Utility Week articles from May 2005

Utility Week archives from May 2005

ELECTRICITY ; Spanish spot market soars up 70 per cent.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Power prices in Spain's spot or 'pool' electricity market have soared by as much as 70 per cent since the beginning of 2005, according to the Asociacion de Comerciantes Independientes de Electricidad (ACIE), a group representing small...

TELECOMS; Merrill hired to get top price for Auna.(Merrill Lynch and Company Inc.)(Auna Telecomunicaciones S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The bidding war for Spanish telecoms company Auna is set to intensify after its shareholders, Endesa, Santander Central Hispano bank, and Union Fenosa, hired bank Merrill Lynch to secure the best deal. SCH and Endesa own about 32 per cent...

TELECOMS; BT selects suppliers for [pounds sterling]10bn 21st Century deal.(British Telecommunications PLC new telecoms network)(internet protocol technology)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... BT last week announced the selection of its preferred suppliers for the build out of its [pounds sterling]10 billion next-generation network, signalling a new start for infrastructure investment in telecoms. The company shortlisted eight...

eNERGY; Labour pledges training push.(apprenticeship scheme of British Gas )
May 6, 2005... by Roger Milne British Gas has announced plans to recruit more than 1,200 trainee domestic gas engineers, plumbers and electricians in 2005. The news came as chancellor Gordon Brown and education secretary Ruth Kelly visited the company's...

ELECTRICITY; CEZ sale delayed 'until after 2006'.(CEZ A.S. privatization)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The Czech Republic's new prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, said his government would not privatise dominant power company CEZ before its term ends in 14 months. According to Paroubek, appointed on 25 April, CEZ's sale would be left to the...

TELECOMS; Prague trial for Net connection via sockets.(internet connection through electricity sockets scheme by Prazska energetika )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Czech electricity company Prazska energetika is to launch a pilot scheme offering internet connection through electricity sockets. The scheme, known as "powerline" technology, would be the first of its kind in Eastern Europe. "It is...

GAS; Enagas says government needs to tackle gas tariffs.(Empresa Nacional del Gas S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Spain could face gas supply problems if the government does not intervene and raise industrial retail tariffs, Antonio Gonzalez Adalid, chairman of gas transporter Enagas said last week. Adalid said if the price problem was not addressed...

ENERGY; Suppliers top savings target.(Energy suppliers energy saving measures)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Energy suppliers significantly increased their delivery of energy saving measures during the final three months of the first three-year phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) scheme, energy regulator Ofgem has announced. According...

ENVIRONMENT; Italian carbon trading postponed until June.(Emissions Trading scheme)(National Allocation Plan revision )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Roger Milne Italian generators can expect weeks of uncertainty over their carbon allowances under the European Union's Emissions Trading scheme (ETS), it has emerged. The European Commission has signalled that it will not be in a...

Flying power stations or hot air?(flying electricity generators to prevent global warming)
May 6, 2005... Disconnector is not sure whether this was a late report of an April Fool's, but apparently a boffin at an Australian university is hoping to build a flying power station. What's involved is a flying wind turbine. Professor Bryan Roberts,...

TELECOMS; France Telecom revenues inch up by a notch.(France Telecom S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Dominant French telecoms operator France Telecom revealed near-flat year-on-year revenues for the first quarter of 2005 at e11.6 billion. The increase was just 1 per cent on the same quarter of 2004. France Telecom has struggled in its core...

GAS; Long-term capacity auction sells out.(Transco auction )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Transco last week sold all the capacity offered in its auction of long-term liquified natural gas storage. It got an average price of 58.9p/therm for the years 2006/07 and 2007/08. Three out of six bidders were successful, taking 6 million...

GAS; Ofgem puts pressure on incentives regime.(Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)(incentive schemes for gas distribution networks)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Roger Milne The gas industry has been given four weeks to comment on Ofgem's final proposals for the scope, form and duration of the interim incentive schemes for both the National Transmission System (NTS) and the local gas...

