Utility Week articles from July 2004

Utility Week archives from July 2004

TELECOMS; Mobiles bid to level handset options.(Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP))(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Mobile telecoms operators including MMO2 and Orange have formed an association to promote the standardisation of mobile functionalities. The Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) will be based in London and includes mobile operators...

eNERGY; All-Ireland energy market passes another milestone.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Plans for an all-island energy market across the state divide in Ireland has passed another milestone with the publication of proposals from the two governments on the framework and the priorities for the next three years. A joint steering...

TELECOMS; BT calls for investment to be rewarded.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... TELECOMS BT calls for investment to be rewarded BT has appealed to communications regulator Ofcom for regulation to reward infrastructure investment and move away from 'micro-regulation'. BT made the call as part of Ofcom's...

TELECOMS; BT hangs up its standard tariff and raises line rent.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... BT this week withdrew its standard residential tariff and shifted nine million standard rate customers on to its Option 1, which has cheaper call rates and a higher line rental. Comparison and switching service uSwitch.com said that in most...

WATER; Tougher rules set on coastal bathing waters.(Water authorities)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Water authorities in Europe will have to discharge cleaner waters to seas in future to meet stricter bathing water standards. New rules were agreed by European environment ministers on Monday. There are no new microbiological water quality...

Last pitch ; attempt.
July 2, 2004... Has product bundling failed because the concept is flawed or because the implementation was wrong? . By Martin Yuill. Utilities today are concentrating on delivering internal process and service efficiencies, a consequence of the extensive...

TELECOMS; Brussels urges probe into German cable takeover.(KDG)(Ish)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Germany's Federal Cartel Office has been asked by the European Commission to examine a planned takeover by the country's dominant broadband cable operator KDG of smaller rival Ish. The cartel office has already voiced concern to the...

ELECTRICITY; British Nuclear shuts Magnox station early.(British Nuclear Group)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... British Nuclear Group (BNG) has closed its ageing Magnox nuclear power station at Chapelcross in Scotland after 45 years producing electricity. Tuesday's announcement that the plant with its four reactors was closing down permanently a...

MULTI-UTILITY; NGT bags masts firm for [pounds sterling]1bn.
July 2, 2004... by Trevor Dooley National Grid Transco bucked the trend to shed non-core operations this week with a [pounds sterling]1.1 billion acquisition of a US-ownedmobile telecoms mast business. The company bagged the UK operation of Crown...

TELECOMS; Endgame looms for sale of five local networks.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Another milestone has been passed in the planned sale of some of National Grid Transco's regional distribution networks as the deadline was reached last week for final bids. The company refused to comment on widespread industry speculation...

ELECTRICITY; Industry dismay over price control cuts.
July 2, 2004... by Trevor Dooley Power distributors were dismayed by the energy regulator's customer-pleasing initial distribution price control proposals this week, warning they would leave the industry short of the cash needed to keep its ageing...

Pastures new.
July 2, 2004... On 17 June, the government announced its intention to radically overhaul the way diffuse pollution from agriculture is handled. Although farmers have made a start on proactively reducing the amount of pollution they cause (for example, under...

ENERGY; Dong presses for Danish merger.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... State-owned Danish oil and natural gas companyDong has proposed to the government that it be allowed to merge with rival Elsam ahead of an existing plan to make an initial public offering of 49 per cent of the shares in Dong over the next 12...

GAS; Statoil bags e200m loan for UK link.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... The European Investment Bank (EIB) has unveiled plans to lend Norway's Statoil e200 million to help it develop the North Sea Ormen Lange gas field as a key supplier of natural gas to Britain, which will become reliant on imported natural gas...

Make sure you know what you need.( Energy & Utility Skills )
July 2, 2004... While no-one within the utilities sector dismisses the importance of training, issues around cost, quality control and effectiveness have acted as natural inhibitors - until now. Over the next 12 months Energy & Utility Skills will roll out...

ENERGY ; Eni could face sale of Snam.
July 2, 2004... by Zoe Grainge Dominant Italian gas group Eni could be forced to sell its 51 per cent stake in gas pipeline company Snam Rete Gas after Italian competition and regulatory authorities said there was inadequate gas market competition. ...

