Utility Week articles from June 2008

Utility Week archives from June 2008

Features.
June 6, 2008... ENERGY Regulator 'should have more power' A powerful European Union energy infrastructure agency with authority over electricity and gas networks has been proposed by the European Parliament's industry committee. The European...

Law change ahead for agency workers.(News)
June 6, 2008... by Annabel Andrews Agency workers who have worked for the same company for at least 12 weeks will be entitled to the same rights as permanent staff after the government announced that the UK would sign up to the Temporary & Agency Workers...

ELECTRICITYBrown calls for nuclear expansion.(Features)
June 6, 2008... Prime minister Gordon Brown has for the first time signalled that he would support an expansion of the UK's nuclear power capacity. Brown echoed comments made earlier this year by business secretary John Hutton, when he said the country...

News.(amendment of planning bill requiring ministers to take climate change)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Carbon clause generates Labour backbench revolt The government resisted an amendment to the Planning Bill that would have required ministers to take climate change into account when drawing up national policy statements for major projects...

Features.(Npower helps its fuel poor customer)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Npower wins plaudits after it unveils new social tariff Npower is no longer the pariah among the top six domestic energy suppliers when it comes to helping its fuel poor customers. The supplier has won plaudits from consumer bodies and...

News.(rising energy bills )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... PAN-UTILITY Direct debit wanes as prices rise Customers are switching from direct debit to internet or counter payments to cope with rising utility bills, according to Graham Long, head of payment services at Alliance & Leicester....

ELECTRICITYBlackout due to 'random chance'.(Features)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... A blackout and a second low-voltage event that affected large areas of England last week were "nothing more than an exceptional event", according to National Grid. The Association of Electricity Producers said the event demonstrated the...

News.(Northern Ireland Water responsible for 261 pollution incidents in the first nine months of operation)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Figures out Northern Ireland Water was responsible for 261 pollution incidents in the first nine months of operations, environment minister Arlene Foster told the Northern Ireland Assembly last week. The NI Department of Environment took...

water Profits fall at Anglian and Bristol.(News)
June 6, 2008... Profit at Anglian Water dropped by more than [pounds sterling]20 million, according to the first financial results since the company was bought by Osprey Acquisitions. Profit before tax fell from [pounds sterling]352.9 million to [pounds...

Local difficulty.(Features)(Internal Market in Electricity Directive)
June 6, 2008... The European Court's judgement on Citiworks poses problems for UK policy on distributed energy, say Fiona Parker and Sebastian McMichael Earlier this year we wrote about the Advocate General's opinion in the Citiworks case, outlining the...

The dry planet.(Features)
June 6, 2008... David Hampton looks at why water is such a major problem when it comes to tackling climate change Fresh water is a limited resource. Less than 1 per cent of the world's total water is easily accessible fresh water. Some businesses have...

waterThree Valleys guilty over unfit water.(News)(Three Valleys Water)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Three Valleys Water was told to pay out nearly [pounds sterling]20,000 last month after pleading guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption. The company made new connections to three properties in February 2006. When two of...

waterThe fuel poor are water poor too.(News)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Water UK has written to environment secretary Phil Woolas asking to be involved in future discussions about fuel poverty because it believes there is a "direct read across" with water affordability. Any legislative change on data sharing...

Features.(Calendar)
June 6, 2008... THE 10-11 June World Biofuels Forum, Prague 11 June SBWWI Wastewater Group sixth annual seminar on sewerage and dirty water issues, National Agricultural College, Warwickshire Flooding issues in the Thames Gateway, a...

Multi-utilityUnited reports a 7 per cent rise in profit.(News)(United Utilities PLC)(Financial report)
June 6, 2008... United Utilities' full-year operating profit rose 7 per cent to [pounds sterling]677.2 million during 2007/08 with its non-regulated activities generating [pounds sterling]62 million, a marginal increase on its performance over the previous 12...

GASEon to reorganise gas business.(Features)(E.ON AG)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Eon has announced a major restructuring of its gas business. From August, control and operation of the group's German pipeline network will pass from Eon Ruhrgas to subsidiary Eon Gastransport. A new, independent subsidiary will also be...

Features.
June 6, 2008... ETS targets too high Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia are to demand revised targets under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme. In a joint proposal to be presented to EU ministers this week, they...

