Utility Week articles from June 2007

Utility Week archives from June 2007

Get in line.(Early Section)
June 1, 2007... Anthony Adshead says it is important not just to have the right IT system in place, but to align it properly with your business needs. Organisations that achieve alignment between their business and their IT systems compete more effectively...

eyebrowheadline to go in here liek thbis a alks p[plksad.(News)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Thames Water will offer households which cannot be metered a tiered charge instead of a average household charge from next April. Currently, customers who have requested a meter, but live in a home where it cannot be fitted, are charged on...

waterThames urged to fulfil tiered charges pledge.(News)(Labour backbencher Andrew Smith)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by Vibeka Mair and Roger Milne Thames Water's promise to introduce tiered average household charges next April was highlighted last week in a parliamentary debate initiated by Labour backbencher Andrew Smith. At present, customers who...

Pull yourself together.(Early Section)
June 1, 2007... Enterprise asset management (EAM) in the utilities sector has evolved. No longer is a traditional kit and maintenance asset management system enough. Now, holistic asset management covering the entire business life cycle is key to...

ENVIRONMENTBP walks away from carbon capture plan.(News)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by Roger Milne BP has pulled the plug on Britain's leading carbon capture and storage (CCS) scheme, an ambitious and innovative proposal based on the Peterhead power station in northeast Scotland and the depleted Miller Field in the North...

How are we doing?(Early Section)(Column)
June 1, 2007... Jonathan Green-Armytage looks at some of the metrics that utility IT departments are using to measure their own effectiveness. Utilities in the UK are getting more mature in the way they run their IT systems. This evolution in attitude is...

News.(International Power PLC to acquire Energy Australia)(report on utilities mergers and acquisitions)(SaveWaterSaveMoney.co.uk has been launched to promote water-efficient products )
June 1, 2007... Aussie buyout International Power has announced it will acquire the remaining 50 per cent of the Energy Australia and International Power (Australia) retail energy partnership. International Power will pay [pounds sterling]59 million to...

Opening taps to competition.(Features)
June 1, 2007... Regulators - not incumbents - must dictate the terms of competition, or the only choice left will be ownership unbundling, argues Sir Ian Byatt Hosepipe bans and rising prices are not what customers want. Investment is high and the water...

Accord unfazed by exodus of top traders.(News)
June 1, 2007... At least seven employees from Centrica's energy trading arm Accord Energy have quit the company in the past month, with one senior executive immediately joining rival trader EDF Trading. Accord's previous head of weather and derivatives...

News.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Chemistry degrees fall short at work Chemical engineering graduates suffer from a lack of the skills required by employers, according to research published by the Institute of Chemical Engineers. The research, compiled by professors...

Top marks for utilities in responsibility index.(News)
June 1, 2007... by ZoA' Grainge Thirteen UK's utilities were named top performers in the 2006 Corporate Responsibility Index from Business in the Community (BITC). EDF Energy, Kelda, National Grid, RWE Npower, Scottish and Southern Energy,...

Single mindedness.(Early Section)
June 1, 2007... After years of acquisitions, disposals, consolidation and diversification, UK utilities now find themselves with multiple groups of businesses and control systems. They are facing more than the usual tensions that grow between departments:...

News.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... ENERGY Waste to energy fraction to double Ministers have signalled that they want to see the amount of power produced from waste to energy plants more than double by 2020. The government's latest waste strategy, published last...

Features.
June 1, 2007... THE 31 May Final day of Green Power conference on market-driven solutions to climate change, London 4 June Parliament returns after Whitsun recess 5 June Severn Trent 2006/07 results 5-6 June The Adam Smith...

Scheme opens technical roles for women.(News)
June 1, 2007... Sector skills council Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) has launched a heavily subsidised personal development programme to encourage more women into technical roles. The programme will encourage women in the sector to consider their...

ELECTRICITYImproved power price index delayed.(News)
June 1, 2007... Plans to improve the liquidity of the UK day-ahead power market by creating a new price index based on a capacity auction have run into delays. The Power Trading Forum's market design project steering group was due to publish a request for...

Getting warmer.(Features)
June 1, 2007... The long-awaited Energy White Paper surfaced last week, but what did it deliver? . Roger Milne and Janet Wood report To judge by last week's white paper, energy is an area of government endeavour that has become akin to painting the Forth...