Changing ; booms.
July 2, 2004... Competition in gas since 1996, and in electricity since 1998, has brought with it significant change to both the nature of household purchasing and to the structure of the energy industry. Customers used to buy their gas and electricity...

The lights go out in France.
July 2, 2004... Those Frenchies, don't you just love'em? Our neighbours across the Channel may, like us Brits, suffer a football team which flatters to deceive, but when it comes to industrial action, les Francais are in a league of their own. ...

eyebrow; Fenosa raises investment in gas-fired plant project.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Spain's third-biggest electricity utility, Union Fenosa, said it would increase investment in its Sagunto regasification and combined-cycle generation project to e800 million from e767 million. The rise is to fund a third combined-cycle...

ELECTRICITY; Low rain to lift Nordic power prices by 20%.(Finnish Energy Industries Federation)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... A pan-Nordic price report by Finergy (Finnish Energy Industries Federation) has forecast price increases fed by low rainfall and water shortages hitting hydro reservoirs in Norway, Sweden and Finland during the coming winter. The report...

ELECTRICITY; Watchdog signals new blackout penalty regime.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Future blackouts could land National Grid Transco with automatic penalties running into millions of pounds, energy regulator Ofgem has warned. The watchdog has signalled a new scheme, which would complement the existing legal obligations...

A numbers game.
July 2, 2004... In this second article on what senior executives of Britain's utility sector think about key issues, the focus switches from regulation to consolidation and workforce skills. Interviews were conducted with 21 senior executives from companies...

More masts for NGT.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... National Grid Transco (NGT) has confirmed that it wants to buy the telephone masts owned by Crown Castle International. As the Daily Mail pointed out, at a cost of [pounds sterling]1.1bn the acquisition would give NGT around 10 per cent of the...

WATER; Ireland opts out of nitrate compliance.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... The Irish government has said it will not comply with fertiliser levels set by the water-protecting Nitrates Directive. Tom O'Mahoney from the Department of the Environment called the stipulated level of 170kg of organic nitrogen fertiliser...

An exciting place to be.
July 2, 2004... I am very glad to be joining Utility Week as its new editor, and to do so at such an exciting time for those in the business of supplying the nation with its essential services. As a newcomer to the market I am excited by the vibrancy of the...

TELECOMS; BT told to cut charges for business customer lines.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... BT has been told to reduce charges for parts of its leased line network after communications regulator Ofcom determined it had significant market power. In the conclusion of the leased lines market review, undertaken as part of Ofcom's...

ENERGY; Industry short shrift to Lords supply warning.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... by Roger Milne The energy industry has played down parliamentary concern that Britain could be vulnerable to power cuts over the next two winters because of gas shortages prompted by severe weather. Last week a Lords committee voiced...

TELECOMS; MMO2 set for July launch of 3G services.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... British-based mobile operator MMO2 is set to launch third generation (3G) services for businesses in Germany on 1 July. The company, which recently rebuffed a [pounds sterling]10 billion takeover bid from Dutch operator KPN, will be the...

Nuon.
July 2, 2004... by Zoe Grainge Dutch energy utility Nuon has had serious confrontations with the authorities on more than one occasion in the past year. It is vociferously against the proposed separation of energy suppliers from their grid companies....

ENERGY; Gas Natural denies bid for Endesa.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Spanish gas group Gas Natural last week made an emphatic denial that it was in talks over a merger with the country's power market leader, Endesa. Gas Natural chairman Antonio Brufau said he was 'plenty surprised' by the rumour, which has...

ELECTRICITY; Czechs going cool on nuclear.
July 2, 2004... by Katka Krosnar Support for developing nuclear energy has fallen among Czechs, a new poll has revealed. Just over half of people in the Czech Republic still backed its growth, down from more than two-thirds a decade ago. The survey by...

ELECTRICITY; Brussels probes nuclear fuel deal.(European Commission opens investigation)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... The European Commission has opened an investigation into a proposed tie-up between the two companies that provide the European Union's nuclear industry with enriched uranium. The Commission said it feared the deal would reduce competition and...

ONE.(Interview)
July 2, 2004... minute interview Name Chris Bennett Age 41 Company Reed Business Information, Sutton, Surrey Job title Editor of Utility Week career history Despite graduating with an honours degree in...

