Utility Week articles from November 2007

Utility Week archives from November 2007

ELECTRICITYTroubled BE reactors offline indefinitely.(News)
November 16, 2007... by Janet Wood British Energy has warned that two of its power stations affected by technical problems will remain out of service for the rest of the winter. The UK's nuclear generating company already has two of its twin-reactor stations...

News.
November 16, 2007... electricity Green growth could double demand The UK's electricity demand could nearly double within a couple of decades if the country decided to pursue a low-carbon future underpinned by green power, a senior National Grid director...

Features.
November 16, 2007... ELECTRICITY Biomass helps cut carbon emissions Eon has successfully completed the testing of its new 44MW Steven's Croft biomass plant at Lockerbie in southern Scotland. The [pounds sterling]90 million plant is due to begin...

News.
November 16, 2007... Super sludge United Utilities has won an environmental award in collaboration with waste company Envar and paper mill UPM Shotton. The companies used ash from the mill instead of quarried lime to treat sewage sludge. Top roof ...

ENERGYRegulator fails to stop Belgian price increase.(Features)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... A Belgian court has ruled that energy regulator CREG cannot block price rises planned for next year by most grid operators. The Brussels administrative court found that CREG lacked the information and expertise to measure the network costs...

GASCentrica looks to Nigeria for LNG projects.(News)
November 16, 2007... Centrica has started assessing the feasibility of developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Nigeria. The move came within weeks of the company ending its involvement with a major LNG terminal proposed for Canvey Island, Essex. The...

GASLicence round hopes for coal bed methane.(News)
November 16, 2007... The government has announced a new onshore oil and gas licensing round - the 13th - amid hopes that companies will propose plans for coal bed methane (CBM) production. CBM production exploits methane locked in unworked coal reserves and...

WATERDefra consults on options for bathing waters.(News)(United Kingdom. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... Defra has launched a consultation on ways to improve bathing water quality to meet the revised Bathing Water Directive in England and Wales. Most bathing water areas have been improving in England and Wales, but 34 areas are expected still...

Features.
November 16, 2007... THE 16 November Third Transmission Access Review stakeholder event, organised by Ofgem and BERR, London 17 November UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases latest report, Valencia 19 November ...

Catchment catch-out.(Features)
November 16, 2007... Catchment modelling is being used to help water companies identify WFD investments that would not justify the cost, as Bob Crabtree explains Given the rigorous quality demands of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), and constraints on...

Where there's a will.(Features)(Water Framework Directive)
November 16, 2007... Despite signing up to the WFD, some member states are trying to duck implementing it, Pieter De Pous tells Vibeka Mair The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) represents 140 green pressure groups from all over the European Union. Its...

News.
November 16, 2007... ENERGY Firms and agencies share flood data Last week, gas and electricity companies were briefed on a flash flood early warning scheme that the Met Office and National Grid have started developing in a bid to provide the sector with a...

ENERGYEon UK retail earnings soar 62 per cent.(News)(E.ON UK PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... Eon has reported sharply increased profit in both regulated and non-regulated businesses in the UK in the nine months to 30 September. Earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) in the non-regulated business increased from [pounds sterling]299...

Features.
November 16, 2007... Gazprom on the go Verbund and Gazprom are talking about a joint venture to build gas-fired power stations across central and eastern Europe. The venture would allow Verbund to expand beyond its Austrian home market, and win Gazprom higher...

Money that glows in the dark.(News)(Amec appoints Richard Caborn)(effects of climate change)
November 16, 2007... So, it seems another Labour Party notable is poised to take the nuclear shilling. Disconnector refers to former sports minister Richard Caborn, who has been tipped for a job with the group formed by Amec, Washington Group of the US and France's...

News.
November 16, 2007... Green goal: whatever your view of David "calamity" James' prowess as the man between the sticks, there's no faulting the Portsmouth and England keeper's commitment to the environment. He is fronting Eon's Carbon Footyprint campaign. Eon is the...

ENERGYCampaign aims to cut winter deaths.(News)(British Gas Help the Aged Partnership)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... More than 2.5 million old people in the UK stay or live in one heated room of their homes to keep warm and save on bills, according to a survey published this week to mark the launch of a campaign by the British Gas Help the Aged Partnership....