A river runs through it.(News)(river festival)
June 6, 2008... Readers of a more sensitive or nervous disposition may wish to look away now. Organisers of a river festival scheduled to take place from 31 May have cancelled the event after spotting, erm, sewage in the water. The grand plan was to...

News.
June 6, 2008... Team players: Northumbrian Water staff have signed up to serve as voluntary tennis umpires for the Tony Blair Tennis Challenge Cup, a competition for primary school children aged 10 and under in the North East. The former PM is a keen tennis...

News.
June 6, 2008... No, not a variant of the Eton Wall Game. This was a fine piece of trompe d'oeil created in Leeds' Millennium Square by Yorkshire Water in a bid to persuade locals to get out and enjoy the countryside. The water company has information on walks...

News.(water companies to keep record of all vulnerable customers so they can be given assistance if they need to be evacuated during a flood)
June 6, 2008... water 'Prepare to evacuate the vulnerable' Water companies should keep records of all vulnerable customers so they can be given assistance if they need to be evacuated during a flood, Ofwat has proposed in new guidelines on services...

ENERGYUtilities 'to see benefits data'.(Features)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... by Roger Milne The government and Ofgem have announced a series of initiatives and measures designed to help vulnerable customers and fuel-poor households cope with rising energy bills. Pensions minister Mike O'Brien said he would...

ENERGYGdF Suez deal inches towards completion.(Features)(Suez Group)(Gaz de France Deutschland GmbH)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... by Janet Wood The endgame is in sight for the long-awaited merger between French utility giants Suez and Gaz de France (GdF). The two companies said their boards of directors would meet soon to plan extraordinary general meetings at...

gasGrid must guarantee more capacity.(News)(National Grid Group PLC)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Ofgem has told National Grid Gas that it must guarantee a greater throughput of gas at Teesside and the Isle of Grain than those set out in the original price review. The move was forced on the regulator when it became apparent that its...

The new Silk Road?(Features)
June 6, 2008... How do we guarantee our natural gas resources through the 21st century? Keith Boyfield and Angus Miller look at the options Energy prices have soared remorselessly for some years now. To add to consumers' pain, experts predict that prices...

MULTI-UTILITYUtilities in northern Italy plan merger.(Features)(Iride)(Eniacqua Campania S.p.A.)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Italian municipal utilities Hera (Bologna), Iride (Turin) and Enia (Reggio Emilia) have signed an agreement to negotiate "a full industrial and corporate merger". A steering committee will start talks on the timing and structure of the...

Features.(Northern Ireland Electricity's environment minister, Arlene Foster, has rejected calls to set up an independent environment agency)
June 6, 2008... Methinks the lady doth protest too much Northern Ireland's environment minister, Arlene Foster, has rejected calls to set up an independent environment agency for the province along the lines of the two bodies established elsewhere in the...

ENERGYZero-carbon homes are 'key to microgen'.(News)
June 6, 2008... by Janet Wood Government plans to build "zero-carbon homes" will influence the take-up of microgeneration over the coming decade more than any other policy, according to a government report out this week. It also warned that the...

ELECTRICITYNIE says bills will climb by 14 per cent.(News)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... NIE Energy's domestic and business customers face an increase of 14 per cent in their electricity bills from 1 July, the supplier confirmed last week. NIE blamed escalating wholesale fuel prices. It said the cost of gas, coal and oil had...

Features.
June 6, 2008... WATER PAN UTILITY Summer festivals: are they a challenge for utilities and are they getting greener? PAN UTILITY What the new [pounds sterling]100,000 whistle-blowing incentive means to utilities PAN UTILITY How...

News.(Northern Ireland minister ditches agency proposal)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... ENVIRONMENT NI minister ditches agency proposal Northern Ireland's environment minister Arlene Foster has rejected calls to set up an independent environment agency for the province. A separate agency was the main recommendation...

Features.
June 6, 2008... ELECTRICITY Nuclear costs to double in a decade A sixth nuclear reactor could be built in Finland for less than [euro]4 billion, according to Finnish generator Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO). However, the company warned that the price...

ELECTRICITYWind deals clear way for offshore schemes.(News)(British Wind Energy Association signs deal with aviation organization)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... by Janet Wood The wind industry was expecting two announcements this week that would help clear the way for increased investment in new offshore projects. On Wednesday the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) was due to sign a...

