Utility Week articles from February 2007

Utility Week archives from February 2007

News.(briefs)(Office of Water Services)(Helius Energy PLC)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Consumer champion Andrew Dunn has been appointed to the new post of director of consumer protection at Ofwat. Dunn is a civil engineer, currently an independent consultant, who worked for Yorkshire Water between 1975 and 2005. His...

Bubble trouble?(Features)
February 2, 2007... The stampede to buy UK utilities has led acquiring companies to pay enormous premiums . Will they live to regret it, asks Justin Pugsley? During 2006, the Dow Jones European utilities sector index rose 30 per cent on a wave of merger and...

Independent thinking.(dialogue with Alistair Buchanan)(Interview)
February 2, 2007... Ofgem's independence is vital and allows it to speak out on the big issues, as chief executive Alistair Buchanan explains to Roger Milne Energy regulator Ofgem has just ruffled a few feathers in Whitehall and elsewhere with its demolition...

WATERCAT backs Ofwat in IWC appeal.(News)(Independent Water Company)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the Independent Water Company's (IWC) appeal against Ofwat. The IWC had complained that Ofwat failed to enforce competition law in relation to water supplies to a new residential development in...

Emissions omissions.(mixed response by electric utilities companies on survey of carbon emissions)(Report)
February 2, 2007... Huge gaps in the latest Carbon Disclosure Project reveal that not every electricity utility is willing to talk about emissions . By Hannah Pearce The Carbon Disclosure Project is a global initiative to raise the awareness of the risks and...

ELECTRICITYUK could host cartel claims.(News)
February 2, 2007... by Janet Wood The UK could be the front-runner to host the likely legal battles for compensation after the European Commission last week found switchgear manufacturers guilty of price-fixing. The Commission found that 11 switchgear...

WaterOfwat 'must act on CAT access ruling'.(News)(Competition Appeal Tribunal)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Vibeka Mair Regulator Ofwat has been accused of ignoring the ruling of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on the dispute over access pricing between Welsh Water and Albion Water for supplies to Shotton Paper. The accusation came...

News.(electronic bills for water companies)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... WATER Councils call for switch to e-billing Councils have called for water companies to switch to electronic bills, arguing that paper bills are costly and do not provide enough information about usage to allow efficiency to be...

Electricity power firms slam Danish wind plan.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Denmark's energy industry leaders have criticised the government's Energy 2025 strategy, which proposes significant measures to expand wind power generation in the country to meet 30 per cent of demand by 2025. Currently, it meets 18 per cent...

Energy Commission must force competition.(Features)(European Union's Second Gas and Electricity Directives)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Many European Union member states will not have liberalised their energy markets by 1 July and the European Commission will have to step in to enforce competition, according to research from analyst Datamonitor. Under the EU's Second Gas...

Features.(conferences on environment management)(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 2, 2007... THE 2 February Publication of UN IPCC report on the science of climate change, Paris 6 February Final Met Office forecast for Winter 06/07 7 February Full year results, Vattenfall The Smith Institute The Green...

energyBrussels gunning for Spain on two fronts.(Features)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Roger Milne Spain's energy regime last week became a focus of European Commission action on two fronts, as commissioners prepared to curb what they view as serious anti-competitive developments. Last week, the Commission launched a...

News.(Gas and Electricity Markets Authority)(EDF Energy's meter data services )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... ELECTRICITY EDF right to withdraw meter service Ofgem's ruling body, the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (Gema), has ruled that EDF Energy's decision to stop offering meter data services to non-affiliates was not anti-competitive...

electricity German U-turn in prospect.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Roger Milne Germany may have to rethink its energy policy as a result of likely key changes to its allocation procedures for the second phase of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme. That was in prospect this week as the...

Electricity coal station value leaps to [pounds sterling]470 million.(News)(British Energy PLC)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The value of British Energy's 2GW coal-fired Eggborough power station has leapt to around [pounds sterling]470 million on the back of higher electricity prices. The station and its projected future earnings were valued at just [pounds...

Green cross code.(Features)
February 2, 2007... Strict new rules will soon mean utilities that damage the environment will have to make amends for it, warn Stephen Shergold and Sam Boileau On 1 December 2006, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched its...

