Utility Week articles from May 2004

Utility Week archives from May 2004

TELECOMS; Nordic 3G new entrant gets e200m loan.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The European Investment Bank (EIB) has lent e197.5 million to Scandinavian third generation mobile telecoms project Hi3G, saying it was 'one of the first stand-alone UMTS networks to be developed in Europe by a new entrant'. The...

ELECTRICITY; Generators furious at loss of Atlantic deals.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Trevor Dooley Generators this week were angry after losing long-term contracts with supplier Atlantic Electric and Gas through the terms of its sale to Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) last week. According to a source close to the...

On a roll.(broadcasting companies planning for financial recovery)
May 7, 2004... There is no doubt that cable companies are on the road to substantial financial and operational recovery, but that they are still businesses overly constrained by their balance sheets, and where US capital interests rather than UK consumer...

PAN-UTILITY; Unison claims staff checks are 'invasive'.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Unison Scotland has complained of levels of 'invasive' surveillance by managers on staff in Scotland's call centres. A survey by the trade union into the nature and extent of monitoring of call centre staff has revealed that 67 per cent of...

WATER; Hong Kong group punts in with [pounds sterling]51m for Cambridge.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... One international player entered and another left the British water sector last week when Hong Kong-based multi-national Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI) bought Cambridge Water from Spanish utility Union Fenosa for [pounds...

TELECOMS; Ousting mobile chief may hit Cesky's value.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Mark Andress Cesky Telecom's supervisory board last week approved the dismissal of Terrence Valeski, the chief executive of its wholly-owned mobile arm Eurotel, sparking fears that the dominant Czech operator's value will drop ahead of...

PAN-UTILITY; Utilities trail the field on customer focus.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Karma Ockenden Energy and water utilities and telecoms are the least customer-focused business sectors, according to a survey from Pitney Bowes. The marketing and document company evaluated energy and water utilities, telecoms...

eNERGY; UK teams up on energy saving plans.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Joint partnerships by the UK, US and Germany to promote sustainable and affordable energy services in the developed and developing world have been launched after deals struck last week in New York. The US has signed up to the UK's Renewable...

WATER; Diffuse consultation delayed to June.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The government's long-awaited consultation on diffuse pollution will not make an appearance until June, Utility Week has learned. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was expected to make a statement on Wednesday after...

ENVIRONMENT; Emission trade exchange for Europe debut.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Energy exchange operator the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) has teamed up with USinternational emissions trading marketplace Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) to launch an electronic exchange for European Union emissions trading permits....

ENERGY; Endesa generates growth.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Investors gave a thumbs-up to first quarter results from Spain's leading energy company Endesa this week. The group's domestic operation was the main growth driver, which was in turn boosted by its generation performance. Earnings before...

High-energy dancing sort of.(industry news and humor)
May 7, 2004... Have energy suppliers been missing a trick? With margins so tight these days, perhaps they should be listening to the Mad Dionysian Magical Anarchists. The group put out an email on the eve of May Day alerting us to a turn-out at St...

TELECOMS; Merger to cut state stake in France Telecom.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... State-controlled telecoms operator France Telecom is to merge with its internet division Wanadoo, cutting the government's stake in France Telecom from 56 per cent to 52.5 per cent. Chief executive Thierry Breton said France Telecom had...

ENERGY.(Finland's National Competition Authority)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Finland probes Fortum's ambitions Finland's National Competition Authority (NCA) has asked energy company Fortum for additional information on its 'growth ambitions in Norway'. The NCA initiative was triggered by rumours in the energy...

gas; Three bidders shortlisted for Galp.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The Portuguese government has shortlisted four bidders for its 33 per cent stake in energy company Galp, a company spokeswoman has confirmed. The invited bidders are international investment funds Carlyle Group (through Luso-oil) and CVC...

WATER; Watchdog warns of price protests.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The water industry should be prepared for a backlash from customers if, as widely expected, it announces plans for price increases today (Friday), said consumer body WaterVoice. WaterVoice said water companies' final business plans could...

The story remains the same.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Weary water industry press officers must have raised a smile when they turned to this week's issue of the satirical magazine Private Eye. Only last week the Daily Mail carried a front page splash trying to link chlorine in tap water with...

