Utility Week articles from October 2008

Utility Week archives from October 2008

WATERAnglian Water pollutes same area twice.(News)
October 3, 2008... Anglian Water has been fined a total of [pounds sterling]11,000 and told to pay [pounds sterling]5,347 in costs after it polluted the same area twice within the space of a month. Ely Magistrates' Court fined the company [pounds...

Right place, right time.(Features)(usage of workflow software by Anglian Water Services PLC)
October 3, 2008... Anglian's Operations Management Centre enables the right resources to get to the right job at the right time . Annabel Andrews reports Up until the 2004 price review, the culture at Anglian Water had been all about driving...

ELECTRICITYEDF lands British Energy.(News)
October 3, 2008... by Janet Wood Speculation over the future of British Energy has ended after EDF announced a long-awaited agreed offer valuing the UK nuclear company at [pounds sterling]12.5 billion. EDF chairman Pierre Gaddonneix played down concerns...

News.
October 3, 2008... Burning desire A subsidiary of Welsh Power has submitted plans for the development of a nearly 50MW biomass power plant at a site in Newport Docks. The company said it hoped the [pounds sterling]140 million scheme would use fuel shipped to...

ENVIRONMENTNo coal without capture, says EA.(News)
October 3, 2008... The Environment Agency has argued strongly that the government must make faster progress on carbon capture and storage (CCS). In a statement last week, the environmental regulator said that "no new coal-fired stations should be built unless...

News.
October 3, 2008... ENERGY Centrica builds home power portfolio British Gas owner Centrica has made a bid for the home generation market by acquiring a photovoltaic (PV) company and collaborating on domestic combined heat and power (CHP). The "big...

Making the connection.(Features)
October 3, 2008... Competition in new connections has been slow to take off, but customers are demanding better service and pressure is growing, says Nick Jones In their role as customer protector, utility industry regulators look to identify opportunities...

Features.(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... THE 6 October Parliament returns after the summer recess Lords Committee stage of the Planning Bill 7 October Report stage of Pension Bill in the Lords 7 October Third reading of Planning Bill in the Lords ...

News.(statistics of energy consumption)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... ENERGY High gas prices drive switch to coal Cold weather in the second quarter of 2008 caused energy consumption to be higher than in the same period the previous year, according to statistics from the Department for Business,...

PAN-UTILITYEco-towns must comply with Suds.(News)
October 3, 2008... The government's proposed eco-towns should incorporate sustainable urban drainage systems (Suds) as standard, according to new advice. The recommendation came in a report prepared by the Commission for Architecture and the Built...

Domestic turbines in a spin.(News)
October 3, 2008... It's all gone Pete Tong as far as consumer magazine Which? is concerned. Back in the summer of 2006 it bought a [pounds sterling]1,500 Windsave WS1000 turbine to test its contribution to a typical family household. It was definitely...

News.(Business Stream partnered with Reforesting Scotland)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... If you go down to the woods today: Business Stream, Scotland's leading non-domestic water and wastewater supplier, has announced a partnership with Reforesting Scotland which has become its charity for the year. As well as raising awareness of...

PAN-UTILITYBroadband may use utility networks.(News)
October 3, 2008... Telecoms regulator Ofcom has lent its support to the use of sewer networks for broadband deployment, and raised the possibility of using energy networks, in a consultation on high-speed broadband. Ofcom voiced support for combining...

ENERGYLong-term fix needed for fuel poverty.(News)
October 3, 2008... An influential think-tank plans to develop a long-term strategy to solve fuel poverty and is looking for backers to bankroll the [pounds sterling]60,000 project. The left-of-centre Institute of Public Policy Research wants to start the...

ENERGYMEPs call for probe into high gas prices.(Features)
October 3, 2008... by Keith Nuttall The European Parliament has called on the European Commission to investigate links between high gas prices and long-term gas contracts and to develop a policy response. In a resolution on energy prices, MEPs said they...

GASGazprom plans gas storage auctions.(Features)
October 3, 2008... Gazprom is to start auctioning capacity at its underground natural gas store in Haidach, Austria. The Russian gas company said it would offer all the existing capacity at the site, known as Level One and totalling 800 million cubic metres...