Outlook wet.(Features)
June 1, 2007... Hydro power is the most effective source of renewable energy, but further development needs a rethink of EU water policy, says Gulsevi Sunguroglu Hydro-electric power is by far the most significant source of renewable energy in Europe. It...

Features.
June 1, 2007... Twice the hazard The European Parliament has proposed a near-doubling of the number of substances considered hazardous in water supplies. MEPs added 28 substances to the 33 existing names listed under the 2000 Water Framework Directive....

The case of the missing turbines.(News)
June 1, 2007... What is going on at the London Climate Change Agency (LCCA), set up two years ago with such fanfare by the capital's mayor, Ken Livingstone, and with the support of the great and good? Disconnector asks after pondering the fate of the 14...

News.
June 1, 2007... Have you seen this camel? Utility Week fears that the WaterAid camel has made a break for it. Not content with running the London Marathon - all 26.2 miles of it - it has since been spotted trotting along the upper reaches of the Thames, still...

Starting over.(National Grid Group PLC selling its distribution networks)
June 1, 2007... It's not often that an existing business becomes a greenfield IT site overnight, but that is exactly what happened when National Grid Gas decided to sell four of its eight local distribution networks in 2005. These operations were snapped...

GASNetworks rail against Ofgem spending cuts.(laws rules and regulations and management of finance of gas utilities )(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by Steve Hobson The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has sharply criticised regulator Ofgem's initial proposals for cuts in spending and rates of return for the 2008-13 gas distribution network price review. Ofgem proposes reducing...

GASGazprom M&T plans more expansion.(News)
June 1, 2007... Gazprom Marketing and Trading (GM&T) will maintain its "aggressive growth strategy", the company said as it announced revenues of [pounds sterling]1,485 million in 2006, compared with [pounds sterling]594 million in 2005. Operating profit...

ENERGYFillon promises quick decision on GdF deal.(Francois Fillons decision on merger and acquisition of Suez and Gaz de France)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by Stuart Todd France's new prime minister, Francois Fillon, has given himself until the end of June or the beginning of July to examine the proposed merger of Suez and Gaz de France (GdF). Speaking on French radio, he said: "The idea...

electricityGerman grid charge reform sparks revolt.(Features)
June 1, 2007... by Simon Jones An alliance of utility lobbies has warned the German government that the incentive-based regulatory system proposed for Germany's energy sector is unrealistic and unachievable. Power industry association VDEW, gas and...

Features.
June 1, 2007... ENERGY Hungary sets new industry structure The Hungarian government has approved a bill to liberalise the country's electricity market in line with European directives from 1 January 2008. Under proposals from Hungarian energy...

Early Section.(influence of information technology on electric utilities)
June 1, 2007... These are testing times for utility companies. Firms are being challenged not only by the relative high price of energy to consumers (and in some cases prompting users to generate energy themselves), but also by energy regulators, and a market...

Features.
June 1, 2007... ELECTRICITY Iberdrola to float wind subsidiary Iberdrola has announced plans to sell 20 per cent of its renewable energy subsidiary in an initial public offering in the last quarter of the year. The subsidiary has windfarms in...

Features.(prices and rates and regulations of electricity)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... electricity Italy calls for regulated power tariff Italian energy regulator AEEG has called for temporary price controls before the country's power market is liberalised in July. AEEG wants the government to introduce regulated tariffs...

Features.
June 1, 2007... 22 June: deadline for nuclear reactor design submissions June 2007: publication of a joint study with Norway on the infrastructure needed to transport and store carbon dioxide below the North Sea July 2007: DTI/Ofgem policy statement...

Features.
June 1, 2007... energy 'Pullquote to go in here like this and like this and like this and like thisy' continued overleaf utility week 1 june 2007 utility week 1 june 2007 energy continued from previous page utility week 1 june...

Poor language skills pose danger on site.(influence of language barriers on health and safety of workers of electric utilities)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by ZoA' Grainge A leading utility contractor fears that language barriers pose a risk to health and safety as increasing numbers of workers from eastern Europe work on projects across the UK. Steve Cook, director of environment, health...

Features.
June 1, 2007... Planning commission could be a blessing in disguise When communities secretary Ruth Kelly announced the government's plans to set up an independent planning commission to determine major infrastructure schemes (a centrepiece of the recent...