Off ; and ; on.
July 2, 2004... It is not easy for utilities to cut costs and improve service quickly when they are burdened with a maze of conflicting processes and incompatible IT systems inherited from years of deregulation and merger and acquisition activity. To gain...

ELECTRICITY; Finn firm moves to block Nordic wires merger.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Finnish energy company Pohjolan Voima (PVO) has emerged as the latest Nordic utility to oppose political moves towards a merger of Scandinavia's four transmission system operators. PVO's chief executive Timo Rajala warned that the creation...

Price rise fears prompt concern.
July 2, 2004... Judging by parliamentary questions over the past six months, parliamentarians have yet to be convinced the the government's policies amount to the step-change on energy efficiency and climate change that ministers insist are at the top of the...

ENERGY; RWE to spend e3bn on new power plant.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... by Simon Jones RWE has unveiled a e3 billion plan to upgrade its domestic power plants and expand in eastern Europe. Its generation division, RWE Power, will replace or upgrade 10 per cent (4GW) of its German capacity over the next six...

ELECTRICITY; Socialists' man gets REE.(Red Electrica appoints Luis Atienza)(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica (REE) has appointed former socialist energy minister Luis Atienza as its new chairman and chief executive, replacing the widely respected Pedro Mielgo. The move was controversial because Spanish...

ENERGY; Green agency calls for lift in up-front funds.(green energy research)(The European Renewable Energy Centres Agency)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... The European Renewable Energy Centres Agency has called for more up-front funding for green energy research, which it has claimed would enable the renewable energy industry to improve efficiencies and profits. The agency - a specialist...

WATER; Mains training offer to jobless by South West.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... South West Water has participated in a scheme to solve skills shortage problems and give work to unemployed residents in its area. As part of a programme called Ambition Energy, a government-funded scheme project managed by new sector...

WATER; Bad data underestimates drain workloads by 40%.(Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management )
July 2, 2004... Water companies use 30-year-old data to predict extreme rainfall, which may underestimate the pressure drainage systems are under by 40 per cent, according to a study by UK Water Industry Research. As climate change kicks in, the problem could...

ENERGY; Spanish carbon plan breaks new ground.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... by Roger Milne Spanish electricity generators have had their fears confirmed that they will bear the brunt of carbon cuts under the country's proposals for implementing the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The...

ENERGY; Think-tank backs Ofgem green duty.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... The government has been urged to drop its opposition to a new 'green' duty for Ofgem. A current amendment to the Energy Bill gives the energy watchdog a primary duty to promote green energy, a change which ministers have promised to drop...

WATER; Three Valleys [pounds sterling]200m bond.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Veolia Environnement subsidiary Three Valleys Water has become the latest water company to tap the debt market. Last week, it issued [pounds sterling]200 million-worth of bonds, the proceeds of which will be used to repay a loan from...

TELECOMS; T-Mobile set to benefit from early Virgin float.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Britain's only mobile virtual network operator, Virgin Mobile, could be set to announce plans for a flotation this week. Network owner and joint founder T-Mobile could receive [pounds sterling]100 million from a sale. City sources said the...

WATER; Price rises drive customer gripes north.(WaterVoice)
July 2, 2004... by Karma Ockenden Higher water prices led to a dramatic increase in complaints about water companies in 2003/04. Statistics published in watchdog WaterVoice's annual report, which should warn companies that average 30 per cent rises in...

telecoms; RWE Czech operator sheds debt for equity.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... by Mark Andress Alternative Czech Republic telecoms company Aliatel last week negotiated a debt-for-equity swap worth e69 million with its seven shareholders, leaving the company debt free. The move came amid rumours, denied by Aliatel,...

PAN-UTILITY; Austria broke buying rules court decides.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Austria breached European Union public procurement rules when it failed to provide a comprehensive review procedure allowing unsuccessful tenderers to challenge contracts awards by dominant utilities and public authorities. The European...

Land of ; the giants.
July 9, 2004... In assessing the big beasts in the European utilities jungle, it is important not to be distracted by their capacity to generate publicity. After all, AWG attracts considerable press interest although it is a decidedly minor player in the...

TELECOMS; Ofcom calls on BT to ramp up line access.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Communications regulator Ofcom this week outlined its aspirations for the development of broadband in Britain, presenting a further threat to BTby reiterating its desire for infrastructure competition in broadband. Ofcom said it wanted to...

