Utility Week articles from January 2008

Utility Week archives from January 2008

News.
January 11, 2008... ELECTRICITY SSE signs [pounds sterling]1bn deal for Airtricity Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has acquired Dublin-based Airtricity in a [pounds sterling]1.1 billion deal. Chief executive Ian Marchant said the deal would give SSE...

Inside job.(Features)
January 11, 2008... Ofwat's new consumer champion, Andrew Dunn, hopes to effect change from the inside . Karma Ockenden meets him Andrew Dunn obviously doesn't go in for the easy life. Except for a brief stint in consultancy, he has leapt from the enviable...

News.(Chancellor asks for meeting with Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Chancellor asks for meeting with regulator Chancellor Alistair Darling has written to Ofgem requesting a meeting to discuss its assessment of gas and electricity supply and market conditions in the UK and Europe, and likely future trends....

ENVIRONMENTCarbon scheme overlap scrutinised.(News)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... The government has begun examining ways of making sure its three major climate change instruments do not overlap and that the regulatory burden is kept to a minimum. Under scrutiny is the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS),...

ELECTRICITYHelp for small plant 'not thought through'.(News)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... by Janet Wood A member of the government's Distributed Energy Working Group has called for caution over new proposals to make changes in the market to support small generators. In a joint consultation, Ofgem and the Department for...

Wires crossed.(Features)(rules and regulations for electricity distribution companies )
January 11, 2008... Can Ofgem's 'evolutionary' approach to the next electricity distribution price review meet its objectives? Bill Easton and Dan Gambles doubt it The electricity distribution companies and Ofgem have returned from their holiday break to...

Features.(conference)(Calendar)
January 11, 2008... THE 11 January UK Coal 2007 final trading update 15 January The Independent Water Review Panel in Northern Ireland publishes its latest review on the implications of water charging 16 January The Future of Flood...

News.(Northern Ireland Electricity offers homeowners funding to install solar panel systems)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Sunny side up: Northern Ireland Electricity has ways of banishing those January grey day blues. We all need cheering up at this time of year and the supplier has just launched a solar power initiative called, imaginatively, Plug in the Sun. It...

News.(Joanne Robertson features on Northumbrian Water Group PLC's campaign highlighting the fine standard of its product)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Cheers: mum-to-be Joanne Robertson has more than one baby in mind. She is featured on Northumbrian Water's latest van-based campaign highlighting the fine standard of its basic product, aka tapwater. The images on the vehicles show Joanne, who...

News.
January 11, 2008... Up and away: Hazel Burlison, a customer adviser at Northumbrian Water, raises the banner before leaving the UK to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for international charity WaterAid. She and husband Glyn trained for a year before flying...

News.(building of temporary wooden boat structure)
January 11, 2008... Pushing the boat out: is it a bird or some strange religious ritual? Well, neither. Employees from Essex & Suffolk Water built this temporary wooden boat structure at Hanningfield water treatment works as part of a project to help decide what...

ELECTRICITYDong warned over big price rises.(Features)(Department of Energy warns Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S against implementing planned price rises )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Denmark's Department of Energy (DoE) has warned Dong against implementing planned price rises after revealing that the company had increased electricity tariffs for domestic customers in the greater Copenhagen region by 44 per cent since 2006....

ENERGYGaz de France spins off distribution arm.(Features)
January 11, 2008... by Janet Wood and Simon Jones Gaz de France (GDF) has spun off its natural gas distribution activities in France into a new company to be named Gaz reseau Distribution France (GrDF). The limited liability company will manage 185,000km...

Features.(European Union carbon trading changes )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... ENVIRONMENT EU carbon trading changes mooted Allocating carbon allowances centrally and increasing auctioning are both highlighted in a draft European Commission text on proposed reforms to the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme...

ENVIRONMENTEco-town should set green standard.(News)
January 11, 2008... A planning application has been submitted for a new town in south Cambridgeshire that has been expressly designed as an exemplar of the new breed of eco-town the government wants to see built in the UK. Proposals for the Northstowe scheme,...

Changing of the guard.(Features)(Energy Supply Ombudsman)
January 11, 2008... As Energywatch prepares to wind down, the Energy Supply Ombudsman is moving into the hot seat . Steve Hobson talks to Elizabeth France With the winding up of consumer watchdog Energywatch now less than ten months away, concern is growing...

Features.(EMS acquired by ENEL S.p.A.)(CEZ A.S. and MOL Rt agrees joint venture)(European Court of Justice upheld a claim by the European Commission that Sweden has failed to properly implement water and energy reforms)
January 11, 2008... CEZ and MOL link Czech energy company CEZ and Hungarian energy company MOL have agreed a joint venture covering central and south east Europe. CEZ said the alliance would strengthen its position in the region, where it is already the...