GASGerman transmission firms brought to heel.(Features)
October 3, 2008... by Simon Jones German energy regulator the FNA has said it is going to end long-distance gas pipeline operators' exemption from incentive-based regulation. FNA president Matthias Kurth said there was still little third-party access to...

Features.
October 3, 2008... Electricity Enel to spin off renewables business Enel has announced plans to spin off its renewable assets in a new holding, Enel Green Power, by the end of the year. Installed capacity of 4,500MW will make the new company, valued...

GASShippers angry after Ofgem auction flops.(News)
October 3, 2008... by Roger Milne Shippers have reacted angrily to Ofgem's threat to toughen up licence conditions after a poor showing at the first auction of interruptible capacity on mainland Britain's gas distribution networks. Companies are...

ELECTRICITYIrish markets get to grips with wind.(News)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... Regulatory authorities in the single electricity market for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are to consult further on plans to increase the proportion of wind and other green energy in the system. In an initial response to an...

Features.
October 3, 2008... No time for nuclear DIY Responding to the news that a deal had finally been agreed between EDF and British Energy, the Liberal Democrats declared that the UK was "surrendering control of our energy policy". In the very next sentence, it...

Features.(Dong Energy abandoned plans to install remote electricity meters)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... ENERGY Dong scraps home metering project Dong Energy has abandoned plans to install remote electricity meters in up to one million homes in northern Zealand and Copenhagen. The state-owned energy company said that a government...

ENERGYBiogas could fuel 30% of household demand.(News)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... by Janet Wood Up to one-third of domestic gas demand could be met by biomethane produced from waste and energy crops, according to the National Grid. The network company revealed the figure in its response to the government's Renewable...

ELECTRICITYItaly reaffirms its nuclear ambitions.(Features)
October 3, 2008... Italy could have a nuclear power station operating by 2017, Giancarlo Aquilanti, head of Enel's nuclear energy development division, has told Italian newspapers. Italy has been opposed to nuclear power for many years, and its reactors were...

electricityConsumer body backs call for grid mergers.(Features)
October 3, 2008... Forbrukerradet, Norway's national consumer council, has pushed for legislation to reduce the number of local and regional grid companies in Norway, mainly through mergers . The move is part of an industry campaign, backed by Forbrukerradet,...

Features.
October 3, 2008... Portuguese premiere: a [euro]9 million, three-unit wave power project has been officially opened in Portugal. The project, comprising three wave devices installed by Pelamis Wave Power, has got funding from Babcock & Brown, Energias de Portugal...

Features.
October 3, 2008... Kathy Oxtoby talks to the people working hard to ensure the small Scottish town of Caithness survives the winding down of Dounreay Life goes on It's the biggest employer in town. For the past 50 years, the economy of the north...

ENERGYPiebalgs in favour of arctic oil drilling.(Features)
October 3, 2008... European Union energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs has backed plans from Norway's Statoil to explore the Arctic for gas and oil reserves, to boost energy security in Europe. Speaking at a debate organised by the Friends of the Earth,...

Planning Bill faces last hurdle.(Features)
October 3, 2008... MPs and peers return to Westminster to grapple with unfinished parliamentary business. The Palace of Westminster is back in business next Monday and it will be all eyes on the Upper Chamber, which is to due to complete its consideration of...

ELECTRICITYPoland ready to delay market liberalisation.(Features)(Energy Regulatory Office)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... Polish energy regulator URE has said liberalisation of the household power market, planned for next January, may be delayed. "At present, the URE is seriously considering postponing full liberalisation of the market to a later date," said...

ELECTRICITYCrown Estates opens bidding for Round 3.(News)
October 3, 2008... The Crown Estate has opened the bidding process for companies that want to develop a third round of offshore windfarms to meet targets for renewable energy. It has issued an "invitation to negotiate" to 96 companies that had already...

electricityRWE boosts green energy portfolio.(News)
October 3, 2008... RWE Innogy has boosted its green energy portfolio in the UK with a move into the biomass generation sector, while its UK subsidiary has announced plans to build the biggest onshore windfarm in Wales. The company has bought the 73MW...