Clever forecast.
May 7, 2004... Conventional asset management tends to be reactive, sporadic and has a limited learning curve. This has certainly been true in the utility industry. The reality for many businesses is that they have continued to make the same mistakes time and...

TELECOMS; Kingston sells satellite arm in refocus move.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... TELECOMS Kingston sells satellite arm in refocus move Hull-based telecoms company Kingston Communications has sold its satellite and broadcasting arm Kingston Inmedia to private equity company the Carlyle Group for [pounds sterling]34...

WATER; No Kodak click for Anglian.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Photography company Kodak wants to ditch its switch to Anglian Water and return to Three Valleys Water. The Harrow site left incumbent Three Valleys in April 2000 in favour of a cross-border supply, known as an inset appointment, from...

ELECTRICITY; Sweden plans Nordic link-up investment.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Swedish transmission system operator Svenska Kraftnat has confirmed plans to invest between e400 million and e420 million to expand the national grid system by building new power lines dedicated to reducing bottlenecks in the transmission...

Out of the shadows.(Conservative shadow energy minister Laurence Robertson)
May 7, 2004... Laurence Robertson MP, the son of a miner, is currently energy minister Stephen Timms' Conservative shadow. In the past 18 months, Her Majesty's loyal opposition has been fairly profligate on this front; right-winger Robertson is the third to...

Think big, think small.(MicroPower 2004; small-scale electricity generation)
May 7, 2004... Last week's MicroPower 2004 conference, co-organised with Elsevier, brought into sharp focus the importance of small-scale electricity generation. Proponents of small-scale generation - be it micro-CHP, wind or fuel cells - attended the event...

WATER; Mayor bid to avert streetwork chaos.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has set up a task force to avert streetworks chaos ahead of major leak-curbing and network extension work on the capital's water mains. Thames Water aims to begin a huge programme of mains replacement in the...

ENERGY; MVV set to win race for Kiel stake.(Stadtwerke Kiel)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... MVV Energie was set this week to win the 51 per cent stake in Stadtwerke Kiel owned by insolvent group TXU Europe. The Mannheim supplier's only rival for control of the north German city's municipal energy supplier was Australian group...

TELECOMS; BT cuts broadband charges.
May 7, 2004... by Zoe Grainge BT has slashed the fees it charges rival suppliers to migrate between broadband technologies after communications regulator Ofcom slammed the fixed-line incumbent for creating an obstacle to fair competition. In the...

Power firms cut pollution.
May 7, 2004... Over the past two decades the European electricity industry has reduced its emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides considerably, a new report from trade body Eurelectric has revealed. The figures showed that although electricity...

ENERGY; Coal plant set to win carbon concessions.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Roger Milne Speculation mounted this week that operators of coal-fired power stations had won a key concession in the national plan for dividing emission permits between UK installations covered by the European Union's Emissions Trading...

Vattenfall.(Vattenfall AB)
May 7, 2004... by Zoe Grainge After a period of extensive acquisition, Swedish power group Vattenfall is concentrating on growth. In its 2003 results, return on equity was 20.2 per cent, and the company said its operations were generating a strong...

ELECTRICITY; Offshore wind plans threaten ship safety.
May 7, 2004... by Roger Milne Ministers have promised Parliament that offshore wind-farms that threaten ship safety or navigation will not get the go-ahead, after shipping interests warned that some sites posed risks. Proposals from the first and...

ENVIRONMENT; e80bn.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... green bill for joining the EU The European Union accession states will have to spend up to e80 billion to comply with environmental legislation, the European Commission has warned. The Commission said the ten states that joined the EU...

TELECOMS; Ofcom probes mis-selling as gripes grow.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Communications regulator Ofcom has launched a probe into the effectiveness of safeguards for consumers against mis-selling of fixed-line telecoms services. The move followed a call in March by the Public Accounts Committee for Ofcom to...

PAN-UTILITY; Contractor performance key to utility PFIsuccess.(Private Finance Initiative )(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Management of contractors and sub-contractors is key to utilities' success in Private Finance Initiative (PFI)and Public/ Private Partnership (PPP)projects, according to the Treasury. Writing in Standard & Poor's (S&P)2004 Global Credit...