Features.(EdF Trading achieves its first energy trades in Poland)(Russian exports)(Swedish government needs to become much more proactive to ensure that the power industry)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... EDF in Poland EDF Trading has achieved its first energy trades in Poland, the largest energy market in central and eastern Europe. The trades were in the spot and forward markets. Russian exports Fingrid has issued permits to four...

PAN-UTILITYReport calls for network resilience.(Features)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... A better exchange of information between the Environment Agency and water companies, clearer allocation of responsibility for wastewater and drainage, and greater input from utility companies in emergency situations were all among the interim...

Rising to the task.(Features)(Folkestone & Dover Water Services Ltd. announces plans for a pilot scheme to trial a rising block tariff for metered domestic customers)
January 11, 2008... Folkestone & Dover Water is set to become the first water company to trial rising block tariffs, as MD David Walton explains to Vibeka Mair Last November, Folkestone & Dover Water Services announced plans for a pilot scheme to trial a...

energyMinisters dodge tariff action.(News)
January 11, 2008... by Roger Milne The government's long-awaited Energy Bill, due to be published this week, will not contain proposals to require domestic energy suppliers to offer disadvantaged and fuel poor households a national low cost social tariff,...

PAN-UTILITYUtility staff recognised for flood response.(Features)
January 11, 2008... Five staff from utilities were awarded honours in the New Year list for their actions during the flooding of 2007. The five were all awarded MBEs. Three were from National Grid: Michael Lee, power system manager Paul Jones, gas distribution...

Features.(Conservative-controlled Medway Council has decided not to object to E.ON UK PLC's proposal to demolish its coal-fired power station)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Carbon conundrum: Conservative-controlled Medway Council has decided not to object to Eon UK's proposal to demolish its coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth and build two 800MW supercritical "carbon capture ready" units at the Kent site....

Counting down the hours.(Features)(electric power plants efficiency)
January 11, 2008... Power stations opting out of the Large Combustion Plant Directive must close after 20,000 operating hours, but how best to spend the time? asks Janet Wood As the year turned, the clock began ticking on 11GW of coal-fired generating plant...

Features.(market forces dictate energy prices must rise)(United Kingdom. Office of Water Services wants government to abolish the existing costs principle and replace it with "general criteria for access pricing")
January 11, 2008... Market forces, not retailers, dictate prices must rise The opprobrium that has been heaped on to the corporate head of RWE Npower for daring to put up energy prices in the UK beggars belief. Tabloid headlines suggesting the German-owned...

News.(Thames Water targets leaks from domestic supply pipes)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... A great leap forward: Thames Water is targeting leaks from domestic supply pipes, which it said accounted for one quarter of all leakage, by fitting thousands of customer meters with Leakfrogs. The new low-cost, remote-read data loggers were...

Future power prices rising.(Features)
January 11, 2008... Annual UK electricity prices ended 2007 at year highs, with April 08 Annual remaining above [pounds sterling]52/MWh and October 08 Annual above [pounds sterling]51/MWh, as prices have shown very little movement since mid-December. It has...

Features.
January 11, 2008... INTERVIEW GTC managing director Clive Linsdell says suppliers can no longer justify charging customers extra for using independent networks WATER Ofwat is introducing "menu regulation" in the 2009 price review. What does this mean...

Features.
January 11, 2008... PAN-UTILITY OMX takes on Nord Pool platforms Nordic stock exchange operator OMX has acquired Nord Pool's carbon trading and energy derivatives trading businesses with the aim of building a "leading European market for carbon dioxide...

Features.
January 11, 2008... ELECTRICITY Finnish nuclear plant delayed further Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) has announced that its Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, now under construction, will be further delayed. It said the plant would go into...

MULTI-UTILITYEDF Esco on shortlist for first contract.(News)(Energy Service Company Inc.)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... The energy services company (Esco) set up by EDF Energy 18 months ago to work with the London Climate Change Agency to develop a clutch of sustainable energy projects across the capital is in touching distance of winning its first major deal....

GASOfgem analysis backs network pricing change.(Features)
January 11, 2008... Ofgem has concluded that moves proposed by UK mainland gas distributors to change the capacity/commodity split underpinning distribution system charges are justified on overall cost benefit grounds. That stance was spelled out in the...

Nuclear decision imminent.(Features)
January 11, 2008... Energy issues are back on the agenda with a vengeance as MPs and peers return to Westminster Parliament was back in business with a vengeance after the Christmas break this week and waiting to digest a number of major government moves. ...