Thirsty for power.(Features)
October 3, 2008... The use of renewable energy generation will benefit the water sector both in terms of cash and carbon, say Arnaud Bouille and Stuart Campbell As large energy users, water companies have a lot to gain from the clever harnessing of renewable...

News.(Scottish Environment Protection Agency's bill for oversee flood risk management)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... water Scottish Flooding Bill published The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) will oversee flood risk management in Scotland, under a Bill published on Monday. If the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill is translated into...

waterCall to arms at Scottish Water.(News)(Unison)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... Unison this week launched a campaign for industrial action at Scottish Water over the company's imposed 2008 pay offer. The union branded the company's unilateral action on pay "ill thought out and unnecessary". Branch chair Dave Wilkinson...

ELECTRICITYScottishPower to install tidal generators.(News)
October 3, 2008... ScottishPower has identified three areas around Scotland and Northern Ireland as potential sites for tidal power generators. The company is to apply for planning permission next year for underwater turbines in the Pentland Firth and Islay...

ELECTRICITYBarrage could distort generation market.(News)
October 3, 2008... by Roger Milne Harnessing the tidal energy of the Severn Estuary would weaken the Renewables Obligation and could undermine the competitive wholesale power market, it has been claimed. Jim Fitzgerald, energy and environmental...

Features.(Tax changes will test Scottish Water)
October 3, 2008... Tax changes will test Scottish Water Water suppliers in Scotland are on the edge of their seats as the Scottish Government is expected to decide if council tax will be abolished in the region. First minister Alex Salmond has said it is time...

pan-utilityUU connection business hit by housing slump.(News)
October 3, 2008... United Utilities' connections arm has been hit by the slump in the property market. In a trading update, United Utilities said its Property Solutions business, UUPS, was "expected to broadly break even" before costs in the six months to...

Time for a checkup.(Features)(Mapping and monitoring technology used by utility companies)
October 3, 2008... Mapping and monitoring are vital if utilities are to keep their networks in shape and avoid outages, says Justin Pugsley Underground assets are a vital part of the infrastructure enabling utilities to deliver their services, and they can...

waterInterest costs batter profits as debt rises.(News)
October 3, 2008... by Annabel Andrews Increased interest costs caused water company profits to plummet by 12 per cent in 2007/08, despite a 5 per cent rise in operating profit, according to water regulator Ofwat's analysis of companies' June returns. ...

News.(WaterSure scheme rose by 50 per cent to 24,121 in 2007/08)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... water WaterSure numbers on the increase The number of vulnerable customers who benefit from the WaterSure scheme rose by 50 per cent to 24,121 in 2007/08, Ofwat said this week. Sue Cox, Ofwat's head of service and performance,...

News.(Welsh Water PLC invest to improve drinking water)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... Water North Wales targets [pounds sterling]100m at crypto Welsh Water is to invest [pounds sterling]105.5 million in improving drinking water treatment in north Wales after recent cryptosporidium scares in the area. The investment...

WATERDefra funds for surface water pilot schemes.(Features)(United Kingdom. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced [pounds sterling]300,000 of funds for early development of surface water management plans. Organisations will need to demonstrate that they have serious and...

News.
October 10, 2008... ELECTRICITY Vattenfall pays [pounds sterling]127m for Amec Wind North European utility Vattenfall has bought Amec Wind for [pounds sterling]126.6 million. The acquisition adds a development portfolio of 573MW to Vattenfall's UK...

Who loses out?(News)(gains from domestic competition)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Ofgem's probe has identified 4.3 million customers who gain little financial advantage from domestic competition. They are not connected to the gas network, so they cannot benefit from dual fuel deals and typically are not being offered...

News.(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Tackling utility debt A third of utility customers are set to delay payment of their bills, according to new research by consultancy Accenture. Full results of the research, which examines how customers expect to deal with their utility...