News.(management and training of workers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Employers sceptical of skills pledge UK businesses are sceptical about government initiatives to tackle skills shortages, and doubt they will have real benefits in the workplace, a survey has found. The Chartered Institute for...

A lost chance to play it smart.(laws rules and regulations and technology applications of electric meters)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Sir: the content of the government's Energy White Paper is disappointing. It suggests there will be even more delay in the process of providing clear, real-time information to businesses and domestic customers, since further consultation is now...

News.
June 1, 2007... WATER Companies count cost of Traffic Act Almost half of UK water companies put the cost of complying with the Traffic Management Act 2004 at between [pounds sterling]1 million and [pounds sterling]5 million. The same percentage said...

Making the most of it.(usage and influence of information technology on electric utilities)
June 1, 2007... Where are utilities concentrating their IT buck? Cath Everett examines the technologies that are most enthusing the industry In a relatively low margin but competitive industry such as utilities, the key watchword is, and remains,...

Features.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The white paper signalled a further frenzied bout of consultation, just two days after the government had started consultation on its plans for an independent commission to determine major infrastructure schemes. Already published are: ...

News.
June 1, 2007... Scottish Resources Group, the parent company of Scotland's largest coal producer, Scottish Coal, has appointed Bruce Laird managing director of Scottish Biofuel, the group's energy crop and wood fuel supply business. Laird joins the company...

Features.
June 1, 2007... INTERVIEW Eon UK chief executive Paul Golby discusses prospects for nuclear and other aspects of the Energy White Paper WATER A look at Northern Ireland Water's business plan, its aims and delivery strategy RENEWABLES ...

Features.
June 1, 2007... Nuclear power plant suppliers who have reactors to sell to the UK got just one month - until 22 June - to nominate the designs they wanted to go forward for pre-licensing. No limit was set on the number of designs that could enter the...

ELECTRICITYWestinghouse leads nuclear race.(News)
June 1, 2007... Westinghouse is the first nuclear reactor maker to formally submit its reactor design to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) for pre-licensing. Westinghouse was owned by the UK's BNFL for much of the time its design, known as the...

ENERGYOmbudsman faces check up from regulator.(services of Ofgem)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Ofgem is to review the effectiveness and role of the Energy Supply Ombudsman, a year after it was set up to provide an alternative dispute resolution scheme for domestic energy customers. In an open letter the regulator said the review...

ELECTRICITYOldbury nuclear station ready to generate again.(News)
June 1, 2007... Reactor two at the Oldbury nuclear station is to export power to the grid again after a two-year shutdown. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) granted permission to restart on 18 May. The Gloucestershire power station is operated...

GASUlster gas transmission sale closer.(News)
June 1, 2007... The sale of Phoenix Energy's Northern Ireland gas transmission pipeline to the not-for-profit Northern Ireland Energy Holdings (NIEH) has moved a step closer with the opening of confidential due diligence talks between the two companies. ...

ENERGYRussia-Finland link is subject of renewed bid.(building and facilities of United Power to build electric cables)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Russian-owned power company United Power plans to present a fresh application to build a subsea electricity cable under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Finland if a court appeal fails to overturn a March ruling by Finnish authorities that it...

White papers get rough ride.(energy policy of Scotland)
June 1, 2007... Ministers fail to win wholehearted parliamentary endorsement for their energy and planning white papers Energy policy and the planning of new major energy projects exercised Parliament last week before the six-day Whitsun recess. The...

White Paper slammed for omitting skills.(industry forecasts of energy industries)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Industry bodies have criticised last week's Energy White Paper for its scant mention of the sector's serious skills shortage. Scientists' trade union Prospect and professionals' body the Energy Institute said that new directions outlined in...

Features.
June 1, 2007... The government will go ahead with plans to "band" the Renewables Obligation (RO) so that technologies at an earlier stage of development get extra subsidy. It says the proposal will increase the level of renewables by 25 per cent by 2015. ...

News.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... ENVIRONMENT Warning on carbon capture liability The key issue when implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) is allocating responsibility for the storage site and its contents over possibly thousands of years, according to Standard...

WATERCapital gains give Saur staff cash payout.(Saur Group)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Some 10,000 staff at Saur, the French water services specialist, are set to share a [euro]36 million payout. The cash distribution comes as a result of the capital gain made by management fund PAI when it sold the company to the HIME...