GASGas Natural chairman calls for unbundling.(Features)(Rafael Villaseca)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... The European Commission's plans for unbundling energy utilities must proceed because the current situation was "absolutely unfair", said Rafael Villaseca, chief executive of Gas Natural. The lack of interconnections and the different...

Features.
November 16, 2007... ENERGY Germany's big four deny cartel claim Germany's biggest four energy suppliers have denied further allegations of price-fixing contained in a leaked report from the Federal Cartel Office (FCO). The study, prepared in...

ENVIRONMENTCommission loses ETS case to Germany.(Features)(Emissions Trading Scheme)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... Germany has won an important court case against the European Commission over the legality of so-called "ex-post" adjustments to carbon allocations under the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme. The ruling, announced last week by the European...

ELECTRICITYRising power margin sparks profits for IP.(Features)(International Power PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... International Power increased earnings in the nine months to 30 September due to improved margins on UK gas-fired power generation. During the period, spark spreads (the difference between gas and electricity prices) at its 500MW Deeside plant...

Features.
November 16, 2007... ENERGY Italy acts to reduce supply shortages Italy's energy regulator AEEG has published an incentive and penalty scheme to manage gas consumption this winter. The measure, which runs until September 2008, will reward industrial...

Features.
November 16, 2007... The UK needs Scottish windfarms Principles are fine things, until they get in the way of other principles. In principle, it is right to require each power plant connecting to the electricity grid to pay fees for its connection that are...

Features.
November 16, 2007... Sir: I write regarding the smart metering feature "Say when" (Utility Week, 26 October), in response to which I would like to address two points. The first is the stranding of legacy meter assets. The value of asset stranding in gas and...

Energy prices hit new highs.(Features)
November 16, 2007... Despite a couple of stumbles, there has been no let-up in the oil rush that has ratcheted global energy prices higher in recent weeks. Oil has just hit another fresh record above $100/barrel in the US and almost $92/barrel in the North Sea, as...

waterNI deferral of charges could cost 'millions'.(News)(Northern Ireland Electricity contract with Crystal Alliance)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... by Vibeka Mair Northern Ireland Water (NIW) could face a financial penalty running into millions of pounds as a result of the Northern Ireland Executive's decision to defer domestic water charges in the province until 2009. NIW signed...

Features.
November 16, 2007... ENERGY What moves are suppliers making to transform themselves into energy services companies? PAN-UTILITY The House of Lords Regulators' Committee publishes its findings on economic regulation WATER Review of the...

Features.
November 16, 2007... GAS NordStream defends subsea pipeline NordStream, the gas pipeline development company co-owned by Gazprom, BASF and Eon, has rejected criticism from Nordic and Baltic countries about the planned route for its pipeline between Russia...

ENERGYCapGemini: mergers 'a distraction'.(Features)
November 16, 2007... European utilities would be "better investing in their own businesses than trying to buy each other at high prices", according to Colette Lewiner, vice president for global energy and utilities at CapGemini. Launching the company's annual...

eNERGYNetworks 'should be part of redress plan'.(Features)(United Kingdom. Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... by Roger Milne Ofgem has formally proposed that the new consumer complaints handling regime due to start next year should apply to network businesses (gas and electricity distributors) as well as suppliers and should cover small businesses...

waterOfwat denies market failure.(News)(Water Services Regulation Authority)(Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... by Janet Wood Ofwat has rejected claims by a House of Lords committee that it had "failed to deliver" consumer choice to water customers. The House of Lords Committee on Regulators, in its report UK Economic Regulators, criticised...

News.
November 16, 2007... Bring us cases, says Competition Commission The Competition Commission has told the House of Lords Committee on Regulators that it is "under used" by the utility sector. It said no utility cases had been referred to it since 2002, which...

News.
November 16, 2007... Water Ofwat to lighten reporting burden Ofwat has said it will not make water companies to submit methodologies for their Guaranteed Standards of Service (GSS) reports in each June return. Problems with company systems had...

News.
November 16, 2007... A ranking of the world's biggest companies for corporate responsibility put Eon and EDF in the top 20 . ZoA' Grainge looks at what it takes to impress Avoiding an impact Utilities Eon and EDF both feature high up the Accountability...

