Austria has made its biggest international deal yet with the acquisition of Bulgaria's biggest mobile operator, Mobiltel, for e1.6 billion. Telekom Austria already has a presence in central and eastern Europe, but its latest...

ELECTRICITY; British Energy returns to profit after overhaul.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Trevor Loveday As nuclear generator British Energy reported a return to profit over the final quarter of the financial year, chief executive Bill Coley placed the blame for its previous shortcomings on his predecessors' management. ...

GAS; Price rises to continue as BG ups profits 43 per cent.(BGlast)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Exploration and production group BGlast week reported a 17 per cent rise in second quarter net profit after stripping out gains from soaring wholesale gas prices. Half-year net profit leapt 44 per cent to [pounds sterling]545 million and gas...

TELECOMS; BTprofits jump but shares slip.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Growth in broadband and mobile services fuelled a 20 per cent rise - to [pounds sterling]511 million - in first quarter group pre-tax profit at telecoms giant BT. Chief executive Ben Verwaayen declared: "The transformation of the business is...

eLECTRICITY; Biomass could meet 5 per cent of demand.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Roger Milne Five per cent of UK electricity generation could be fuelled by biomass, a government working party has reported to ministers. But the group's interim findings, just published, came down against a renewable heat...

ELECTRICITY; Interest in CEZ auction soars.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Sixteen companies this week bid in a auction by Czech energy company CEZ for up to 400MW of output next year. The results of the bidding - which could go to a second round - were due after Utility Week went to press. "Demand exceeded the...

GAS; Centrica buys further stakes in North Sea.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Centrica has made another move to buttress its supply position by buying stakes in four North Sea oil and gas fields from US independent Kerr McGee for nearly [pounds sterling]318.6 million. The energy giant has bought interests in the...

energy; Centrica on acquisition trail.
August 12, 2005... Centrica has a war chest of [pounds sterling]4 billio Centrica's recent [pounds sterling]102 million acquisition of 51 per cent of Belgium's second-largest energy utility SPE in a joint venture with Gaz de France (GDF) is the first step in...

ENVIRONMENT; Centrica tops green firm list.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Conservationists have ranked Centrica top of the UK's six major carbon-based energy companies in terms of meeting the challenge of climate change. The two power companies owned by German parents, Eon UK and RWE-npower, came fifth and...

ELECTRICITY; Power traders get credit risk guidance.(Futures and Options Association )(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... A group of power traders, lawyers and consultants has collaborated in publishing guidelines on credit risk in energy markets. The Power Trading Forum - part of the Futures and Options Association (FOA) - together with law firm Clifford...

ENERGY; Target help at fuel poor, says watchdog.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Gas and electricity consumer body Energywatch has urged better advice for - and more targeting of help to - low income households in a bid to improve energy efficiency. The watchdog complained that the requirement on suppliers to tackle...

WATER; Backing for 'insider'; green regulation plan.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Roger Milne Water companies pioneering a new regulatory approach with the Environment Agency that involves staff from the watchdog working on companies' premises have backed a call from the agency to make the practice more widespread in...

ENERGY; 2004 figures highlight rise in emissions.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Increased energy consumption and lower nuclear output last year prompted an increase in carbon dioxide emissions of 1.5 per cent, according to figures compiled by the Department of Trade and Industry. The latest Digest of UK Energy...

Getting up people's noses.(Association of Professional Political Consultants)
August 12, 2005... Last month Disconnector shared with you the tale of Yorkshire Water's [pounds sterling]20 million final bill after failing to convince the High Court that Taylor Woodrow and Biwater had made a hash of work at its Knostrop sewage treatment...

Tell not, save not, spend loads.
August 12, 2005... Disconnector is puzzled. Environment minister Elliot Morley faced a technical question in the Commons recently about the government's response to the European Commission's investigation into UK compliance with the provisions under Article 3(1)...

GAS; Gazprom strikes deal to sell direct in Italy.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Simon Jones Russian gas giant Gazprom will be able to to sell gas directly to Italian customers from 2006 under a deal signed this week with Italian counterpart Eni. The deal will enable Gazprom to market 2 billion cubic metres a...

ELECTRICITY; International Power gets boost from US recovery.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Half-year results at generator International Power benefited from improved performance in the US where the group's progress had been impeded in recent years. International's North American operations returned an [pounds sterling]8 million...