Features.(Utility companies are coming under pressure to show they can respond proactively and efficiently to emergencies brought about by events that are obviously outside their control, such as floods)
January 11, 2008... Get ready for a crisis Utility companies are coming under pressure to show they can respond proactively and efficiently to emergencies brought about by events that are obviously outside their control, such as floods. This presents a good...

GASMalaysian firm acquires UK storage player.(News)(Star Energy Resources)(Star Energy Resources)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Star Energy, the UK's biggest independent gas storage operator, has been bought by Petronas International Corporation in a [pounds sterling]354 million deal agreed last month. The subsidiary of Malaysia's state oil company was a major...

News.(Nuclear Decommissioning Authority seeks cash as costs increase )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... ELECTRICITY NDA seeks cash as costs increase The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA's) commercial activities came into sharp focus after a revised work plan said "significantly more money" must be spent to reduce hazards at the...

PAN-UTILITYGelsenwasser heads four-way utility tie-up.(Features)
January 11, 2008... by Simon Jones A fifth national energy supplier is set to emerge in Germany with the merger of four utilities, led by gas and water group Gelsenwasser. The planned tie-up would be with the municipal utilities of Bochum and Dortmund, and...

waterScots can bank on outperformance.(News)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Any outperformance from Scottish Water's current capital investment programme will be transferred into a reserve account for the company instead of going back into the Scottish government treasury, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland...

GASGrid pipeline project suffers fresh blow.(News)
January 11, 2008... by Roger Milne National Grid's [pounds sterling]1 billion pipeline across South Wales has struck further technical difficulties, which will compromise the scheme's ability to operate at full design capacity next winter and beyond. A...

waterDefra says meters are vital for affordability.(News)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... by Vibeka Mair Household metering backed by water efficiency advice and encouraging people to apply for the benefits to which they are entitled could help low-income households significantly reduce their water bills, a trial by the...

waterRevamp competition regime, says Ofwat.(Features)
January 11, 2008... by Vibeka Mair Ofwat has called on the government to amend the Water Act 2003 to allow all non-household customers in England and Wales to switch water supplier. It also asked for powers to set pricing methodologies. Currently, the...

WaterTwo water firms fined for polluting rivers.(News)(Portsmouth Water Co. and South West Water PLC)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Portsmouth Water has been fined [pounds sterling]10,000 and ordered to pay costs of [pounds sterling]1,483 at Lyndhurst Magistrates' Court for causing pollution to enter a tributary of River Itchen. The spill killed 287 fish. Elsewhere,...

waterSavings potential splits WSG groups.(News)(Water UK accuses Consumer Council for Water of releasing "misleading and extreme information" about the potential for households to save water and reduce their bills)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Water UK has accused the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) of releasing "misleading and extreme information" about the potential for households to save water and reduce their bills. Both groups are members of the Water Saving Group (WSG)....

News.
January 11, 2008... Energy moves The government was due to publish its long-awaited Energy Bill on Thursday, after Utility Week went to press. On the same day, business secretary John Hutton was expected to spell out the administration's stance on a new-build...

News.(water reuse vital)(Drax plans to raise more debt finance because of the turmoil in world financial markets)(UK utilities need to work harder to communicate what they are doing to operate sustainably)
January 11, 2008... Credibility gap UK utilities need to work harder to communicate what they are doing to operate sustainably, according to research by Datamonitor for BT. While almost half of utilities are taking significant steps on sustainability, only 3...

ELECTRICITYIreland 'could support 42% renewables'.(News)
January 18, 2008... The All-Island electricity market encompassing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could accommodate up to 42 per cent renewable energy generation, a study for the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has determined....

WATERAWG to rate suppliers on carbon footprints.(News)(Anglian Water PLC's carbon costs)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... by Janet Wood Anglian Water has warned its big suppliers that it expects them to baseline their carbon footprint by March 2009 and develop adaptation strategies in line with those of the water company. The announcement was made to a...

News.(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... Blown away: Electricity network operators in Northern Ireland and Scotland quickly restored supplies to more than 40,000 customers left without power after storms brought down wires and poles last Wednesday. Northern Ireland Electricity...

Features.
January 18, 2008... ENERGY Cost hike may threaten NordStream NordStream, the German-Russian consortium behind a plan to construct a gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany, is to reassess the scale of the project after latest...

News.(water companies look at innovative tariffs )(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... Water companies look at innovative tariffs Two more water companies in the southeast of England plan to join Folkestone & Dover Water in trialling rising block tariffs. Bournemouth Water is designing a tariff trial in consultation with...

