Utility Week articles from January 2009

Utility Week archives from January 2009

Features.(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... ELECTRICITY Baltic single market in prospect The Baltic states have adopted a decision in principle to collaborate in the establishment of a joint electricity wholesale market covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The agreed...

News.(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... South West Water is considering using the power of wild beavers from Germany to clean water. Environmental manager Martin Ross said the beavers' dams could act as "natural water cleaners". The company is currently in discussions with the local...

News.
January 16, 2009... Fixed-price gas ScottishPower has launched a new fixed-price energy plan, PriceSure, which it said would offer guaranteed gas prices until 31 January 2010. The supplier said the new deal would allow customers to save approximately 10 per...

waterBusiness Stream granted extra time.(News)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Scottish regulator Wics has extended the deadline for Business Stream to leave the building it shares with Scottish Water. It was originally legally obliged to leave the premises by September 2009, but has been granted leave to stay until...

ELECTRICITYGenerators not ready to lose export rights.(News)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... by Janet Wood Proposals that would see generators' rights to export power to the electricity network time-limited would likely face legal challenges, generating companies have confirmed. The Association of Electricity Producers (AEP)...

Features.(Calendar)
January 16, 2009... THE 16 January Low Carbon Designs, an Action Renewables seminar, Ballymena, Northern Ireland Deadline for consultation on Ofgem's options for charging methodology governance 19 January World Future Energy Summit, Abu...

ENERGYWary customers lose out over direct debit.(Features)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... by Roger Milne Energy suppliers are not best placed to persuade more customers to switch to paying by direct debit because they are not trusted to provide impartial advice, government advisers have concluded. A report by the Financial...

News.
January 16, 2009... ENERGY London's pioneering Esco wound up The pioneering energy services company (Esco) set up as a joint venture between EDF Energy and London's Climate Change Agency (CCA) is being wound up after two years, Utility Week has learnt....

ENERGYETI's first projects are wind and wave.(News)(Energy Technologies Institute )(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a government and industry partnership aimed at leveraging research into new energy technology, has unveiled its first four projects. Three of the four are in offshore wind: a deep-water anchoring...

GASDozen bid for Enel gas network subsidiary.(Features)
January 16, 2009... by Simon Jones Enel has received 12 offers for a 70 per cent stake in gas network subsidiary Enel Rete Gas (ERG). The offers are split equally between Italian and foreign firms, while the bidders are also a mixture of industrial and...

Features.(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... IN BRIEF Poland plan The Polish Treasury has said it still plans to sell the remaining 76.5 per cent holding in energy group Enea, although no firm sale date has been announced. Vattenfall remains the most likely bidder in any sale....

Features.(partnerships)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... GAS Cartel office has fears over alliance Germany's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has demanded changes to EnBW's planned strategic alliance with regional gas supplier EWE. Announcing a two-month delay to its ruling on the south-west...

Hallelujah for Grid's engineers.(News)
January 16, 2009... It's not every week that gas engineers are mentioned in the same breath as iconic balladeer Leonard Cohen. But Denise Robertson, a columnist/agony aunt for the Western Mail, has managed it. Confused? No need to be. Read on. Robertson wrote...

GASStorage schemes at risk without tax relief.(News)
January 16, 2009... by Roger Milne The energy industry has warned the government and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that without tax relief on some aspects of the development and maintenance of gas storage schemes, a clutch of proposed new projects will not be...

GASDeal set to end supply crisis.(Features)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... by Roger Milne Barring more eleventh-hour problems, Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were due to resume on Tuesday, after Utility Week went to press, after a deal was signed in Brussels by the European Union and the two states,...

Features.
January 16, 2009... State of dependence The halt in Gazprom shipments prompted calls for Berlin to lessen its energy dependence on Russia. More than 40 million cubic metres would be lost on a peak day if Germany had no access to Gazprom supplies routed...

waterCompanies seek new inset appointments.(Features)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Three water companies have recently applied for inset appointments, including one new entrant to the regulated sector. Peel Water Networks (PWN) has applied to provide water and sewerage services to the Media City development in...