Planning reforms built on sand?(Features)
November 16, 2007... The government's bid to reform land use controls is in for a bumpy ride as major parties fail to reach consensus Last week, the administration made it clear that the bills on climate change, energy and planning reform were all very...

ELECTRICITYRenewables trading would free EU market.(Features)
November 16, 2007... by Janet Wood Three European energy market organisations have called on the European Commission to institute cross-border trading of renewable electricity certificates to ensure that new targets for renewables do not "fence off" a large...

WaterSWW to explore rising block tariffs.(News)
November 16, 2007... South West Water has said it expects to meter more than 80 per cent of its domestic customers by 2015 and it will investigate smart meters to allow for new tariffs. Sixty-five per cent of households are already metered. A South West...

Features.
November 16, 2007... Water competition is on the horizon In 1999, Ernst & Young speculated that by 2010 there would be flourishing competitive activity in the water industry with a combination of competition for inset appointments, trading of abstraction...

Good vibes.(Features)
November 16, 2007... Martin Booth explains what the Environment Agency expects the WFD's 'good' ecological status will mean for the UK The European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) gives us an opportunity to plan for and deliver a better water environment....

News.
November 16, 2007... Power licence: Welsh Power, the company that owns Uskmouth power station in south Wales, has been awarded a generating licence by Ofgem for its proposed 850MW combined cycle gas turbine plant. The [pounds sterling]400 million project will be...

waterSet up drinking water 'pollution-free zones'.(News)
November 16, 2007... by Vibeka Mair Water UK has called for the setting up of statutory protection zones around drinking water abstraction areas with defined restrictions on diffuse pollution. The water industry body made the call in its responses to three...

End-of-pipe dreams.(Features)
November 16, 2007... The costs of the WFD are meant to be shared, butwater companies could end up shouldering most of the burden, says Chris Hoggart As the preparations gather pace for the 2009 Periodic Review (PR09), the water industry is trying to assess how...

waterMaintenance charges hit Welsh Water.(Features)(Welsh Water PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... Rising charges for the maintenance of pipe and sewer networks caused a [pounds sterling]9 million drop in pre-tax profit at Welsh Water for the six months ended September 2007. The company reported pre-tax profit of [pounds sterling]22...

waterScottish Water praised for savings.(Features)(Brief article)
November 16, 2007... Scottish Water's 40 per cent reduction in operating costs since 2002 was "an unprecedented achievement in the UK water industry", said regulator Wics. Releasing its Costs and Performance Report 2006/07, the Scottish regulator praised the...

Bunch of fives.(Features)(five-year asset management plan programmes by Ofwat)
November 23, 2007... No single model is the 'right' way for water companies to deliver AMP5 programmes, says Scott Motley, because each has its merits The five-year asset management plan (AMP) programmes handed down by Ofwat have helped shape the modern water...

News.
November 23, 2007... Water Access pricing is killing the market Negotiations over access pricing are stalling attempts to get customers into the competitive water market, licensees have complained. They said regulated access pricing, used in the Scottish...

Features.
November 23, 2007... Hot air: airlines have reacted angrily to the decision of the European Parliament to include air transport in the scope of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme. MEPs voted to cap airline emissions at 90 per cent of 2004-06 levels, a...

News.
November 23, 2007... Surf's down: heavy summer rainfall caused a drop in bathing water quality standards in 2007, according to Defra. This year, 405 out of the 414 bathing sites monitored in England met the "mandatory" standard demanded under the Bathing Water...

News.
November 23, 2007... Paler shade of green Seven in ten employees do not switch off lights at work and nine in ten do not push the short flush button on toilets, according to research by Enviro-Fresh. Workers took more green actions at home, the report found....

gasN Sea CCS would cost [pounds sterling]46bn.(News)(carbon capture and storage)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... by Roger Milne A major study on the economics and feasibility of carbon capture and storage has estimated that all the carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in the UK and Norway could be stored under the North Sea at a capital...

GASCentrica plans to invest more in storage.(News)
November 23, 2007... Centrica has signalled that it plans to invest in further gas storage capacity. The energy giant already owns the Rough offshore storage facility, the UK's biggest storage scheme, but is now in the market for additional space. Chief...