MULTI-UTILITY ; Gelsenwasser sales boosted by generation.(Gelsenwasser AG)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... German multi-utility Gelsenwasser increased turnover 9 per cent to E405.6 million in 2004, due to increased demand from power plants. Profit at Germany's biggest private water supplier fell nearly E3 million to E70.2 million year on year....

ENERGY; Legal battle looms for German energy law.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Zoe Grainge Germany's federal states have threatened to challenge the country's proposed Energy Bill in the Federal Constitutional Court, as opposition mounts to the new powers of regulator RegTP. Announcing the move at a German...

GAS; Pipeline plan for Ionian Sea.(natural gas pipeline)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Greek gas supplier DEPA and Italian energy giant Edison have signalled moves to co-operate on building a 220km natural gas pipeline under the Ionian Sea. The submarine link is expected to cost e350 million while a further e600 million will...

PAN-UTILITY; Ken calls on London to lighten up.(sustainable buildings with renewable energy )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... London mayor Ken Livingstone has spelt out plans to make the new buildings in the capital sustainable and ready for the anticipated hydrogen economy. His office's draft Supplementary Planning Guidance specifies that on-site renewable...

ELECTRICITY; Night power price guarantee to end.(extra electricity at night has advantage on energy costs)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The Republic of Ireland energy regulator has said that night time "spill" and capacity payments should be scrapped because they create an extra revenue stream for electricity companies, reduce generation efficiency and offer arbitrage...

PAN-UTILITY ; Top brass backing Utility Week skills campaign.(public funding for apprenticeships in utility sector)
May 6, 2005... Executives from three of the UK's leading utilities have urged the government and the industry to support Utility Week's campaign on skills shortages. Bill Alexander, chief executive of RWE Thames Water, Bob Taylor, managing director of...

Mind the gap.(business privatization and investment returns in utility sector)
May 6, 2005... This week sees the launch of Utility Week's Solve the Skills Crisis campaign, which aims to address one of the biggest issues currently facing utilities. The great privatisation experiment with the UK's utilities just over ten years ago...

Wales has lowest power use.(domestic electricity consumption in United Kingdom)
May 6, 2005... Part of Wales has been identified as having the lowest average domestic electricity consumption in the UK, according to statisticians from the Department of Trade and Industry. The accolade goes to Blaenau Gwent, which logged 3,369kWh. For...

ENVIRONMENT; Heat is on for climate change.(Emissions Trading Scheme)
May 6, 2005... What are the key energy issues facing the The review of the UK's climate change strategy, due to be completed later this year, will be near the top of the in-trays of the incoming energy minister and the environment secretary. That...

ENERGY; Norsk sounds production warning.(Norsk Hydro production and profit reports)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Despite record-breaking first quarter results, Norway's Norsk Hydro has warned that continuing high volatility in the gas and power markets, together with planned maintenance shutdowns, could hit the group over the next two quarters. The...

TELECOMS; Consumer champion will focus on access.(Office of Communications duties)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Zoe Grainge Ofcom's Consumer Panel last week warned that the row over the universal service obligation on BT would "loom large" over the coming year. The obligation forces BT to provide nationwide access to voice services. In its...

Roadworks law will create a pile up.(Traffic Management Act has financial impact on water businesses)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... More than four out of five utility players have predicted that the Traffic Management Act will damage business. The same number said the cost of permits and notices was at the top of their list of concerns. The forecasts emerged from a...

WATER; Roadworks laws may mean water bills rise.(Traffic Management Act 2004 roadworks permit hikes water bills)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Steve Hobson and Trevor Loveday Water regulator Ofwat has warned that the permits system for roadworks under the Traffic Management Act 2004 could push up average household water bills by [pounds sterling]6-7 a year. The figure...

ELECTRICITY; Danish grid ready for big upsurge in wind power.(grid integration for cogeneration )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A report last week by Danish transmission system operator Elkraft claimed only minor investments and upgrades to the national grid system were needed to deal with the projected big increase in generation from offshore and onshore windfarms. ...