News.
January 16, 2009... Coming soon: the South Hook liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Milford Haven is set to receive its first shipment from Qatar next month. The LNG will be used to commission the facility, one of two new terminals built in southwest Wales...

Features.
January 16, 2009... Need offshore connections be competitive? This year should see the coming into force of the new connections regime for offshore wind projects (and eventually, we assume, wave and tidal as well). Instead of extending the onshore transmission...

Water's [pounds sterling]5bn green spend.(Features)(briefs)
January 16, 2009... During the period 2000-05, water companies in England and Wales spent more than [pounds sterling]5 billion on nearly 7,000 environmental projects to improve rivers and coastal waters. Over the past five years, the maintenance and upgrading...

ELECTRICITYLast chance to buy an NDA nuclear site.(News)
January 16, 2009... The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has given interested parties until 5pm today (Friday) to register their interest in buying land at its Wylfa, Oldbury and Bradwell sites. Land at the NDA's sites, where existing nuclear power...

ELECTRICITYBE/EDF Energy structure revealed.(News)(British Energy)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... British Energy chief executive Bill Coley will remain at the helm of the company after its acquisition by EDF, but he will report to Vincent de Rivaz, who will be chief executive of the combined EDF Energy and British Energy, EDF has announced....

waterNI Water will manage Crystal Alliance itself.(News)(Northern Ireland Water)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Northern Ireland Water has severed part of its customer service contract three years ahead of schedule. The company has ended Steria's management of the company's Crystal Alliance consortium, which provides customer contact and billing...

News.(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... National Grid is hoping that Ed*Miliband, secretary of state at the new Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), will re-examine plans for a competitive regime in connections for offshore windfarms. Chris Bennett, National Grid future...

ENERGYCurbs on unfair prices could sap competition.(News)
January 16, 2009... by Roger Milne Ofgem's proposals to curb unfair domestic energy tariffs - including a form of relative price control - would have both positive and negative effects on competition, the energy regulator has acknowledged. It has just...

Number crunching.(Features)
January 16, 2009... Ofwat wants to wipe [pounds sterling]5bn off water company capex plans for PR09, but where will the axe fall? Richard Laikin and Bill Easton do the numbers When Ofwat published its views on the capital expenditure proposals in water...

waterWater UK takes Daily Mail to task.(News)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Water UK this week rushed to clarify its stance on rural charging, after the Daily Mail claimed the industry body was seeking to raise bills in rural areas. The Daily Mail said existing water firms "wanted to be able to impose charges...

waterWater UK says Ofwat missed vital meeting.(News)(Office of Water Services)(Conference news)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... by Annabel Andrews The head of Water UK has expressed her disappointment that Ofwat did not attend a December meeting chaired by water minister Jane Kennedy on getting energy from anaerobic digestion. Chief executive Pamela Taylor...

News.
January 16, 2009... The government and the industry are jointly funding an academy to address power sector skills shortages . Annabel Andrews reports on the initiative As other sectors announce redundancies and recruitment freezes, the electricity sector is...

Fuel poverty back in the spotlight.(Features)
January 16, 2009... The government's commitments on fuel poverty and climate change will be tested this week Fuel poverty minister Joan Ruddock was due to be quizzed on Wednesday this week by the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, as...

Target practice.(Features)
January 16, 2009... Europe has set a 20 per cent renewables target for 2020 . Keith Nuthall looks at what this means for individual states The European Union renewable energy sector starts the new year having truly entered the mainstream of Europe's utility...

The public eye.(Features)
January 16, 2009... Scottish Water chief executive Richard Ackroyd tells Steve Hobson of the pressures particular to running a water company under public ownership When Richard Ackroyd moved from Yorkshire Water to take on the chief executive's role at...

ENERGYSuccessful cash calls for three utilities.(Features)
January 16, 2009... Three utility companies have greeted the new year by raising additional financing. Scottish and Southern Energy raised [pounds sterling]450 million in an offer of 40 million new shares last week. Initially, the issue hit the company's...

Features.
January 16, 2009... ENVIRONMENT UK on track to hit emissions targets Pollution from emissions, including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, continued to fall in 2007, according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...