News.
November 23, 2007... Competition rules emerge for carbon capture plant The winner of the government's carbon capture and storage competition is unlikely to emerge before the summer of 2009, according to a memorandum published this week setting out the detail of...

Righting wrongs.(Features)(utilities should take customer complaints seriously)
November 23, 2007... Utilities should stop treating customer complaints as an embarrassing inconvenience and start extracting value from them, says James Heavey Utilities are continually looking at ways to identify, nurture and encourage customer loyalty. Yet...

WATERCredit threat could help reduce debt.(News)(water utilities to work with credit rating agencies)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... Water companies want to work with credit rating agencies to exchange information about their customers, delegates at Utility Week's conference on consumer debt heard last week. The ability of water companies to use credit rating agencies is...

Features.
November 23, 2007... THE 23 November Consultation ends on Ofgem's initial proposals for liquefied natural gas storage price controls 26 November Consultation ends on Ofgem's proposals for local distribution zone system charges and interruptible...

ENVIRONMENTBrussels drafts regulatory regime for CCS.(Features)(carbon capture and storage)(European Union)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects would be eligible for 'carbon credits' under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, but capturing emissions would not be obligatory, draft legislation from the European Commission has mooted....

Features.
November 23, 2007... ENERGY Eon and Gazprom plan generation tie Eon and Gazprom are in talks to build power plants in east Germany and other European markets. Eon chairman Wulf Bernotat said co-operation made sense for both groups, securing Eon gas...

L ess is more.(Features)
November 23, 2007... There's money to be made from providing energy services, but will utilities be the ones to benefit? . Roger Milne reports Once upon a time, the relationship between a domestic energy supplier and its customers was straightforward. The...

Features.
November 23, 2007... EDF back with AEM EDF is ready to renew its alliance with AEM over Italian power utility Edison, despite a 40 per cent fall in Edison net profits for January to September and the need to restructure the deal following AEM's tie-up with...

News.
November 23, 2007... Here's yet another sorry story of nuclear indecision and delay. Disconnector has enjoyed recent exchanges in the House of Lords where peers have been underwhelmed by the government's progress (or lack of it) in appointing a new chair for the...

News.
November 23, 2007... All right, it's nearly Christmas so a picture of a polar bear is probably in order. In fact, this photo of RWE Npower's Andy Duff posing with diminutive songstress Sophie Ellis-Bextor and some nervous-looking kids demonstrates, again, the truth...

eNERGYLeipzig sale could depend on referendum.(Features)
November 23, 2007... Gaz de France's part-acquisition of Stadtwerke Leipzig (SWL) is in doubt after the city's mayor agreed to put the deal to a referendum early next year. Mayor Burkhard Jung announced last month that he would recommend the French group's...

Features.
November 23, 2007... ELECTRICITY German suppliers must act or be split The German government has urged the country's leading suppliers to improve price transparency and market competition or face tougher controls. "The electricity utilities must first...

PAN-UTILITYEnergy Saving Trust to offer broader advice.(News)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is to expand its reach by rolling out a series of "one stop shops" across the country to supply green advice to householders. The shops are part of the Green Homes initiative announced by environment secretary...

ENERGYNational Grid ready to build UK asset base.(Features)
November 23, 2007... National Grid said it would invest [pounds sterling]16 billion in so-called priority markets to March 2012, as it announced "very strong" results for the six months to 30 September. The company said that by 2012, the value of its UK asset...

Regulators under review.(Features)(House of Lords Select Committee's report on utility regulators)
November 23, 2007... The complacency of a recent report from the House of Lords committee on utility regulators reflects a wider political failure, says Roger Barnard Dogs bark, babies cry - and regulators regulate. Most of the current key features of the...

News.
November 23, 2007... ENERGY Hutton hints at carbon price support Business secretary John Hutton has told Parliament that government action to guarantee a floor for future carbon prices remains a policy option, but he ruled out direct subsidy for nuclear...

GASSuppliers profit from obsolete surcharge.(News)(surcharge for using independent gas networks)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... by Steve Hobson An independent network operator has accused four of the big six energy suppliers of overcharging customers by making them pay an unjustified surcharge for using independent gas networks. GTC managing director Clive...