News.
January 18, 2008... Chemical spill fine Portsmouth Water has been fined [pounds sterling]10,000 plus [pounds sterling]1,483 costs by Lyndhurst Magistrates' Court after a chemical used to treat drinking water polluted a tributary of the River Itchen, killing...

Transporting connections.(Features)(gas connections)
January 18, 2008... Independent gas network operators have grown up and are moving into electricity and beyond, as GTC's Clive Linsdell tells Steve Hobson Independent gas transporters (IGTs) have had something of a bad press recently, being blamed by watchdog...

waterCyprus may import water to beat drought.(Features)
January 18, 2008... Cyprus may import water from Greece to beat a drought that has already forced the government to ration supplies to its farmers. The island faces its fourth consecutive year of drought and reservoirs are less than 10 per cent full. If...

Features.(Calendar)
January 18, 2008... THE 18 January Consultation on Ofgem's electricity distribution licence review ends 22 January Deadline for consultation on Ofgem's review of industry code governance Second reading in the Commons of the Energy Bill ...

ENERGYEon and Centrica back micro CHP.(News)
January 18, 2008... Two of the UK's big six energy retailers are to invest in small scale combined heat and power (micro CHP) units for household use. It has been forecast that such CHP units could take the place of around 30 per cent of the 1.5 million boilers...

ENERGYDong prepares for flotation next month.(Features)
January 18, 2008... by Janet Wood Dong Energy has announced that its long-planned initial public offering, delayed by Danish elections last year, will take place in mid-February. Some 28 per cent of the company will be up for grabs, in an offering that...

News.(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... water New-build 'must be drainage neutral' Water UK has told MPs that all new developments should be drainage neutral, as well as carbon neutral. The industry lobby group staked out is position during a hearing on the summer's...

eNVIRONMENTEC wants to cut emissions by a fifth.(Features)
January 18, 2008... The carbon trading cap for the third phase of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) should be set at a level 21 per cent below the level chosen during the first phase of the pioneering cap and trade system, according to a draft...

Changes in who's responsible for what.(News)(Energy Bill include the transfer of responsibility for electrical safety)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... Provisions in the Energy Bill include the transfer of responsibility for electrical safety from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) to the Health & Safety Executive. This will allow HSE inspectors the same...

ENERGYEnergy Bill sets agenda for renewables.(News)
January 18, 2008... by Roger Milne Major reform of the support mechanism for renewable generation and firm proposals for a cost-effective offshore electricity transmission regime were highlighted in the government's Energy Bill, published last week. The...

ENVIRONMENTStates argue over burden sharing.(Features)(national greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... European Union member states would be able to meet up to a quarter of their national greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020 by buying emission credits from abroad, according to leaked proposals under consideration by the European Commission....

eNERGYEon leads fresh interest in Spanish firms.(Features)
January 18, 2008... Eon is reportedly in talks to acquire the 12 per cent stake in Spanish supplier Iberdrola held by building group Actividades de Construcciones y Servicios (ACS). Eon refused to comment on the press reports, but a spokesman said integrating the...

Weird enquiries and LED flames.(News)
January 18, 2008... This should surprise no one, but the great man is still gob-smacked by the sort of queries fielded by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. One caller telephoned the agency in some distress saying her water supply must be...

WaterOfwat holds firm over Thames fine.(News)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... Ofwat has rejected a challenge by Thames Water to its plans to fine the water company [pounds sterling]12.5 million for misreporting guaranteed standards of service. Lawyers for the company said Ofwat was wrong to fine it 0.8 per cent of...

GASDistributors accept new price control.(News)(National Grid PLC, Northern Gases Inc., Scotia Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities accept Office of Gas and Electricity Markets' proposals for price controls)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... Britain's four mainland gas distribution network operators (GDNOs) have decided to accept Ofgem's final proposals for their price controls for the five years starting in April this year. This is the first full-term price control for the now...

GASGerman giants agree gas network merger.(Features)(E.ON AG and Bayerngas GmbH)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... by Simon Jones German gas groups Eon and Bayerngas have agreed to merge their domestic gas grids from October 2008. Gas network firms Eon Gastransport (EGT) and Bayernets will set up a joint venture to merge their operations and...

ELECTRICITYGermany and Norway assess interconnector.(Features)(Statnett and Eon Netz will undertake a feasibility study into a subsea interconnector)
January 18, 2008... Statnett and Eon Netz will undertake a feasibility study into a subsea interconnector between Norway and Germany. The proposed Nordlink would have a capacity of 700-1,400MW. The partners are transmission system operators and expect the...