EnviROnmentSSE completes sulphur cuts at Fiddlers Ferry.(News)
January 16, 2009... Scottish and Southern Energy has completed the commissioning of flue gas desulphurisation equipment at its Fiddlers Ferry power station. The station is one of four that had to apply for a "derogation" from provisions in the Large Combustion...

ELECTRICITYTurbine makers worried about slowdown.(News)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Wind turbine suppliers have expressed concern over how the credit crunch will affect plans to install thousands of turbines to meet renewable energy commitments. Sterling fluctuations and high debt levels mean some UK projects are being delayed...

News.(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... PAN-UTILITY Think long term on risk, says Forum The global economy will continue to spiral into recession over the coming year, according to a new report by the Global Economic Forum. The group warned that short-term responses must be...

Who counts the carbon?(Features)
January 16, 2009... Plans to encourage - or even require - companies to generate renewable energy locally or on-site are being hampered by inconsistencies in the policies put in place to promote them. There is confusion as to who should count the carbon...

Risky business.(Features)
January 16, 2009... Ofwat is keen to see more competition in the water sector, but what will be the effect on water company credit ratings? asks Mark Davidson In April 2007, Ofwat issued a paper entitled Outcomes of Ofwat's Internal Review of Market...

waterFresh fears surface over Floods Bill.(News)
January 16, 2009... The water industry is worried that the Floods and Water Bill will fail to address the sector's needs. It is particularly concerned about measures to tackle recalcitrant payers. The industry is concerned about delays and policy changes by...

WATERSave water, save money says EA.(News)(Environment Agency)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 16, 2009... Firms failing to invest in water and energy-efficiency measures as a result of the credit crunch are missing out on substantial cost savings, according to research by the Environment Agency. A poll of 1,000 UK decision-makers showed that...

News.
January 16, 2009... Blade rumble: This is the picture of the week - the big one - the wind turbine damaged by a UFO (as The Sun has suggested, wonderfully). Last week, the redtop sparked a media frenzy after splashing its front page with a bonkers tale that a wind...

Features.(Enel buy out Endesa)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... ENERGY Enel set to buy out Endesa partner Enel expects to get funding from a consortium of Spanish banks later this month for its [euro]11*billion purchase of Acciona's 25 per cent stake in Endesa. Enel currently has a 67 per cent...

News.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... No change yet: new line decision 'this year' A report and recommendation on whether to grant planning permission for an upgraded transmission line between Beauly and Denny in Scotland could be submitted to ministers within weeks. The...

News.
January 23, 2009... ELECTRICITY Big six all in new-build nuclear club Two more "big six" energy supply companies, ScottishPower and Scottish and Southern Energy, have announced plans to form a joint venture to develop new-build nuclear power plants. ...

News.(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... The Carbon Trust has produced a guide to using biomass for domestic and small-scale heating systems. The trust said that under the government's Renewable Energy Strategy, now out for consultation, the proportion of heating in the UK fuelled by...

News.
January 23, 2009... DNO accused Energy regulator Ofgem has opened an investigation into allegations of market abuse by distribution network operator Electricity North West (ENW). It is alleged ENW treated independent operators connecting to its network...

ENERGYSuppliers reject low ranking for service.(News)
January 23, 2009... by Steve Hobson The Energy Retail Association (ERA) has rejected the latest Institute of Customer Service UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), which placed energy suppliers second from bottom out of 12 industry sectors. Top...

Features.(Calendar)
January 23, 2009... THE 27 January All-Party Parliamentary Group for Intelligent Energy annual general meeting, House of Commons, London 28 January United Utilities interim statement Water concerns conference organised by ADAS, The Belfry,...

ENERGYRegulators call for more trading data.(Features)
January 23, 2009... Two pan-European organisations that represent energy and securities regulators have called on the European Commission to force companies to reveal trading information immediately after trades are made. The European Regulators' Group for...

One to watch.(Features)
January 23, 2009... Consumer Focus has replaced consumer watchdog Energywatch . Chief executive Ed Mayo sets out the organisation's agenda to Roger Milne Whatever the full reason for the demise of consumer watchdog Energywatch (misplaced ministerial concern...