Features.
November 23, 2007... Cross-subsidies must be part of the bad debt solution The growing concern among utilities over rising levels of bad debt was highlighted by the strong turnout for Utility Week's conference on the subject last week. It was cold comfort...

Features.
November 23, 2007... ENERGY Commission opposes Hungarian law The European Commission has begun an action against Hungary, saying that new laws enacted to defend Hungarian utility MOL against a takeover bid are contrary to European competition law. The...

News.
November 23, 2007... ENERGY Brown urges green generation boost Renewable energy development in the UK will have to be stepped up significantly to meet new European Union targets, prime minister Gordon Brown said this week. In his first major...

Features.
November 23, 2007... INTERVIEW Jon Hargreaves, who has been at the helm of Scottish Water since it was formed, gives his parting thoughts on the company and the sector EUROPE Brussels is bidding to make regulation across Europe more homogeneous ...

waterOfwat to review how service is measured.(Features)(United Kingdom. Office of Water Services)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... by Vibeka Mair Ofwat has said it will review how it monitors customer service as a component of water companies' Overall Performance Assessment (OPA). The OPA measures companies' relative performance and has a significant bearing on...

ELECTRICITYOfgem to introduce 'green' ratings.(Features)(United Kingdom. Office of Gas and Electricity Markets plans rating system )(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... Ofgem has announced plans for a quality mark and rating system to give customers more confidence about "green" energy. The rating system would label energy tariffs on their carbon emissions from A (zero emissions) to F (more than 1kg per...

News.
November 23, 2007... I know what I like: artist Damian Hirst is to install the UK's second-largest photovoltaic (PV) panel array on the roof of his studio and warehouses in Stroud, Gloucestershire, according to recent reports. The 1,800 square metre array would be...

WATERPublic sector 'should be in charge in Paris'.(Features)(Bertrand Delanoe to give water distribution concession if he is re-elected )(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... by Stuart Todd Against a backdrop of rising water bills in the French capital, the socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, has declared that he would back moves to transfer water distribution concessions to a single public operator if...

News.
November 23, 2007... Utility top brass should always be mindful that today's raw recruits will be the backbone of the company tomorrow, writes ZoA' Grainge The futures market Despite having to search around for the right recruits, utilities must avoid any...

Second key bill sees light of day.(Features)(climate change and energy policy)
November 23, 2007... Hutton faces a grilling, the PM will talk climate change policy, and MPs want clarity over fuel poverty action Barring last-minute mishaps, the government's Planning Reform Bill should finally be published this week, although whether that...

ELECTRICITYGerman and Nordic markets to combine.(Features)(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... by Gerard O'Dwyer The energy regulators in Denmark and Germany have signed a landmark agreement to introduce a combined spot market for the two countries. Trading will be done in Hamburg. The market is set to start on3 June next year...

Features.
November 23, 2007... Mega-plant: Eon has claimed a milestone for its coal-fired station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar. The 2GW station, one of eight built in the 1960s, has become the first of its class to operate for one million hours. The record was set at just after...

MULTI-UTILITYSSE signals major Irish push.(News)(Scottish and Southern Energy)
November 23, 2007... by Roger Milne Scottish and Southern Energy wants to become a top three player in all-island Irish energy supply market within a decade and is considering building power stations to further this ambition. It already owns a site near Dublin...

PAN-UTILITYMore anti-terror protection needed.(News)
November 23, 2007... Further anti-terrorist measures at key water and energy infrastructure sites will be required, the government has announced. The call follows a security review carried out by Lord West in the wake of the vehicle bomb attack on Glasgow...

News.
November 23, 2007... Power move: SSE has bought Slough Heat and Power, the integrated energy business owned by Slough Trading Estates (recently renamed Segro), whose centrepiece is the UK's largest dedicated biomass power station. The 101MW plant's fluidised bed...

Features.
November 23, 2007... Short term can be short-sighted The summer of 2007 was a record breaker, turning out to be the wettest summer in England since records began. The year's flooding events have clearly demonstrated the country's vulnerability to extreme...