ELECTRICITY; Security tops table of power issues.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Nine out of ten European power companies expect blackouts to be a regular occurrence as security of supply emerged as the top concern of the energy sector worldwide, according to a survey by consultancy Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). PwC...

Restoring water to a thirsty people.
May 7, 2004... An Ofwat executive is back at his desk after returning from Iraq, where he spent six months with regular and reserve British Army personnel, helping to rebuild the country's shattered infrastructure. Water engineer George Butler, head of...

Blair champions climate change.
May 7, 2004... Last week the prime minister reminded anyone who cared to listen that climate change caused by global warming is 'the single most important issue that we face as a global community'. He stressed that Britain remained committed to the Kyoto...

ENERGY; Price rises may thwart fuel poor plan.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Rising energy prices are threatening the progress made in eradicating fuel poverty, a key campaigning charity in the sector warned last week. According to the latest government figures, just published, the number of fuel poor households in...

Off the prowl.(electricity major-RWE AG)
May 7, 2004... It is somewhat ironic that RWE's best known UK brand is Npower, famous for its sponsorship of cricket, a sport in which the modest German team is unlikely to ever prevail over its English counterpart. Important though Npower and its UK...

WATER; Climate right for reservoirs.
May 7, 2004... by Karma Ockenden An extensive reservoir building programme is necessary to cope with the effects of climate change, according to the water industry and civil engineers. Research has predicted wetter winters with more frequent extreme...

Safe as ; houses?(Office of water services (OFWAT))
May 7, 2004... Figures from water regulator Ofwat state that around 5,000-7,000 properties each year are flooded internally by sewage and that there might be three times that number of external floods (some companies estimate the level of external flooding at...

WATER; Brussels mulls over revamped Spanish plan.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The European Commission was due to meet the Spanish government as Utility Week went to press about how the European Union might support the funding of a pared down - but still controversial - Spanish National Hydrological Plan. An...

multi-utility; Suez strategy ups Q1 sales.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... First quarter revenues at French multi-utility giant Suez have survived intact despite a debt-slashing disposal strategy. The company reported revenues up slightly by 1.7 per cent for the three months to 31 March 2004 to e10.3 billion. ...

ENVIRONMENT; Swedes strike carbon deal.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Sweden's Socialist coalition government has reached a 'cross-party agreement' with the opposition Left and Green parties on new national carbon dioxide emissions quotas. Under the agreement, 500 Swedish companies will share total emissions...

ELECTRICITY; Swedes unsure about nuclear ban.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The Swedish government has come under increasing pressure from business and pro-industry opposition parties to abandon its controversial policy to phase-out nuclear power generation in the country by 2020. A poll conducted by the...

ELECTRICITY; Swiss carry can for Italian blackout.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A report by European electricity grid operators' association UCTE has blamed the Swiss authorities for last September's near-nationwide blackout in Italy. The report, drawn up by a committee of experts from nine UCTE-member states, found...

TELECOMS; Thus outstrips City forecasts.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Business sector telecoms provider Thus reported end-of-year results way ahead of City forecasts this week. Underlying earnings were up 61 per cent to [pounds sterling]3.6 million on sales up 14 per cent to [pounds sterling]332 million. Thus...

ELECTRICITY; Sector calls for wires fees harmonisation.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Keith Nuthall Greater harmonisation of European Union power tariffs and network access charges is crucial should governments wish to encourage the building of power plants close to consumers, according to a report by EU power sector...

ENERGY; Vattenfall pledges to up German growth.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... by Gerard O'Dwyer and Simon Jones Swedish energy group Vattenfall has said it anticipates a 'resurgence' in its investment in Germany after the German government issued a revised National Allocation Plan (NAP) on emissions. In...

WATER; Environment experts criticise 'low profile' of efficiency.(Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Some parts of Britain are drier than the Middle East yet water efficiency has a low priority, according to a report from an international environmental body. The Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) was highly...

ONE.(Interview)
May 7, 2004... minute interview Name Marie-Pierre Whaley Age 44 Company Northumbrian Water Job title Technical strategy and support manager career history Fluid Mechanics PhD, R&D engineer, project manager...

April fuels.(electricity prices and future tender rounds)
May 14, 2004... Once again, consumers had to stomach increases in their power contract prices in the April tender round. Wholesale market increases throughout the summer of 2003 (25 per cent from the beginning of April to the end of September 2003) and...