GAS; European group mulls new storage project.
July 9, 2004... by Roger Milne A little-known European energy company chaired by Cedric Brown, the former chief executive of British Gas, has confirmed its interest in developing an offshore gas storage facility along the lines of Centrica's Rough scheme...

MULTI-UTILITY; AA sale seeds doubt over One.Tel's future.
July 9, 2004... by Zoe Grainge The future of Centrica-owned residential telecoms provider One.Tel was thrown into doubt last week as a report claiming the operation would be the next in line for a sell off by its parent company fuelled already mounting...

TELECOMS; City punishes Colt for heavy profits warning.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Shares in beleaguered corporate telecoms provider Colt Telecom slumped 34 per cent to 45p last Thursday after it warned that tough market conditions would mean underlying earnings for 2004 would be the same or below last year's level. ...

ELECTRICITY; Wires' dismay mounts as price proposals sink in.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Power network operators' dismay over the regulator's proposals for the next distribution price control review has escalated. 'We've looked at the proposals document in detail and the picture is even worse than we first thought,' said Nick...

I wander'd lonely as a pylon.
July 9, 2004... Well, the great man is always willing to throw up his hands and say 'mea culpa' or, if you have not had the benefit of a proper education, 'it's a fair cop, guv'. Yup, the great man makes mistakes. He was wrong to suggest, as he did...

WATER; French towns set to dump private supplier contracts.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Many French town councils look set to turn against private sector water suppliers when contracts come up for renewal in 2005. Some towns have already opted to end contracts. The municipality of Castres has decided to operate its water...

TELECOMS; German mobiles slash network fees.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Germany's four mobile telecoms operators have pre-empted a demand by industry regulator RegTP that they slash termination charges. T-Mobile and the German arms of Vodafone, MMO2 and KPN used to charge between 14 and 18 eurocents a minute to...

water; Court tells Greece 'get clean'.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... The Greek government has been censured by the European Court of Justice for not properly installing an urban wastewater system for the Thriasio Pedio area, near Athens. The court found that by subjecting the water only to secondary...

ENVIRONMENT; Ofgem claims success for green plan.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Energy regulator Ofgem has placed its proposals to encourage distribution networks to connect renewable generators at the top of its success list in its annual review of its Environmental Action plan. The news comes in the same week that the...

Centrica cashes in.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Centrica is [pounds sterling]1.75 billion richer having sold the AA to CVC/ Permira. About [pounds sterling]1 billion will be handed back to shareholders with a further [pounds sterling]500m share repurchase programme to follow. According to...

ENERGY; Emissions levy 'will drive out industry'.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Emissions cuts imposed on industry will drive companies out of the UK, hitting the economy without reducing global carbon dioxide output, heavy power users have warned. The warming from the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG)echoed those...

water; Italian supplier bond issue to fund upgrades.(Acquedotto Pugliese)(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Italian water utility Acquedotto Pugliese has issued a [pounds sterling]165 million bond to fund its capital expenditure programme and to refinance existing debt. Acquedotto Pugliese, the monopoly water supplier for the Apulia region,...

electricity; Italy supply pact escapes penalties.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Italy's competition authority has declared that a co-operation deal between the country's leading power suppliers 'restricted and distorted competition'. But it has decided not to penalise any of those involved in the supply pact. The...

TELECOMS; KPNset to launch 3G services in July.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Former Dutch telecoms incumbent KPN is set to launch third generation (3G) mobile services on 15 July. Coverage will be immediately available to 30 per cent of the population, initially concentrating on 50 towns in the highly urbanised...

A tale of two credit ratings.
July 9, 2004... Pleasing the regulator is never easy, but it would appear that if you have a diversification strategy, be prepared for demerger. This week sees credit ratings come to the fore as Northumbrian Water and Severn Trent Group both find themselves...

Wind prices an example only.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Sir, I refer to your recent article (Utility Week, 18 June page 15) containing the example of the economics of offshore wind that the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) submitted to the House of Commons Transport Committee. I would like to...

PAN-UTILITY; Managers overworked and stressed.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Managers in utilities are 'overworked, put business ahead of family, don't get on with their bosses and work in a negative culture', according to research findings published last week. The study by the Chartered Management Institute...