Carbon countdown.(Features)
January 23, 2009... Momentum is gathering behind the development of viable carbon capture and storage systems, but significant barriers remain, says Munir Hassan By 2050 the UK should have committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to at least 80 per...

Features.
January 23, 2009... Eon merger Eon Italia has merged its gas and power sales divisions into Eon Energia. Eon, which has 800,000 domestic and industrial power customers in Italy, aims to win one million customers by mid-2009 and double electricity sales by...

A cool appraisal of price rises.(News)(Column)
January 23, 2009... It hardly seems likely that anyone will have tried to get through the start of the year's cold snap without putting on their heating. However, people were made of sterner stuff last autumn, when gas price rises were the talk of the country. ...

News.(RWE Npower PLC funds)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Cross dressing: people using the Humber Bridge recently were astonished to glimpse Scooby Doo, a pink flamingo, an Easter Bunny, a chicken and other similarly bizarre creatures making the crossing. As our picture shows, these were all staff...

ENERGYFinland to spend [euro]30bn on more infrastructure.(Features)
January 23, 2009... The Finnish government has presented a [euro]30 billion national investment programme to parliament with the focus on generation and infrastructure projects. "The plan is to inject new momentum into a weakened economy that has been starved...

GASPrice hikes for Northern Ireland users.(News)
January 23, 2009... Firmus energy, a gas supplier with customers in ten towns and cities across Northern Ireland, has announced its first price rise in three years. The 20.7 per cent increase for domestic users is less than 3 per cent a year when inflation of...

News.
January 23, 2009... Firms in all industries are tuning in to the benefits of flexible working, but in the utilities sector Centrica is blazing a trail . Annabel Andrews reports Home advantage Flexible working should not be seen merely as a concession...

waterBristol moots city-wide fluoridation.(News)
January 23, 2009... Bristol's health chief is to ask the city's strategic health authority to investigate the feasibility of fluoridating the water supply. Hugh Annett, director of public health for Bristol, said: "There are 13 wards in Bristol with high...

GASPrime ministers' deal 'will restore gas flow'.(Features)
January 23, 2009... by Roger Milne After days of abortive bids to end Europe's gas supply crisis, Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz this week signed a contract to restore flows. The deal is the result of talks at the weekend between Russian prime...

Features.
January 23, 2009... ELECTRICITY Italy acts on power market reform Italy's economics ministry has issued decrees designed to protect the economy from future energy price rises and improve efficiency in the Italian power market. The most important...

Features.
January 23, 2009... Smart meters are the key to better customer service Energy suppliers came out poorly in a recent survey of customer satisfaction conducted by the Institute of Customer Service (see news pages) - they were judged the second-worst sector....

ENERGYMayo accuses big suppliers of complacency.(News)(Ed Mayo)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus, the UK's new independent consumer watchdog, has accused the big six energy suppliers of complacency and being in denial over customer service. His criticism came during an interview with Utility...

UK weathers Russian crisis.(Features)(briefs)
January 23, 2009... UK gas demand hit winter highs as cold weather and nervousness caused by the Russia-Ukraine dispute resulted in volatility across near-term National Balancing Point (NBP) contracts at the beginning of 2009. However, consistent supply from...

News.(Centrica PLC merged with British Energy Group PLC)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Bad deal: Centrica should not go ahead with its plan to buy up to 25 per cent of British Energy, analyst Citi has said. In a note, Citi said the return on investment would be 6*per cent, which was "well below its cost of capital for the deal"....

waterFive years to fix Northern Ireland data.(News)(Northern Ireland Water)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Northern Ireland Water has told a Stormont committee that it will take "three to five years" to resolve the company's data problems. A spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the threat that inadequate data poses to our reputation with our...

ENVIRONMENTNorway to take the lead on carbon capture.(Features)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Norway has agreed, in a co-operative venture between countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area, to jointly develop and fund five European carbon capture and storage laboratories in Norway. Up to 15 laboratories could...

Features.
January 23, 2009... ELECTRICITY Gas dispute prompts nuclear interest The prolonged dispute between Gazprom and Ukraine over natural gas supplies has caused more than one east European country to consider restarting its closed nuclear power stations. ...