Features.(Hera mergers with Elia)(Eon Ruhrgas)(Prague to invest in water infrastructure)
February 2, 2007... Pipes in Prague Prague is planning a major investment in its water infrastructure. This year Prague's water company will invest about [euro]36 million, but deputy mayor Pavel Klega said [euro]21.5 million more was needed. Some of the...

Leaks, fungus and high jinks.(News)(Office of Water Services)(Western Power Distribution Holdings Ltd.)
February 2, 2007... Given the tone and highly critical nature of the recent National Audit Office assessment of Ofwat, the water regulator cannot have expected an easy ride at Monday's session of the Commons Public Accounts Committee. That said, Philip...

News.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Turn on: Friends of the Earth is hoping that a climate change advertising campaign which includes this striking image of a condom covering a coal-fired power station chimney will get the message across to students. And no, the message is not...

News.
February 2, 2007... Watts it all about? Northern Ireland Electricity has launched a Safe Start poster competition to encourage kids to play safely around electrical kit.

GASSafety valve glitch leaves town off supply.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... National Grid this week said it had reconnected all but a few unoccupied homes at Framlingham in Suffolk after a technical fault left nearly 1,000 properties without mains gas on one of the coldest nights of the winter. Customers lost...

PAN-UTILITYGreen plan for 2012 Olympics.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Low carbon energy use and a major drive on water efficiency have been highlighted as key elements of plans announced last week to make the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games very "green", according to the organisers. The Olympic...

News.(Hydro-Electric expanding its electricity generation and aluminium manufacturing operations)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... ELECTRIciTY Hydro earmarks [euro]3bn for expansion Norway's Hydro has said it will spend [euro]3 billion on expanding its electricity generation and aluminium manufacturing operations. The company's power division comprises 19...

Features.(switchgear frauds raise question over utility buying)(Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)
February 2, 2007... Switchgear fraud raises question over utility buying The fine of [euro]750 million (almost [pounds sterling]500 million) imposed on Europe's suppliers of gas-insulated switchgear for operating a cartel is the largest fine for price-fixing...

News.(water consumption survey)(Survey)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... water Scots complacent on water wastage Almost 80 per cent of Scottish water customers do not want a water meter, compared with 46 per cent in England and Wales, according to a LogicaCMG survey released last week. Water Efficiency...

eNERGYReward 'local energy' exports, MPs demand.(News)(local energy generators to get price for exported electricity)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Roger Milne Parliament has urged the government to propose a scheme to ensure that local energy generators get an adequate price for "exported" electricity. The call for the feed-in tariff came in a report from the Commons Trade...

Mains incentive does the job.(Features)(mains replacement programme)(gas distribution network in united kingdom)
February 2, 2007... A major element of the price controls for the UK's eight gas distribution network companies is the incentive associated with their mains replacement programme. The table, right, sets out the revenues that each of the companies earned in...

News.(water law, ulster)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... WATER Ulster members oppose water bills A cross-party group of assembly members in Northern Ireland has called on the devolved executive, due to be elected in March, to halt the introduction of water charges. In its Comprehensive...

Features.
February 2, 2007... INTERVIEW Kevin Whiteman, Kelda chief executive, shares the secret of Yorkshire Water's seemingly unstoppable success. ENERGY We reveal Eon UK's plans for root and branch reform of its business to survive in a low carbon economy....

ELECTRICITYNpower tariff asks people to risk it.(News)
February 2, 2007... Npower has broken new ground with the launch of an experimental tariff for domestic customers that follows the highs and lows of the wholesale energy market. The company's so-called "tracker tariff" is the first to reflect the commodity...

ELECTRICITYNII 'challenged' by four reactor designs.(News)(Nuclear Installations Inspectorate)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Roger Milne and Janet Wood The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) could be faced with pre-licensing four different reactor designs at different stages of development as the UK gears up for a new nuclear programme. The nuclear...

waterMP warns Finn: get Ofwat fit or get out.(News)(Regina Finn given an ultimatum by member of parliament to make improvement of the water service)(Water Services Regulation Authority)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... by Vibeka Mair and Roger Milne Ofwat chief executive Regina Finn was given an ultimatum by Parliament this week. Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, told the incoming regulator: "If you can't make an...