ENERGY; Brussels slates state efforts to open markets.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... The European Commission last week slated member states' efforts to liberalise their energy sectors as 'unacceptable' and said they faced possible legal action. Only two states of 25 had fully implemented the laws needed to open their markets....

telecoms; Ease mobile mast consents, says the EU.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... European Union member states should adopt a more liberal approach towards granting planning permission for mobile telecoms masts and base stations because of the need to boost mobile-broadband services, the European Commission has claimed. ...

Turn down the volume.(Ofwat National Customer Council)(WaterVoice)
July 9, 2004... Since Maurice Terry took over as chairman of what was the Ofwat National Customer Council (ONCC) in April 2001, he has been distancing the water watchdog from its 'parent', regulator Ofwat. The umbilical cord was symbolically cut when the ONCC...

TELECOMS; Mobile operators 'risk churn' through focusing on growth and expansion.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... The recovering British mobile telecoms industry risks losing an estimated [pounds sterling]3 billion this year through customer churn if it does not improve customer service. A survey by IT company LogicaCMG has found that mobile operators...

Gas exports decline sharply.
July 9, 2004... The decline in natural gas production in the first quarter of this year, down nearly 10 per cent on the same quarter last year, has been highlighted in the latest three-monthly energy statistics compiled and published by the Department of Trade...

Centrica moots [pounds sterling]3bn spending spree.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Phil Bentley, group finance director, and Gardner: war chest for energy

Viridian.(Viridian Group PLC)
July 9, 2004... by Trevor Dooley Like most of the rest of its counterparts who ventured beyond their energy roots, Viridian has in recent years stripped back to its core business. Gone are telecoms and financial services. Unlike other energy...

WATER; Drinking water quality up but Ulster trails mainland.(Drinking Water Inspectorate )(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Drinking water has quality edged up again across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to the latest statistics. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI)announced on Tuesday that 99.88 per cent of 2.9 million tests carried out in...

ELECTRICITY; Pan-Nordic politicians in cross-border priority push.(Social Democratic Party)(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... The Social Democratic Group (SDG), the most influential cross-border political assembly within the Nordic council, has insisted that Nordic governments prioritise cross-border power supply issues and work towards 'guaranteed stability' of...

Northumbrian will escape Ofwat hit.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Investment bank BNP Paribas said last week it did not expect Ofwat to take action against Northumbrian Water because the firm had done enough to escape a just-above-junk credit rating. Northumbrian's credit rehabilitation initiatives of...

eNERGY; Norway plans scheme for emissions trading.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... by Roger Milne The Norwegian government has announced plans for an emissions trading scheme which, like the European Union proposal, should start next year. Environment minister Knut Arild Hareide said the Norwegian scheme would...

ONE.(Interview)
July 9, 2004... minute interview Name Darren Towers Age 32 Company Thames Water Job title Biodiversity and Heritage Manager.I manage a team dealing with ecology and nature conservation, archaeology and cultural...

TELECOMS; Orange gives 3G the green light in July.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... French-owned UKmobile telecoms operator Orange has unveiled its first offering using its third generation (3G) network. From 19 July the company will offer business customers a card that enables them to access data at seven times the speed...

TELECOMS; Post Office bids to win 1m BTcustomers.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Government-owned limited company the Post Office this week unveiled plans to enter the residential fixed line telecoms market with the aim of grabbing 5 per cent of BT's residential market in the first five years. The Post Office has...

ELECTRICITY; Higher electricity prices spur more plant revivals.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... Warming sentiment towards power generation picked up further this week as one struggling merchant plant was bagged by a new investor and Eon UK revealed plans to restart its mothballed Killingholme plant. Eon said it would fire up the...

Parliament pans energy policies.
July 9, 2004... It is no secret in Whitehall that ministers are considering a major publicity campaign to galvanise public opinion about the threat of climate change and the need for adjustments in lifestyle to avert global warming. In both the Lords and...

GAS; Sector worried about network sale plans.(Brief Article)
July 9, 2004... by Roger Milne Major energy customers and gas shippers and suppliers have expressed concern at the policy change in prospect as the industry braces itself to accommodate the proposed sale of some of Transco's regional distribution...