ENERGYPrepay users lose out in tariff switches.(News)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Energy suppliers could be required to alert customers if they are switching to a more expensive energy deal. Such a change could cut the number of prepayment meter customers who switch to higher tariffs. The proposal came in an open letter...

waterCustomers must 'own' water industry.(News)
June 6, 2008... Customers must have a sense of ownership of the water industry and companies must communicate more with them, said Water UK chief executive Pamela Taylor. She was speaking at the group's Source 2008 meeting. Taylor drew attention to the...

News.(Industry Development Services scoops the business skills award for the gas industry)(an investigation into deaths at EDF Energy)(British Energy PLC opens nuclear power academy )
June 6, 2008... E3 Academy A partnership between industry and universities to boost numbers of engineering students was launched this month. The E3 Academy will provide a support package from industry to students recruited to Newcastle and Nottingham...

PAN-UTILITYCommons delays vote on IPC.(News)(Infrastructure Planning Commission )
June 6, 2008... by Roger Milne Uncertainty over the government's proposals for a new speedier planning regime for key national projects such as power stations, pipelines and water treatment plants is set to continue after ministers decided to delay final...

Ministers patch up Planning Bill.(Features)
June 6, 2008... It will be a busy week for MPs, with planning, energy prices and carbon capture all looming large MPs returned to Westminster after a week-long break and were pitched immediately into a political battle over the government's planning...

Live and let live.(Features)
June 6, 2008... Recent changes to wildlife legislation offer greater protection to animals and habitat - but they can cost unwary utilities dear, warns Roy Dyer April's amendments to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 were the latest in a series of...

GASRWE confirms plans to sell gas network.(Features)
June 6, 2008... by Simon Jones RWE has confirmed that it is in advanced talks with the European Commission about divesting its gas pipeline network. The German group's board has agreed to sell the 4,100km grid to settle a cartel case about its gas...

News.(sales and earnings of Scottish and Southern Energy PLC)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... ENERGY SSE ranks second in supplier league Scottish and Southern Electricity gained 700,000 new energy customers in the year to 31 March 2007. It ended the year as the UK's second-largest supplier, with 8.45 million customers. It...

Driving ambition.(Features)
June 6, 2008... The purchase of Airtricity has catapulted Scottish and Southern Energy on to the international stage, says Nigel Hawkins It has been a mixed past few weeks for the crame de la crame of Scotland's business community. On the negative side,...

WATERSevern Trent fine will be revealed in July.(News)
June 6, 2008... by Annabel Andrews Severn Trent Water was denied a chance to draw a line under criminal fraud charges when it appeared in court on Monday for sentencing. The case was adjourned until 1July because of time constraints. Severn Trent is...

ELECTRICITYTransformers to restore Nordic interconnector.(Features)(Energinet.dk)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Norwegian and Danish transmission system operators Statnett and Energinet.dk are to build two reserve transformers at a cost of [euro]12 million in a bid to stabilise the 500MW Skagerrak 3 interconnector between the two countries and reduce the...

Features.(soaring energy prices is a disaster for the strategy to eliminate fuel poverty in the UK)
June 6, 2008... The least we can do is help the poorest Soaring energy prices have been a disaster for the strategy to eliminate fuel poverty in the UK. A 50 per cent rise in household energy bills affects those on the lowest incomes the most, and the...

News.(Institution of Mechanical Engineers)(competition for schools for schools to design and build electric cars and then race each other)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Racing to recruit young engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has teamed up with Greenpower's electric car competition for schools in a bid to get students interested in engineering careers. The competition allows...

News.(price problems and supply security to UK's liquefied natural gas terminals )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... ENERGY MPs told lack of access risks supply Energy regulator Ofgem's failure to insist on third party access to the UK's liquefied natural gas terminals on the Isle of Grain and at Milford Haven poses price problems and supply security...

Features.
June 6, 2008... ELECTRICITY EDP floats its renewables subsidiary Electricite de Portugal subsidiary EDP Renovaveis has been valued at [euro]1.6 billion. Announcing a price of [euro]8 per share for its initial public offering, the company said the...

News.(Open University starts a return to science engineering and technology course)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Training for returners to engineering The Open University this month started a return to science engineering and technology course, aimed at helping people who have taken a career break get back into employment. The course replaces a...