News.(decommissioning of nuclear site at Winfrith by MWH Nuclear Services)(Interview)
February 2, 2007... MWH Nuclear Services project manager Gareth Mills blazed a trail with the decommissioning of Winfrith . He tells ZoA' Grainge about the project Stand and deliver The UKAEA's nuclear site at Winfrith in Dorset made headlines in 2004...

PM upbeat about climate progress.(Features)(Tony Blair)
February 2, 2007... Tony Blair has made a passionate plea to keep the next international climate change treaty on the rails The world's scientific community is due to publish the next heavyweight tome on global warming this week, and the prime minister used...

waterScottish Water fined [pounds sterling]10k for polluting river.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Scottish Water has been fined [pounds sterling]10,000 after it admitted breaching a Water Use Licence and discharging sewage into a West Fife river. Last week, the water company pleaded guilty at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to allowing...

ENERGYCouncil to contract energy services.(News)
February 2, 2007... North Somerset County Council has shortlisted three companies for a new-style "energy services contract" across its senior schools, which will have energy-saving technology installed, Utility Week has learned. Large energy users have been...

News.(Slovak government sues European Commission over caron emissions quota)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Slovak government has said it will take the European Commission to court for cutting the country's carbon emissions quota by 25 per cent. It is the first country to legally challenge the Commission over its National Allocation Plan (NAP)....

Features.(more customers are switching energy supplier)
February 2, 2007... Churn presents its own opportunities Ofgem has announced that more customers than ever are switching energy supplier - about four million households in the first ten months of 2006. We are told that expensive suppliers have been given the...

News.(Water companies responsible for private ownership of sewers)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Water Half of all sewers privately owned Water companies could be responsible for double the length of sewers if the government decided to transfer the maintenance of customers' private sewer pipes to sewerage undertakers, according...

Features.(GDF Energy form joint ventures with Suez)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... ENERGY GDF and Suez set for joint ventures GDF and Suez are to forge partnerships in the electricity sector in advance of progress on their long-planned merger. GDF's has proposed holding an extraordinary general meeting on 25...

ELECTRICITYMore wind parks for the east coast.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Centrica has applied to the Department of Trade and Industry for consent to build a 250MW windfarm five miles offshore of Lincolnshire in the Greater Wash. The project, one of the DTI's second round of windfarms, would be Centrica's third...

WATERRethink on compulsory metering.(News)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The role of compulsory metering in managing demand in water-stressed areas is to be examined in a consultation exercise launched this week by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The government proposals,...

energyCharities unite to tackle fuel poverty.(Features)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... A three-year, [euro]1 million project has been set up to tackle fuel poverty in Europe. The aim of the European Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency scheme is to increase knowledge and understanding of the causes and effects of fuel poverty...

GAS Italy price cap regime hit by legal obstacles.(Features)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Italy's highest administrative court has ruled unlawful a 2004 decree by the country's energy regulator, AEEG, that capped gas tariffs for domestic users. Decree 248 has been at the centre of a two-year legal battle, with gas wholesalers...

ELECTRICITY Commission calls for regional wire control.(Features)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Janet Wood European transmission network operators should work to binding security standards and eventually should join forces to provide region-wide system operations, according to the European Commission. The Commission said this...

All change.(Features)(management of Eon UK )
February 9, 2007... Eon UK plans to transform its entire business to get it into shape for the low carbon future, as Bob Taylor tells Karma Ockenden Many may follow the maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but not Eon UK. The company runs a very successful...

News.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Nuclear family The chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy, John Robertson MP, has backed calls from utilities for more clarity on the government's nuclear power policy. Speaking after presentations from British...

News.(Kemble Water acquired RWE Thames Water PLC)(Eon UK Power Technology developed combustion control system)(Npower joins a project to improve awareness of energy consumption )(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... What do you say? Water regulator Ofwat has invited views on the regulatory issues arising from the acquisition of Thames Water by Macquarie-led consortium Kemble Water. Ofwat is proposing a number of changes to Thames's licence to...

Features.
February 9, 2007... The European Commission has formally requested an explanation from the Spanish government over its failure to rescind all the conditions imposed on the energy market by Spanish regulator CNE specifically to block Eon's bid for Endesa. The...

News.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Global carbon emissions trading scheme 'within five years' There is "a more than 50 per cent" chance that there will be a global carbon emissions system in place within five years as governments gear up to tackle climate change, according...