ENERGY; Vattenfall told to raise renewables output.(Vattenfall AB)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... by Gerard O'Dwyer Swedish state-owned energy utility Vattenfall will be required to increase significantly its investments in renewable energy generation following a directive issued by the government through the Ministry of Environment....

ELECTRICITY; Verbund quits EnergieAllianz supply deal.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Leading Austrian electricity supplier Verbund has abandoned EnergieAllianz, the proposed tie-up with five other regional suppliers. Verbund said altered market conditions and regulatory problems meant the "Austrian power solution" was no...

BT the villain in the Marconi piece.(British Telecommunications PLC)(Marconi Communications)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The ruthless law of the market that the lowest price rules over any last vestiges of "Buy British" sentiment among UK utilities was highlighted again with BT's failure to award Marconi a single contract in its [pounds sterling]10 billion...

WATER; Thames fined [pounds sterling]60,000 over pollution.(Thames Water PLC.)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Thames Water has been fined [pounds sterling]60,000 as a result of a blockage at one of its sewage treatment works, which caused raw sewage to pollute an Oxfordshire brook, killing an estimated 12,000 fish. The case, brought by the...

WATER; War of words over NI jobs.(Northern Ireland)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The Northern Ireland government has rejected accusations that it wasted [pounds sterling]175,000 on a campaign to recruit senior managers for the province's water agency, due to become a government-owned company next year. A spokesman for...

PAN-UTILITY; Water tops list of bill paying slow down.(water sector delays bill payment)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The water industry showed the greatest increase in the time it takes to pay its bills in a recent survey of UK companies. According to the findings of a study by consultancy Experian, UK businesses take the longest to pay their bills since...

ONE.(Clive Steeper interview)(AVASST Management Consultancy )(Interview)
May 6, 2005... minute interview Name Clive Steeper Age 50 Company AVASST Job title Director with responsibility for providing interim management, coaching and business & personal development support career...

Power prices top [pounds sterling]40/MWh.
May 13, 2005... Annual electricity prices breached [pounds sterling]40/MWh for the first time at the end of April. But prices only momentarily managed to stay above this psychologically significant level before a correction in general energy and emissions...

ENERGY; Billing failure 'staggering'.(billing standards for energy supply)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The absence of regulatory performance targets for power billing is "staggering", according to a leading management consultant. In a submission to a consultation on billing standards to Ofgem, Asprien chief executive Chris Knighton warned:...

GAS; BGfirst quarter meets forecast.(BG Group PLC)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... BG Group profits for the first three months of 2005 came in close to analysts' forecasts but its core exploration and production operating profit fell short of expectations. The group - often named as a takeover target for the oil majors -...

TELECOMS; BT's revenues will feel the pressure in fourth quarter.
May 13, 2005... BT's fourth quarter 2004 results will show declines in calls and line revenues as the telecoms giant faces a "shrinking share of a shrinking market", according to investment bank Merrill Lynch. The bank issued a report this week ahead of...

WATER; Brussels' beach ruling gets mixed reaction.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... by Trevor Loveday Water customers and the industry were this week left evaluating a partial victory, having been handed a stay of execution by the European Parliament on tighter regulations under the proposed Bathing Water Directive. ...

eNERGY; Bord Gais profits as dual fuel surges.(Bord Gais Eireann)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Pre-tax profit at Bord Gais increased 15 per cent to e118 million last year as the energy company's gas customer base topped the 500,000 mark and its share of the liberalised electricity market in the Irish Republic reached 7 per cent. ...

GAS; Centrica warns of price rises and customer losses.(Centrica PLC)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Consumer watchdog Energywatch this week urged the European Commission to complete its review of the wholesale gas market as quickly as possible, as Centrica warned that volatility in wholesale prices could translate into higher household bills...

TELECOMS; Merged cable firm could be forced to open network.(Telewest and NTL merger)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... If recent moves towards a merger by cable companies Telewest and NTL come to fruition, it could result in a second UK network over which broadband and telecoms providers could sell their services. The firms stepped up their anticipated...