ENERGYPolish supplier moves into Germany.(Features)
January 18, 2008... The German city of Cottbus has approved the [euro]1 million sale of its 25.1 per cent stake in the city's energy municipal supplier to Polenergia. The Polish energy group is also in talks to buy the remaining 74.9 per cent interest in...

Tales of ordinary heroics.(News)
January 18, 2008... Last year's floods caused widespread devastation for countless households. The scale of the disaster is well documented. But other stories have since emerged about people who were prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to maintain...

Stop fearing interference.(Features)
January 18, 2008... Intervention from government and regulators is a fact of life in energy markets and can be used to your advantage, says Simon Skillings Energy markets are different from other markets: intervention by governments and regulators is extensive...

Features.(planning permission for new nuclear power stations)(Severn Trent PLC decides to give back [pounds sterling]400,000 to 700 customers who were incorrectly charged)
January 18, 2008... Nuclear: still some key issues unresolved Last Thursday, business secretary John Hutton told MPs: "We are not giving planning permission for new nuclear power stations today." That point of clarification fell on deaf ears in some quarters....

Make your call.(Features)(water companies to be rewarded if they accurately predict their capital expenditures and penalised if they don't)
January 18, 2008... In the future, water companies are to be rewarded it they accurately predict their capital expenditure and penalised if they don't, says Duncan Michie With the release of Setting Price Limits 2010-15: Framework and Approach, Ofwat laid out...

waterFirms want enforced metering.(News)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... by Vibeka Mair Portsmouth Water and Southern Water have revealed they will request compulsory metering powers be applied in the next price review period. The two firms are the first of several southeastern water companies set to take...

WaterReview of NI Water being finalised.(News)(Northern Ireland Water )(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... A review that could determine the future structure of Northern Ireland Water is set to be passed to ministers in the province. The Independent Water Review Panel (IWRP) has been considering a variety of business models in its review, except...

Features.(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... CLIMATE CHANGE FRAMEWORKS SPECIAL An issue dedicated to the international frameworks being put in place to mitigate climate change and their domestic implications. Articles include: acents What came out of December's UN climate summit...

ELECTRICITYNew nuclear stations could be online by 2018.(News)
January 18, 2008... Utilities that want to invest in new nuclear power stations will be asked to make their plans public this spring, according to the White Paper on Nuclear Power published last week by Berr alongside the Energy Bill. Companies will have to...

eLECTRICITYOffshore wind progress on connections.(News)
January 18, 2008... Publication of the Energy Bill last week (see p4) kicked off a consultation from Ofgem on the regulatory arrangements for offshore windfarm connections. The Energy Bill will give the government powers to hold competitive tenders for these...

Flushing out nuclear issues.(Features)
January 18, 2008... Nuclear power, energy costs and fuel poverty all made waves last week - and will for the rest of the month Energy and climate change issues are casting a long shadow over the Westminster landscape at present - and will do so for weeks to...

News.(energy bill betrays fuel poverty)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... ENERGY Bill betrays fuel poor, claims NEA Leading fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) has accused the government of "betraying the fuel poor" because ministers failed to use the Energy Bill to require energy suppliers to...

ENERGYEDF second to bump up bills.(News)
January 18, 2008... Energywatch this week urged the Chancellor to press for a Competition Commission inquiry into the UK energy market as EDF Energy became the second of the major domestic energy suppliers to announce higher prices. The increases -...

waterSector at odds over refund 'precedent'.(News)(Severn Trent PLC sets a precedent for the water industry by voluntarily refunding money to its customers)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... by Vibeka Mair Water UK has challenged the view put forward by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) that Severn Trent has set a precedent for the water industry by voluntarily refunding [pounds sterling]400,000 to a group of customers....

ENERGYSmart metering policy decision expected soon.(News)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... The government is expected to announce its policy on smart energy metering and clip-on displays shortly. A decision on whether it would back industry calls and mandate a co-ordinated rollout of smart meters, or pursue the proposal to force...

Features.(smart metering laws)
January 18, 2008... Display devices are a costly fiasco In recent months, there has been much debate about the pros and cons of clip-on domestic energy display units, but no real acknowledgement has been made about the costs of the two-year trial, which could...

Features.(SUEZ S.A. agrees to sell its nuclear capacity to SPE)(Brief article)
January 18, 2008... ENERGY Nuclear barrier to merger cleared Suez has agreed to sell its Belgian nuclear capacity to the country's second-biggest supplier, SPE. Suez would confirm only that talks with SPE were making good progress, but Belgian prime...