ELECTRICITYDNOs hit by lack of staff and rising costs.(News)(distribution network operators)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Roger Milne Electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) have reported a difficult first year of the price control. Overall operating and capital costs are higher, but expenditure programmes are significantly below what companies...

Features.(contracts of Energinet and Gassco)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Denmark's Energinet has signed an agreement to become a financial partner in a gas pipeline project led by Norway's system operator Gassco. The project has an estimated capital cost of up to [euro]950 million and would run between Karsto in...

Features.(Calendar)
February 9, 2007... THE 8 February 7th annual Water UK City conference, London Full year results, BG Group Lords debate on the electricity supply industry and the need for a strategic decision mechanism 12 February Full year results,...

News.(East of England plans for housing development)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... WATER No water for new homes in the East The East of England Regional Assembly, a grouping of local authorities in the east of the UK, has slammed government proposals for new homes in the region. It said they were "neither deliverable...

ENERGYEon targets economy customers.(Features)(Eon forms a sales division)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... German energy group Eon has formed a sales division to market budget gas and electricity to household and small business customers nationwide. The mission of "E for Easy" is to undercut municipal utilities and other regional providers with...

ENERGYEon increases bid for Endesa to [euro]41 billion.(Features)(mergers and acquisitions)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Ivan Castano Eon has tabled its final bid for Endesa. Last Friday, the company said it would pay [euro]38.75 per Endesa share, which values Endesa at [euro]41 billion and raises its previous bid by 11 per cent. Eon promised to...

Features.(briefs)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Freedom by decree Italian industry minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa will publish a decree later this month requiring gas major Eni to cut its controlling stake in network subsidiary Snam Rete from 50 to 20 per cent. The decree, which will...

Hot photos prove embarrassing.(News)(Conference notes)
February 9, 2007... What a polite bunch the members of the Institution of Engineering and Technology are. An audience of more than 200 gathered at the IET's opulent head office in London last week, eager to hear EDF Energy's suave chief executive Vincent de Rivaz...

News.(marketing strategies of Viridian Group PLC)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Turn off: every picture tells a story, but Disconnector is not sure that this one showing men in suits grasping turbine blades presses the right buttons. Maybe it should carry the warning: "Don't do this at home, kids." In fact, this contrived...

Smoother operators.(Features)(Ofgem manage operation costs)
February 9, 2007... To deliver the customer benefits Ofgem wants, gas distribution networks will have to slash their operating costs . Debajyoti Chakraborty explains how In December, energy regulator Ofgem published its final proposals for the one-year gas...

GASIndustry agrees deal on gas quality.(News)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... The gas industry has concluded that the best way of providing the gas treatment facilities needed in the UK to ensure that imported supplies meet current safety standards would be if National Grid Gas built the processing capacity and sold the...

Features.(Germany's carbon allowances)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... ENERGY Germany rethinks coal commitment Disagreements between Germany's environment and economic ministries over the country's carbon allowances have held up a government decision on whether to mount a legal challenge to the European...

ENVIRONMENTClimate catastrophe imminent.(News)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Janet Wood Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 490,000 megatonnes over the next century to head off the worst effects of global warming. That was the message from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its report on...

Secrets of success.(Features)(dialogue with Kevin Whiteman )(Interview)
February 9, 2007... Kelda chief executive Kevin Whiteman tells Steve Hobson how a floored Yorkshire Water found the will to be a champion It is one of those ironies of life that Kevin Whiteman now runs Yorkshire Water, arguably the UK's most successful utility...

Features.(water, climate change and politics)
February 9, 2007... Politics and water is a dangerous mix Global warming, changes in weather patterns and rising sea levels will, we are regularly told, mean the next major international conflict will not be over oil, land or religion, but water. In the...

ENERGYGovernment promises to beef up Consumer Bill.(News)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Ministers have tabled or have promised major changes to the government's legislation setting up new arrangements for energy customer representation and complaints handling, due to come into force by 2009. The moves were signalled during...

Features.
February 9, 2007... EDF is in discussions with Lithuania's economy ministry about taking a "significant minority stake" in the new 1.6GW nuclear reactor proposed for Ignalina, according to Lithuania's economics minister Vytas Navickas. Lithuania is hoping to have...