GAS; Shell delays Irish pipe until next year.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Shell has decided to delay construction of a controversial pipeline for the Corrib gas field project until next year, despite having won consent from the Republic of Ireland government. Residents from County Mayo had protested against the...

ELECTRICITY; SSEhydro plant approved.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE)is to go ahead with construction of what will be the first large scale hydro-power plant to be built in 50 years after it gained government consent last month. The 100MW underground power station would be...

Counting the cost of climate change.
August 12, 2005... Sitting astride the energy and water sectors, Utility Week is in the uniquely privileged position of gaining insights into the key issues facing both industries. Without doubt, the biggest problem at present is climate change, though this...

Data storage is key to survival.(Letter to the Editor)
August 12, 2005... Sir: I write in response to the news item "Poor data hits customers" (Utility Week 22 July). I was interested to read that a recent survey found that one-fifth of utility companies estimated that poor data cost them up to [pounds sterling]5...

Power switching on the up.
August 12, 2005... Switching in the domestic electricity market remains at a healthy level, according to data compiled by Energy Market Research (EMR) and highlighted in the latest Electricity Industry Review. In the three months ending October 2004, 1.4...

ELECTRICITY; Norway grids called in over blackouts.(Norway's Department of Energy )(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Norway's Department of Energy (DoE) has ordered a meeting with power transmission network operators and industry representatives to discuss widespread power cuts in the Hafslund-operated grid in greater Oslo on 1 August. Industry groups...

eLECTRICITY; Offshore links may be licensed to generator.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Roger Milne The government and the energy regulator have proposed two options for the regulatory regime for offshore electricity transmission. Uncertainty over the arrangements has held up the development of round two offshore wind...

GAS; Watchdog holds aces in Phoenix bid row.
August 12, 2005... by Trevor Loveday The protracted wrangle over the future of Northern Ireland gas company Phoenix Natural Gas entered a possible endgame this week as the province's energy regulator Douglas McIlldoon met with private equity fund Terra...

ENERGY; Advert wars break out as customers switch.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... by Roger Milne and Trevor Loveday Complaints by energy suppliers to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about rivals' marketing claims have increased recently, highlighting company anxiety about market share as customers...

ENERGY; Suppliers overcook offers for small businesses.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Energy retailers across western Europe are struggling to devise successful marketing strategies for small to medium sized-enterprises (SMEs) and overspend on customer service for the sector, according to research by Datamonitor. Because...

ELECTRICITY; [pounds sterling]50m tab to aid northern green power.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Government plans to adjust transmission charges for renewable power schemes in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles will require a subsidy of [pounds sterling]50 million between 2010 and 2014, according to a consultation report prepared by...

GAS; Eon buys Byley gas storage.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... ScottishPower has sold its gas storage facility at Byley, Cheshire to Eon UK for [pounds sterling]96 million. Under the deal, the Scottish company has secured a 15-year storage contract for a substantial portion of the project's planned...

WATER; Water quality in Scotland and NI equals rest of UK.(Northern Ireland)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... The publicly-owned Scottish and Northern Irish water authorities achieved drinking water quality standards in 2004 comparable to those of the privatised water industry in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the Water Service reported...

The freedom to criticise.
August 12, 2005... For many years I have been a lone campaigner for more openness about gas billing accuracy. I believe all those in the supply chain, and consumers themselves, should have access to all the meter test data available. In the real world, few...

ELECTRICITY; Spain faces market squeeze.
August 12, 2005... by Rumyana Vakarelska Spain's power sector was preparing its responses to a draft Energy White Paper, which aims to put a lid on their control of the electricity production market and lower wholesale prices, after the paper was published...

MULTI-UTILITY; Energy fuels Suez growth.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Overseas energy operations boosted revenues at French multi-utility Suez for the first half of 2005 by 8 per cent to e20.2 billion on the same period last year. Reporting under new international financial reporting regulations, Suez's...

Rain on BT's parade.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Carphone Warehouse's impeccable timing in announcing the one millionth customer for its TalkTalk fixed line business on the same day that BT posted its first quarter results meant the papers were able to portray the story as David taking on...

WATER; Efficiency targets mooted.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2005... Water companies should be set obligatory targets for improving the water efficiency of new and existing households similar to the Energy Efficiency Commitment imposed on energy suppliers, according to the final report of the Commission on...