WATER; Planning rules call on supply for new homes.(water infrastructure )(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Whitehall has for the first time explicitly called for planning guidance to be changed to ensure water infrastructure is provided for major new housing proposals. At issue were plans from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the...

ENERGY; Government keeps nuclear sale veto.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... The government has held on to special powers over British Energy as it gave up similar rights over four other energy companies, in line with European laws against 'golden shares'. The government redeemed special shares in National Grid...

TELECOMS; Ofcom delays on BT tariff measures.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Communications regulator Ofcom has delayed by another week its ruling on BT's changes to its residential fixed-line tariffs. A decision on interim measures to halt the changes had initially been expected by the end of April. BTsparked fury...

eLECTRICITY; Watchdog raps ministers for biomass 'failures'.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Government failure to support biomass as a source of energy was criticised this week by an environmental watchdog which called for a new renewable heat obligation to kick-start the sector. The call from the Royal Commission on Environmental...

GAS; Bord Gais revenue strong but capex takes its toll.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Republic of Ireland state-owned gas company Bord Gais held up well against growing competition with increased sales for the year to 31 December 2003, but capital expenditure took its toll on pre-tax profit. Group pre-tax profit fell 9 per...

WATER; Debt looms as bills are revised down and capex rises.
May 14, 2004... by Karma Ockenden The prospect of more debt and rights issues loomed large for the water sector last week when companies asked for lower price rises for 2005-10 than envisaged last August, despite an enlarged capital programme. ...

Where there's a will.
May 14, 2004... All utilities have enormous customer databases, but to extract value from them companies must first be able to extract understanding from the data, and then be able to act on this understanding. To do this, utilities need to construct a data...

ELECTRICITY; Nuclear sites in line for easier re-use.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... The re-use of former licensed nuclear sites is set to become easier as the nuclear safety watchdog spelled out the conditions for removing safeguards in a consultation on its delicensing regime. Nuclear sites have been delicensed in the...

WATER; MPs rubbish Defra for diffuse pollution delay.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... by Karma Ockenden A parliamentary committee has accused the government of adding to water bills by delaying its decision on diffuse pollution. The Environmental Audit Committee demanded a timetable on tackling diffuse pollution from...

ELECTRICITY; Dutch to axe transmission charges.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... The Dutch Office of Energy Regulation (DTe)has opted to end access fees on electricity companies for using the country's power grids. The controversial charge was introduced in 2000 to help meet the costs of operating the national grid....

ENERGY; Generation lift boosts EDP.(Electricidad de Portugal)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Generation boosted Portugal's power sector leader, Electricidad de Portugal (EDP),in the first three months of 2004. First quarter earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) for the group were up 16 per cent to...

States of the art.
May 14, 2004... The European Union welcomed ten new member states on 1 May. This new wave of enlargement is one of the most important and challenging developments for the EU in the 21st century. It is an historic task to further the integration of the...

ELECTRICITY; Yorkshire fined [pounds sterling]88k for fatality on power line.(Yorkshire Electricity Group PLC)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... A power distributor was fined [pounds sterling]60,000 plus costs last week by Hull Crown Court after admitting safety failures which resulted in the electrocution of a linesman. Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Services had admitted one...

GAS; Industry slams Enagas for delay in reserves warning.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Spain's energy watchdog CNE and top power utilities have slammed gas distributor Enagas for failing to inform the government about rising gas shortages. Late last month Enagas urged Spanish companies to increase their gas reserves, saying...

ELECTRICITY; Carbon trade will put 40% on power prices.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... by Roger Milne Emissions trading will drive up electricity prices in the European Union (EU) by between 10 and 40 per cent by the end of the decade, a top economics and financial analyst has warned. The forecast, which identified the...

Nuclear clean-up - with brains.(Intelligent nuclear clean up)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 14, 2004... What's in a name? Disconnector muses thus on learning that the British Nuclear Group has been launched, part of the 'rump' of the BNFL Group. The 'new' outfit is one of the four entities that will make up BNFL once it is shorn of most of...