Olympic feats.(Features)(United Kingdom. Olympic Delivery Authority)
January 23, 2009... Preparing the utility infrastructure necessary to support the 2012 London Olympics is a huge task, as Chris Webb reports When back in 2005 London won the bid to stage the greatest show on Earth, the 2012 Olympics, the phrase "credit crunch"...

GASMove to suspend LNG price controls.(News)
January 23, 2009... Ofgem held a speedy consultation this week on a proposal to suspend the regulation of prices for gas that National Grid Gas (NGG) holds at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facilities. The move was suggested because NGG has to tender...

waterAuthorities told to start flood work.(News)
January 23, 2009... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has told local authorities to get moving on measures to combat floods in their areas. Water minister Huw Irranca-Davies told the House of Commons last week that the department...

News.(European pesticides legislation)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... water Benn may seek pesticide exclusions The Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, has said that he may seek UK derogations from European pesticides legislation approved by the European Parliament this week. Benn...

MPs scrutinise water charges.(Features)
January 23, 2009... Water charges and fuel poverty are making waves in and outside the Palace of Westminster Surface water drainage charges have been a popular topic in MPs' bulging mailbags recently. They have also been the subject of a rather large...

Model behaviour.(Features)
January 23, 2009... Roger Barnard says Ofgem should be wary of some of the easy answers being bandied about as it explores alternatives to RPI-X regulation There are markets in ideas, just as there are markets in soya beans and shares. Price controls on the...

ENERGYRWE enters Benelux with Essent purchase.(Features)(Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Elektrizitaetswerk AG)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... by Simon Jones RWE has agreed a [euro]9.3 billion takeover of Dutch utility Essent. The all-cash offer excludes Essent's power and gas grid holdings, which are to be unbundled in line with recent Dutch energy reform. The deal is subject to...

ENERGYGovernment reviews fuel poverty strategy.(News)
January 23, 2009... by Roger Milne Parliament was told last week that the government has launched a full-scale review of all aspects of its policy on fuel poverty, with initial findings due in June. Joan Ruddock, the minister responsible for fuel poverty...

Features.
January 23, 2009... How to prepare for an avalanche of data A government announcement, issued during the report stage of the Energy Bill at the tail end of October, promises to usher in one of the most exciting periods of change since the birth of the...

ELECTRICITYScots escape further probe.(News)(Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... by Janet Wood Ofgem has decided not to pursue an investigation into the trading behaviour of two Scottish utilities in the wholesale market, even though it had "concerns with the behaviour observed". The regulator said it would be hard...

eLECTRICITYScottish firms may be forced to unbundle.(News)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... by Janet Wood The European Commission's unbundling directive could demand structural changes in two Scottish power companies, Ofgem has acknowledged. The unbundling proposals are part of the Commission's so-called third package on...

WATERFirst customers sign up for net through sewers.(News)(Fibrecity)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... Fibrecity has announced that the first customers to receive broadband through the sewer network will be connected by the end of March. Thirty homes in Bournemouth are the first in Fibrecity's programme. The company said it would be able to...

PAN-UTILITYUtilities hit by economic downturn.(News)
January 23, 2009... Utilities are suffering from increased market risk, lower sales, and the likelihood of greater customer debt as the economic downturn begins to bite. Eon UK reported a sharp downturn in units of electricity entering its Central Networks...

ENVIRONMENTTories set out their green ambitions.(News)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... A Conservative government would create incentives for National Grid to build an offshore transmission network and for electricity distributors to establish a national recharging network for electric cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles, party...

waterAnglian backs return of trickle flow meters.(News)
January 23, 2009... by Annabel Andrews Anglian Water has spoken out in favour of the reintroduction of trickle flow meters. A spokesman for Anglian Water told Utility Week: "We believe there is support in the rest of the industry. We're happy to take a...

waterWelsh doubtful on competition and metering.(News)(Welsh Water PLC)(Brief article)
January 23, 2009... The Welsh Assembly Government is unconvinced of the benefits of water competition and metering, it has said in a policy statement. It said: "We remain unconvinced that increased retail competition will deliver any measurable benefits in...