PAN UTILITY; Scheme 'halves' blunders.(Central Networks has cut down power cuts)
May 13, 2005... Eon distribution network arm Central Networks has halved the number of power cuts caused by streetworks blunders by utilities and local authorities through a partnership-based training scheme. Central has set up training courses for its...

ENERGY; Investment hits [pounds sterling]1bn in clean getaway.(investments in clean energy market )(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Clean energy investment in the UK has reached [pounds sterling]1 billion since 2000, according to a new report from the Carbon Trust. The report claimed investment was growing at 30 per cent a year while other technology investment was...

ENERGY; Blackout risk rises as Europe underinvests.
May 13, 2005... by Trevor Loveday Europe's underinvestment in new power plant and transmission networks will expose some member states to the threat of blackouts this summer, according to a report last week by global energy observer the International...

Crisis, Watt crisis.(energy sector opinion on climate change)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... As the government launches into its next term of office, the importance of the UK's future fuel supplies is underlined by the word "Energy" etched in brass on the nameplate of the new Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry. The...

GAS; End of an era: Transco publishes regional tariffs.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The move to regional charging for use of the gas distribution system moved closer with the publication by Transco of indicative prices for its eight local networks, which signal an average rise of 4.6 per cent These show that users of the...

ENERGY; Dutch minister eyes utility merger.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... ENERGY Dutch minister eyes utility merger Dutch industry minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst will no longer oppose a merger between energy suppliers Essent and Nuon, it was disclosed last week. The two utilities control more than 60...

TELECOMS; France cleared to subsidise rural networks.(public funds for broadband infrastructure in a rural area)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The European Commission has ruled that public authorities in France can fund a broadband infrastructure in a rural area of France. The Commission said funding the project in Limousin, which will cost e85 million, did not constitute state...

ENERGY; EDFrebrands meter division.(EDF Energy)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... EDF Energy has launched an own-brand gas and power meter reading division as it pursues its strategy of eschewing external contractors for core operations. Branded EDF Energy Customer Field Services, staff and vans will appear first in the...

ELECTRICITY ; EDF and Italy resolve dispute over Edison.(Electricite de France agreed to share control of Edison Gas S.p.A.)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... by Zoe Grainge and Simon Jones France and Italy have ended their long-running dispute about access to each other's power markets. Electricite de France (EDF) last Friday agreed to share control of Italian power company Edison with an...

WATER; European bank backs UK projects.(British utilities low interest loans from European Investment Bank)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The European Investment Bank (EIB) is planning to make large, low-interest loans to two British utilities to fund major capital works schemes. The bank will lend Northern Ireland's water service company up to [pounds sterling]88 million...

ENERGY; Energi E2 and Elsam face antitrust probe.(ENERGI E2 A/S)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Denmark's National Competition Authority (NCA) has started an inquiry into Energi E2 and Elsam, two of the country's biggest power and heat production and supply companies. The probe is in response to complaints from industrial and farming...

With friends like that.(investigations of Ecotricity)
May 13, 2005... Celebrity endorsements - don't you just love 'em? Disconnector muses thus on learning that Chazza has given his personal backing to a windfarm company that is currently being investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority. Ecotricity,...

eLECTRICITY; Clean-up poser for coal plant.(pollution controls systems for coal fired power plants)
May 13, 2005... by Roger Milne Coal-fired generators considering fitting acid scrubbers to ageing fossil-fuelled power stations now face added uncertainty over the implementation of new pollution controls drawn up by the European Commission. At issue...

The Ministry for Energy.(cabinet reshuffle after elections to consider utility sector policies)
May 13, 2005... So at last the election is over and although the dust is still settling on Tony Blair's cabinet reshuffle, one headline is the re-emergence of the word "Energy" in the name of a government department. Although it is only one part of the...