WATER; Commission calls for action plan on floods.
May 14, 2004... by Karma Ockenden The European Commission has set the wheels in motion for a new policy on flooding. The Commission is looking at developing an 'action plan' and guidance paper to prevent flooding in member countries and to ensure...

GAS; GDF lays down plans for expansion in Italy.(Gaz de France)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... by Simon Jones France's state-owned gas supplier Gaz de France (GDF) has outlined plans for a major expansion of its gas and electricity operations in Italy. Claudio Brizi, head of GDF's Italian operations, said it aimed to expand...

ELECTRICITY; Int Power laid low by US problems.(International Power PLC)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Damage from low US prices was in part offset by gains in Europe and Australia at generator International Power. Presenting figures for the first three months of 2004, the group reported losses before interest and tax of [pounds sterling]4...

Water shares surge.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Water company shares put on a spurt last week, amid expectations that Ofwat will sanction a surge in water bills next year. United Utilities gained 12.5p, rising to 561p on Friday as it, along with companies such as Severn Trent and Pennon,...

Good value for money.(water utility prices)
May 14, 2004... Water company business plans for the next five years have been published and the extent of the impending price increases we face is now much clearer. The fact that prices have to go up has long been flagged up and will surprise few people. What...

pan-utility; Peers urge extra watchdog scrutiny.
May 14, 2004... Peers last week urged greater Parliamentary scrutiny of regulation and said companies should be given more opportunity to challenge the decisions of watchdogs. The calls came as a Lords' committee warned of regulators' influence drifting beyond...

GAS; Marathon access case crosses tape.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... The European Commission has closed a long-running gas network access case involving the Norwegian subsidiary of American gas producer Marathon, after negotiations stretching back to the 1990's. The deal, involving French and German gas...

ENERGY; Centrica feels the heat as customers quit.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Energy giant Centrica admitted this week that recent rises in domestic gas prices had increased customer churn. Retail arm British Gas lost 220,000 customers in the first four months of the year, a higher rate of loss than expected. The...

ENERGY; MicroGen puts off CHP rollout.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... MicroGen, the BG Group subsidiary aiming to sell household combined heat and power generators in the UK and Europe, has this week revised its rollout plans. Its wall-mounted system is now unlikely to be commercially available before Easter...

TELECOMS; Mobile telecoms is 'as big as oil and gas'.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... by Zoe Grainge The mobile telecoms industry contributes as much to the British economy as the oil and gas extraction sector. And productivity among its staff is three times the national average, according to the Centre for Economic and...

British Gas exodus slowing.
May 14, 2004... The rate of erosion of British Gas's domestic customer base has slowed down, according to the latest competition review compiled by energy regulator Ofgem. Five years ago, British Gas's market share was around 84 per cent. Between...

TELECOMS; Home-grown hit at Spain's Moviles.(Telefonica Moviles)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Spain's biggest mobile telecoms operator, Telefonica Moviles, reported first-quarter results boosted by customer additions and increased revenue in its domestic market. Telefonica-owned Moviles said operating revenues were up 20.2 per cent...

Endesa.
May 14, 2004... by Trevor Dooley Spain's leading energy company, Endesa, is in the second year of a debt-reduction programme, having taken on heavy borrowings to finance major capital expenditure at home and to prop up its stricken ventures in Latin...

WATER; Ulster may opt for charging through meters.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Water metering is back on Northern Ireland's agenda as a way of charging customers for supplies when bills are introduced as part of the wholesale reform of the Water Service. The public was deemed to be opposed to metering before charging...

TELECOMS; Restructured NTL makes first ever operating profit.(NTL Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Britain's largest cable company, NTL, has posted its first operating profit, [pounds sterling]2.2 million for the first quarter of 2004, completing 12 months of radical restructuring. In the same period in 2003 it made a loss of [pounds...

ELECTRICITY; Bulgaria plans to build new nuclear plant.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Bulgaria has announced plans to build a second nuclear power plant to replace the outdated Kozloduy power station, which the European Union insisted should be closed by 2006. Construction will take place at Belene in northern Bulgaria where...

GAS; OMV expands Gazprom supply deals.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2004... Austrian conglomerate OMV has expanded and modernised the gas supply contracts it has with Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest gas company. The new deal struck between OMV's retail arm, Erdgas, and Gazexport, the energy giant's...