AMT-Sybex launches hosted field force service.(Early Section)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Communicating with utility field workers using a third-party hosted application and leased devices will be a key future option in fieldforce mobilisation, according to consultancy AMT-Sybex. The company is working with enterprise mobility...

waterWater industry launches bogus caller campaign.(News)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... The water industry launched a national campaign this week to tackle distraction burglary. Bogus callers claim to be from a water company in half of such crimes. Companies have agreed a national protocol for staff visiting customers' homes,...

News.(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... LNG uncertainty Liquefied natural gas imports are the "biggest supply uncertainty" for the gas market in the coming winter, Ofgem said in its Winter Consultation Report. There was uncertainty about whether the Milford Haven and Grain...

ELECTRICITYBritish Energy not interested in 'low' bids.(News)(British Energy PLC)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Bids for British Energy have been declined by the company as too low, the company said in an update on Monday. The company said it had received "a range of proposals from several parties" but none was above the company's share price at...

ENVIRONMENTHumber can host CCS cluster'.(News)
June 13, 2008... by Janet Wood The UK should take on several carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects because it can take advantage of a cluster of carbon-emitting sites, pipeline expertise and offshore storage, the authors of a new study...

Big game hunter.(Features )(Charlie Cornish of United Utilities PLC)(Interview)
June 13, 2008... Steve Hobson talks to Charlie Cornish about targets and his new role as United Utilities' head of business development Like elephants, large utility outsourcing contracts come along rarely, so the successful hunter must be patient and an...

ENVIRONMENTKey carbon target decision by end of year.(News)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... The recently set up independent Climate Change Committee, chaired by Lord Adair, will report by the end of the year on whether the UK's carbon cuts target for 2050 should be toughened from 60 to 80 per cent. Environment minister Phil...

Features.(Parliament committee backs unbundling)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Parliament committee backs unbundling EU ministers were urged to back the European Commission compromise over unbundling gas networks in a last-minute vote of the European Parliament industry committee. One day before the crucial Council of...

ENERGYEC's unbundling plans diluted.(Features)
June 13, 2008... by Janet Wood European energy ministers have accepted the principle of the independent operation of energy networks across the continent, but after eight hours of talks last Friday they struck a deal that fell short of the European...

ELECTRICITYOffshore wind tender expected next spring.(News)
June 13, 2008... by Janet Wood Companies will be invited next year to bid for the right to build windfarms with a total capacity of up to 25GW in 11 "development zones" identified by the Crown Estate. The government landowner said it expected to invite...

Better safe than sorry.(Early Section)
June 13, 2008... Without a current international or European standard on cyber security, many European utility companies are adopting the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards developed by the North America Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC),...

PAN-UTILITYDebt law may limit utilities' options.(News)
June 13, 2008... Utilities have been warned that they must prepare for new legislation on dealing with debtors or they will find their freedom of action limited. Claire Sandbrook, chief executive of enforcement and legal services company Shergroup, said...

News.(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Powering up: Last weekend an 11 tonne, 11 metre-long steel Archimedes screw was hoisted into place in the River Goyt where it runs through the Derbyshire village of New Mills. Later this year the German-manufactured screw should be helping...

Features.(Calendar)
June 13, 2008... THE 16-17 June The Emergency Planning Society annual conference and exhibition, Torquay 17-18 June Global water leakage summit organised by London Business Conferences, London 18 June SBGI energy prices...

News.(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Trail blazers: teams of walkers last weekend (7 June) made a bid to simultaneously conquer the summits of the UK's 100 most popular mountains to raise money for and awareness of charity WaterAid. Of the 2,000 walkers taking part, around 100...

ELECTRICITYOperators want dispatch flexibility.(Features)
June 13, 2008... European transmission system operator lobby group Etso says the draft directive on renewable energy should be amended to water down the requirement for system operators to give priority access to renewable generation. The operators, from...

ELECTRICITYDefra faces Ecotricity legal action.(News)
June 13, 2008... Wind generator Ecotricity has begun legal proceedings against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, claiming that its funding of Carbon Trust subsidiary Partnership for Renewables (PfR) amounts to state aid. It said it was...

News.(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must implement the European Nitrates Directive)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... water UK must implement flawed directive A group of MPs has said that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) must implement the European Nitrates Directive even though it is "flawed". The Environment, Food...