TELECOMS; Industry failing to talk properly to customers.(consumer service)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... by Zoe Grainge Communications regulator Ofcom's Consumer Panel has criticised the telecoms industry for offering little clear information to consumers and small businesses and for ignoring vulnerable demographic groups. In the most...

ELECTRICITY; NDA budget at risk after nuclear leak closes Thorp.(Nuclear Decommissioning Authority)(Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The state-owned body responsible for dealing with the UK's civil nuclear liabilities faced major budgetary problems this week after the "indefinite" closure of Sellafield's Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant after a leak. Profits from...

Iberdrola.(company profile)
May 13, 2005... by Trevor Loveday Iberdrola is Spain's second-largest energy company. In 2002 it laid out a strategic plan to double sales and net profit by 2006 and it is currently executing the second part of this. The plan set out investment of e12...

POLITICS; Energy minister no 7 steps up.
May 13, 2005... POLITICS Energy minister no 7 steps up by Roger Milne Labour this week unveiled its seventh energy minister in the space of eight years as former pensions minister Malcolm Wicks moved into Mike O'Brien's office in the renamed...

ELECTRICITY; Commissioner backs France- Belgium link.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... A soon-to-be-commissioned power interconnector between France and Belgium was last week hailed as a "very good example" of co-operation between network operators by European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs. A second link on the...

GAS; RWE launches 'transparent' network model.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... German multi-utility RWE has introduced a new system of charges for transporting gas across its 7,000km network. RWE said the new entry-exit model was more transparent than the point-to-point model, which levied charges according to...

GAS; Statoil first quarter profits; buoyed by high gas prices.
May 13, 2005... Higher gas prices helped buoy the first quarter results of Norwegian energy giant Statoil, which last week reported a net profit of e833 million, 44 per cent up on the same period in 2004. The improvement was mainly due to "higher prices of...

multi-utility; Deregulation in Belgium hits Suez revenues.(Suez SA)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... French multi-utility Suez last week released first quarter results that reflected the negative impact of energy competition in Belgium, a key market. Suez subsidiary Tractebel is the dominant energy utility in Belgium, but deregulation of...

TELECOMS; BT frees 47k internet lines for rivals.(British Telecommunications PLC)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... BT has unbundled 47,000 broadband internet lines across the UK and is freeing up 2,000 more lines a week, according to Ofcom's Telecoms Adjudicator. The adjudicator, Peter Black, monitors BT's progress with unbundling on behalf of Ofcom....

PAN-UTILITY; Greedy fraudsters hit utility sector hardest.(utilities sector detected fraud in wholesale trade)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... by Janet Wood UK utilities detected fraud totalling [pounds sterling]75 million in 2004, a thirtyfold leap on the previous year and the biggest rise experienced by any sector covered in research by accountant BDO Stoy Hayward. Most of the...

ENERGY; Vattenfall and Dong agree Elsam carve up.(Vattenfall AB)(Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S)(asset swap deal)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... by Gerard O'Dwyer Swedish energy giant Vattenfall and Danish utility Dong are close to agreeing an asset swap deal that would resolve their battle for control of Danish company Elsam. Dong chairman Sven Riskaer said an agreement could be...

Going nuclear ; The result of the election generated reams of copy as the papers.(Department of Trade and Industry energy minister plans)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... analysed the outcome and its implications for prime minister Tony Blair and his government. Taking a leaf from the opposition parties' proposals to reform or even scrap the Department of Trade and Industry, Blair restructured the DTI to...

TELECOMS; BTfaces fixed-line challenge from AOL.(British Telecommunications PLC)(America Online Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... by Zoe Grainge A fresh challenge for BT's residential telecoms business appeared this week after internet service provider giant AOL announced its intention to launch a fixed-line telecoms service. In the same week that BT publishes...

UW campaign looks for new skills partners.(Utility Week)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Two weeks ago Utility Week launched a Solve the Skills Crisis campaign in conjunction with Energy & Utility Skills, RWE Thames Water and Central Networks. Severn Trent, the Energy Networks Association and EDF Energy have also since signed up as...