Vive la difference!(Features)
June 1, 2007... France's utilities should brace themselves for life under new president Sarkozy, who was elected on a ticket of radical reform . Nigel Hawkins reports The famous novel by Albert Camus, L'Etranger, could well describe the recently elected...

ENERGYSNP reveals its plans for Scotland's green future.(efforts of Scottish National Party to improve the environment of Scotland)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The incoming Scottish government has pledged to turn Scotland into a green energy powerhouse, and to become the "pre-eminent" location for clean energy research and development in Europe. That was the aspiration of the new Scottish...

waterSNP rejects call for mutual Scottish Water.(powers and duties of Scottish National Party)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The new Scottish Executive has ruled out suggestions that Scottish Water could be turned into a mutual company. The cabinet secretary for finance, John Swinney, told MSPs that the government would not act on an independent finance review...

ELECTRICITYSlovakia to unbundle distribution.(Features)
June 1, 2007... Slovak electricity companies Zapadoslovenska Energetika (ZSE), Stredoslovenska Energetika (SSE) and Vychodoslovenska Energetika (VSE) are to separate out their electricity distribution businesses to comply with European legislation. The...

Features.(approval of Energy Retail Association to develop smart meters)
June 1, 2007... Let's get smart about metering It was with a degree of relief that we read in the Energy White Paper that the government has indicated its support for rolling out smart meters. After the recent Labour Party announcement promising that...

What's it all about?(forecasts and trends of public utilities)
June 1, 2007... Utility firms need to be asking themselves just how well information technology can be applied to their future business aims. They should be preparing themselves not just for the adoption of new generations of technology but also of new...

Breaking with the past.(changes of privatisation in public utilities)
June 1, 2007... For a business that tames the physics of the natural world for human use, it's somehow appropriate that in the utilities sector IT should appear almost tectonic in its evolution. Utilities have undergone the massive changes of privatisation...

News.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... water WICS considers longer review period There may be benefits in extending price review periods for Scottish Water, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has said in a paper on its approach to the 2010-14 price review....

waterCost of NI bill delay could reach [pounds sterling]265m.(News)(Northern Ireland Water plans to put water meters)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... by Vibeka Mair Anger over Northern Ireland Water's (NIW) plans to put water meters for pensioners on hold and an estimated [pounds sterling]265 million bill to defer water charges in the Province for three years dominated the committee for...

waterTwo firms fined [pounds sterling]16,000 for sewage spills.(News)(Southern Water PLC and Wessex Water PLC were fined by magistrates court)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Two water companies have been fined a total of [pounds sterling]16,244 for pollution incidents in July last year. Southern Water was ordered to pay [pounds sterling]10,000 and costs of [pounds sterling]3,155 at Fareham Magistrates Court....

waterBWH profit dented by careful users.(News)(Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water plans to expand its gas central heating business )(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water (BWH) saw its profit dented by water saving in 2006 although it had no need to impose restrictions. Pre-tax profit rose by nearly 5 per cent to [pounds sterling]11 million for the year ended 31 March 2007....

ELECTRICITYProfits up at BE as DTI sells its stake.(News)(Nuclear Liabilities Fund )(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... The government has reduced its stake in British Energy from 64 per cent to 36 per cent after an "accelerated disposal" of shares in the nuclear generator. The government's Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) sold 450 million shares at [pounds...

Features.(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... WATER Dirty waters reclassified, not cleaned There has been a slight increase in the proportion of inland waters that meet the standards set in the Bathing Water Directive, the European Union has announced. But environment commissioner...

News.
June 8, 2007... Npower green deal Npower has signed a contract to supply construction materials supplier Hanson Aggregates with 10GWh of renewable energy. EDF carbon cuts EDF Energy has said it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from generation...

waterBristol Water faces rise in customer debt.(News)(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... Bristol Water has increased its provision for bad debt from [pounds sterling]1.6 million in 2006 to [pounds sterling]2.3 million in 2007, representing 2.7 per cent of the company's turnover, which rose by [pounds sterling]4.4 million on last...

ENVIRONMENTBusinesses offset home carbon cuts.(News)(Report)(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... Carbon dioxide emissions from homes fell by 2.9 per cent in 2005, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), but the drop was offset by higher emissions in other sectors, including construction. Overall emissions...