News.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... ENERGY Low carbon grants in midday sellout Grants for householders who install solar water heating and micro-renewables in their houses were taken up less than 12 hours after the funding round opened, according to the Renewable Energy...

News.(winter forecast)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Cold calling: the Met Office has predicted further cold snaps, with the possibility of snow, in its latest winter forecast published this week. The cold periods could last into March, but would alternate with warmer days to keep overall...

ELECTRICITYDomestic CHP plans halted by high costs.(News)(combined heat and power)(closure of Microgen Energy)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Roger Milne BG Group has pulled the plug on its bid to develop a commercial domestic cogeneration unit, also known as micro combined heat and power (CHP). The company was due to go public on its decision this week when it reported its...

Power stations in ETS deficit.(Features)(emissions trading scheme)
February 9, 2007... UK power station emissions during the first year of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme were 172.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), 27 per cent higher than the total allocation to the power sector and 8MtCO2 (5 per cent)...

WAterWater charges top NI party agendas.(News)(Northern Ireland)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Northern Ireland's main political parties maintained their fierce opposition to the introduction of water charges on 1 April. But as they prepared to release their party manifestos for the Stormont election on 7 March, only the Alliance...

GASOfgem rejects Grid's levy on storage users.(News)(National Grid Group PLC)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... A bid by National Grid Gas to levy a charge on gas storage exit flows has been rejected by Ofgem. The regulator said such a levy would not be cost-reflective and could effectively have led to storage users being subject to double charging....

News.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... ENERGY Gas proves popular for new plants Carron Energy has got planning permission for an 800MW gas-fired power station at Uskmouth, adjacent to the existing station. RWE Npower has also announced plans for a new 1,500MW gas plant...

Features.
February 9, 2007... ENERGY Until support mechanisms and supply chain issues are sorted out, biomass doesn't stand a chance of fulfilling its potential. GAS Are Russian supplies really unreliable? PAN-UTILITY What impact is climate change -...

ENERGYDisposals to follow Dutch power merger.(Features)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Simon Jones Dutch competition authority NMa has warned that Nuon and Essent will have to sell assets to gain regulatory approval for their [euro]24 billion merger, announced last week. About [euro]1.5 billion of assets is expected...

energyBuchanan admits Ofgem failures.(News)(Alistair Buchanan )(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Ofgem admitted in Parliament this week that it is had failed in its role as a regulator by not taking any significant case to the Competition Commission over the past five years. Chief executive Alistair Buchanan revealed this...

ELECTRICITYKey Scottish powerline inquiry opens.(News)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... A public inquiry has opened in Perth into plans to replace the existing electricity transmission scheme connecting Beauly, near Inverness, and Denny, near Falkirk, with a new 400KV powerline. The hearing is likely to last until the end of...

WATERThames tunnel would not be worth the cost.(News)(Ofwat and CCWater)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... by Janet Wood The potential benefits of a proposed tunnel under the river Thames to intercept sewage flows are "not in any way be proportionate to the high cost", Ofwat has said. The verdict came as Ian Pearson, climate change and...

News.(renewable energy industry creating job opportunities for professionals)
February 9, 2007... The renewable energy market presents job opportunities for professionals looking to make their mark . ZoA' Grainge looks at this growing sector Applying for a renewal With all the attention on developing skills standards and...

GASRWE plans cross-Europe connection.(Features)(RWE Gas AG)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... RWE has announced that it will spend [euro]1 billion on a gas pipeline linking east and west Europe. The pipeline will run from Sayda on the Czech border, through Germany, and connect with the Belgian gas system in Aachen. Harry Roels,...

More hot air over global warming.(Features)
February 9, 2007... The parties continue to squabble over whether the government's response to climate change is adequate The publication last week of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel's fourth report on climate change found the political parties...

Features.(Suez Energy and Veolia Environnement S.A. reported its revenues for 2006)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... PAN-UTILITY European majors announce results Suez has reported revenues for 2006 of [euro]44.3 billion, up 6.7 per cent on the previous year. The group's biggest division, Suez Energy Europe, reported revenues up 10.4 per cent to...

News.(Brief article)
February 9, 2007... Block party: ministers have announced that the latest award of offshore UK oil and gas exploration and production licences is on a par with last year's record-breaking tally. In the 24th round, revealed last week, 104 companies have won...