ELECTRICITY; Leak could spell the end for reprocessing at Thorp.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... The April leak at Sellafield's Thorp plant could end reprocessing at the plant, leaving the UK to face compensation claims from German and Japanese utilities that have filled Thorp's order book to 2010. An inquiry into the pipe fracture...

O'Neill to speak at UK energy policy conference.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Martin - now Lord - O'Neill has joined the line-up of speakers at the Where will we find the energy? conference, to be held in London on 8 June. Until his elevation to the peerage, O'Neill was chairman of the influential Commons Trade and...

PAN-UTILITY; Telecoms lead way using data to target sales.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Telecoms is the most effective industry sector at analysing customer information to provide targeted marketing, according to research carried out by marketing company CDMS. But while the telecoms sector had moved from second to first place...

TELECOMS; Deutsche gets boost from US and broadband.(Deutsche Telekom AG)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Broadband growth and overseas revenues boosted Deutsche Telekom's first quarter revenues 3.5 per cent year-on-year to e14.4 billion. The German telecoms giant posted net profit up 59.8 per cent on the first quarter of 2004 to e1 billion. This...

ENERGY; Dong/Elsam deal faces more delays.(Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... The merger of Danish utilities Elsam and Dong may be delayed until the final quarter of 2005 to enable the agreement of terms relating to Swedish power group Vattenfall's planned exit from Elsam. Vattenfall owns 35 per cent of Elsam. Dong...

ENERGY; Customers applaud bill plan.(billing service improved in electric utilities)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Energy consumer watchdog, Energywatch, has applauded plans by EDF Energy to streamline its billing service and has urged other suppliers to follow suit. Energywatch has filed a so-called super-complaint against the energy sector over...

eLECTRICITY; UK capacity margins the tightest in Europe.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... by Trevor Loveday Short-term power generation margins in the UK are the tightest in Europe, according to a recent study by the continent's transmission system operators. The most robust are in northern and northeast Europe. The...

ENERGY; EDF and AEM pay e7.3bn for Italy's Edison.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... French electricity giant Electricite de France (EDF) and Italian utility AEM Milano will pay e7.3 billion for joint control of Italian power company Edison, it was disclosed last week. The details of the takeover follow news two weeks ago...

MULTI-UTILITY; Recruitment problems dog UK utilities sector.(labour market Outlook survey )(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... by Zoe Grainge Skilled trade positions in the UK labour market are among the most difficult to fill and a lack of specialist skills is the main reason for recruitment problems, according to a survey highlighting the skills shortage in the...

ELECTRICITY ; Endesa abandons Italian ambitions.(Endesa S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Spanish electricity giant Endesa said last week it had no plans for any acquisitions in the immediate future after the decision of Electricite de France (EDF) to remain in the Italian electricity market. Endesa had previously bid for...

GAS; Enagas mulls start of a regulated company.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... by Ivan Castano and Peter Wood Spanish gas-network operator and transporter Enagas is considering launching a separate company to supply gas to the regulated domestic market. Enagas buys and sells gas (at procurement costs without...

MULTI-UTILITy; Tax buoys RWE as Eon rises on gas.(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... German utility giants Eon and RWE both reported first quarter results last week that outstripped analysts' expectations. RWE was buoyed largely by tax gains. Essen-based RWE increased net profit for the three months to March 31 2005 by 5.4...

Whitehall rebranding gone mad.
May 20, 2005... The smack of firm government, don't you just love it? Under former regimes it was known as the Department of Timidity and Inactivity. Not any more it isn't. Under the new man at the helm, trade and industry secretary Alan Johnson, decisiveness...

GAS; Natural's high as power puts surge in sales.(Gas Natural SDG S.A.)(Brief Article)
May 20, 2005... Gas Natural has reported a surge in gas sales that reached e2.046 billion during the first quarter of 2005, up by just over 27 per cent on the same period last year. Falls in sales to residential and industrial customers were more than offset...