Who turned off the lights?(News)
June 13, 2008... Five years ago serious power cuts in London and the west Midlands, which together left nearly three-quarters of a million customers off supply and disrupted rail and underground services, prompted serious questions about the resilience of the...

News.
June 13, 2008... Well, I'll be blowed: this picture proves the old adage that where there's muck there's brass, metaphorically and literally. Yorkshire Water is sponsoring the Yorkshire Co-op Brass Band (shown here at the company's Esholt wastewater treatment...

Glastonbury unplugged.(Features)
June 13, 2008... Roger Milne gets the low-down on how Glastonbury Festival fulfils its utility needs It's that time of the year when it seems that half the population of the country is either about to go to one, returning from one or recovering from a mud...

News.(annual water consumption of the average family causes carbon emissions equivalent to two transatlantic flights)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... The annual water consumption of the average family causes carbon emissions equivalent to two transatlantic flights, according to figures released by Waterwise. The average family emits 2.77 tonnes of carbon each year through their water use....

Features.(Floating Power Plant tests platform equipped to extract energy from waves and provide a support structure for wind turbines)
June 13, 2008... Floating Power Plant (FPP) is preparing to test a platform equipped to extract energy from waves and provide a support structure for wind turbines. FPP is building a pilot-scale plant in Nakskov harbour, Denmark. When completed, it will be...

Platform ticket to success.(Early Section)
June 13, 2008... Steve Hobson explains how rather than be driven by IT, Northern Gas Networks pulled 120 people out of the business and asked them what they wanted from a new gas distribution network solution The winner of last year's IT Initiative of the...

Features.(Hungary told to abolish illegal power purchase agreements )(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... ELECTRICITY Hungary told to abolish illegal PPAs The European Commission has ordered Hungary to abolish all long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) within six months. It has also told the Hungarian government to recover all state...

Features.(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... ELECTRICITY French hydro rule 'unlawful', says EC The European Commission is to challenge in the European Court of Justice the way France allocates hydro electric power concessions. At present, France gives preference to existing...

ENVIRONMENTZero-carbon power needed to meet target.(Features)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... by Roger Milne Halving global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 will require the virtual decarbonisation of generation, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report produced last week in advance of a meeting of energy ministers...

Early Section.
June 13, 2008... SOA what? Service oriented architecture - or SOA - may mean different things to different people, but most agree it is the way ahead for business software development. Instead of cumbersome, complex and costly bespoke ERP and CRM...

More than mapping.(Early Section)
June 13, 2008... Geographic information systems can do much more than just map assets, say Anirban Acharya and Richard Kaufholz Traditionally, utilities have invested heavily in IT that addresses separate business needs in isolation, or within small common...

PAN-UTILITYItaly in the dock over environment.(Features)(legal action against Italy for three infringements of environmental legislation)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... The European Commission has started legal action against Italy for three infringements of environmental legislation. The Commission has sent a final written warning about water abstraction from the River Trebbia. Limits on abstraction...

New sofware promises to give an insight into scheduled work.(Early Section)(Symon )(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Symology has launched Insight 2.5, a streetworks register that allows utilities and highways authorities to record notices of intended works and share them electronically. Based on Ordnance Survey's latest OS MasterMap mapping data, it has...

Features.(Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform writes to all chief executives of electricity distribution companies about substation resilience in the face of climate change)
June 13, 2008... Reinforce against floods sooner rather than later The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has recently written to all the chief executives of electricity distribution companies about substation resilience in the face...

ELECTRICITYLithuania favourite for Sweden link.(Features)(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... The latest intergovernmental talks indicate that Sweden favours the construction of a subsea electricity interconnector with Lithuania rather than Latvia, Lithuania's prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas told the Lithuanian parliament on 3June....

Weighing the options.(Features)
June 13, 2008... With financial gloom mounting, marketers are going to be under pressure to cut costs . Jonathan DeCarteret says postage is a good place to start In the past, customer loyalty has been largely a matter of habit. But in today's competitive...

Features.(utilities can deliver sustainable and affordable energy in the years to come )(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... FUTURE ENERGY SCENARIOS How utilities can deliver sustainable and affordable energy in the years to come lNuclear power divides opinion. Accenture reveals the results of new research that asks what the public really thinks lWhere...