Jobs in climate change set for five-year boom.(News)
June 8, 2007... The quantity of specialist jobs relating to climate change increased by 130 per cent between May 2006 and May 2007, according to research by sustainability recruitment consultancy Acre Resources. Acre said the climate change job market was...

News.
June 8, 2007... water More pesticides getting into water The amount of pesticides found in water increased in 2005, despite lower sales of pesticides than in previous years, according to a report from the Pesticides Forum. Group chair James...

Strike three.(Features)
June 8, 2007... Labour's third Energy White Paper is both complex and incomplete, making further reviews and policy statements inevitable, says Dieter Helm The latest UK Energy White Paper - Meeting the Energy Challenge - will probably be remembered as a...

Features.(Calendar)
June 8, 2007... THE 11-12 June Energy Ireland 2007, a two-day conference looking at the key issues north and south of the border as well as the emerging all-Ireland market, Dublin 12-15 June Green Week, organised by the European Union,...

News.(illegal water drainage systems pollute the water)(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... water Illegal drains cause rise in pollution One in five homes and businesses have drains that are illegally connected to clean water drainage systems and are polluting rivers, lakes and groundwater, according to a report from the...

PAN-UTILITYEU earmarks up to [euro]155m for networks.(Features)(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... The European Parliament has agreed funding guidelines for the next seven years of trans-European networks (TENs), which could command [euro]155 million of European Union (EU) money to 2013. MEPs and the EU Council of Ministers agreed that...

EnvironmentThree countries rebel over emissions caps.(Features)
June 8, 2007... by Roger Milne The European Commission now faces three separate legal challenges from European Union member states to its insistence on lower carbon caps as part of the second phase of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Poland and the...

ENERGYEon's infrastructure fund grows to [euro]60bn.(Features)
June 8, 2007... by Simon Jones German group Eon has announced plans to invest [euro]60 billion in its core European markets by the end of 2010, expanding its power plant capacity by 50 per cent with 18 new plants generating an extra 13.5GW. Eon...

ELECTRICITYEstonia plans power market deregulation.(Features)
June 8, 2007... Estonia plans to draft a more progressive energy policy that will open the Baltic country's electricity markets to participation by foreign investors from 2009. The government's new energy development programme will also include new energy...

Features.(Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S ordered to pay [euro]32 million in compensation)(Eon Energie has agreed to buy Dong's interest in Rodsand 2)(Hydro's oil and gas production reached 610,000 barrels)
June 8, 2007... New market plan Statnett has started the process of introducing an intraaday market in Norway. The so-called Elbas market is planned to open in the first half of 2008, subject to approval from the Norwegian authorities. Dong payback...

Plug in, read on, tune out.(News)(Energy conservation effort in public utilities)
June 8, 2007... The Scots are renowned for being careful with their money, so canny Scottish and Southern Energy must have had a rush of blood to the head last week. First of all, to celebrate breaking the [pounds sterling]1 billion annual profits...

News.(skydiver Cara Hall, together with three colleagues from Northumbrian Water, did a sponsored drop recently to raise money for WaterAid)(Brief article)
June 8, 2007... Plungers: skydiver Cara Hall, together with three colleagues from Northumbrian Water, did a sponsored drop recently to raise money for WaterAid. None of the quartet had done a parachute jump before, but after half a day's training at the...

waterManchester may fluoridate water supply.(News)
June 8, 2007... United Utilities is costing four schemes to add fluoride to tap water in Greater Manchester after health authorities in the region asked the company to help them combat widespread tooth decay among children. The water company will supply...

The clock is ticking.(Features)(Paul Golby of Eon UK )(Interview)
June 8, 2007... Paul Golby of Eon UK tells Steve Hobson that vital decisions must be made in the wake of the Energy White Paper As chief executive of Eon UK, Paul Golby will have a major influence over the future shape of the UK's power industry. Eon is...

Features.
June 8, 2007... Nuclear target: a reactor construction site at Olkiluoto belonging to Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) was the target of a Greenpeace protest last week as the company reaffirmed its plans for another reactor and said it may submit an initial...

News.
June 8, 2007... Out of the wind: Englefield Capital has sold its 33.33 per cent stake in the UK's largest windfarm portfolio, Zephyr Investments, for [pounds sterling]154 million. The 17 windfarms in the portfolio are together rated at 391MW and include the...