Small businesses get raw deal from suppliers.(News)
October 10, 2008... The probe highlighted particular concerns about small business customers. These centred on the transparency and fairness of contract terms, the use of objections, the standard of direct sales activity and the role of intermediaries. Ofgem...

Lack of liquidity is a barrier for new entrants.(News)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Ofgem has concluded that over the past five years the number of new entrants in the UK energy supply market has fallen substantially. Of those new entrants that have remained, none has built customer bases near the size of those held by former...

News.(Good Energy increases the amount it pays to customers)(Department of Energy and Climate Change publishes a consultation on renewable heat)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... BWEA vs CPRE Wind lobby group the BWEA has denied claims by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England that the wind industry is making "improper" payments to host communities. Road permit delay Utilities will have more time...

Crunching the numbers.(Features)
October 10, 2008... The past few weeks have been a torrid time for the world's financial markets. The impact of the sub-prime crisis, which reputedly started with ill-advised mortgage lending in Sarasota, Florida, has gone global. Like a computer virus, its...

What do you expect?(Features)(wholesale prices continue to rise)
October 10, 2008... As wholesale prices continue to rise, customers will demand much more by way of service from their utility providers, reports Tricia Holly Twenty-five years ago, trained baker Buffy Harris got a job working for the Southern Wales Gas...

ELECTRICITYOfgem to force DNOs to charge consistently.(News)(distribution network operators)(United Kingdom. Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... by Janet Wood Ofgem has proposed licence modifications for electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) that would force them to implement a common charging methodology by April 2010. The regulator believes the change is vital to...

waterDebt surge beats price rises.(News)
October 10, 2008... by Annabel Andrews Household debt to water companies surged 11 per cent in real terms in 2007/08, to [pounds sterling]1,071 million, according to figures released by Ofwat this week. This means the rise in revenue outstanding for more...

Features.(Calendar)
October 10, 2008... THE 14 October Asset life strategies, a one-day seminar organised by IMechE, London 14-15 October Voluntary carbon markets, organised by Green Power Conferences, London 15 October Bioresources to land: managing...

WATEREA concern over changes in river flow.(Features)(climate change could cause summer water levels in some rivers )(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... The Environment Agency has announced plans to publish a new water resources strategy early next year. The new strategy comes after the agency's research suggested that climate change could cause summer water levels in some rivers to fall...

ENERGYNo cartel, but vulnerable customers still suffer.(News)
October 10, 2008... by Roger Milne Ofgem has put energy companies on notice of possible referral to the Competition Commission after finding that millions of domestic customers are missing out on the benefits of competition. The prospect surfaced as the...

Features.
October 10, 2008... Eon secures gas Eon and Gazprom have agreed a share swap by which the German group will gain a 25 per cent minus one share stake in the huge Yuzhno Russkoye gas field in western Siberia. Moorburg go-ahead Hamburg has given the...

ENVIRONMENTSeeking a consensus on coal.(Features)
October 10, 2008... France has set itself the target of finalising and passing the European Union's far-reaching climate change and energy package before its presidency of the EU ends on 31 December. It is not the only one to feel a sense of urgency about the...

You can read it both ways.(News)(power cuts)
October 10, 2008... The great British press is sometimes accused of partiality, lack of balance and, frankly, getting it hopelessly wrong. So hats off to The Daily Telegraph for restoring one's faith in the Fourth Estate. Last Friday (3 October) on page 3 of...

News.(pic shows )
October 10, 2008... final demand PIC of the week Nottingham Post PIC of the week Going against the flow: our pic shows a shower head with a difference. It's very water efficient and is the sort of appliance that those on a ground-breaking...

News.(fuel poverty is now greater than it was in the mid-1990s)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... ENERGY Fuel poverty hits pre-Labour levels The number of English households in fuel poverty is now greater than it was in the mid-1990s, official figures have revealed. According to the government's latest progress report, about...

Features.
October 10, 2008... Among other actions in its "Quit Coal" campaign, Greenpeace activists climbed Vattenfall's Moorburg plant, under construction in Germany. Protesters have also boarded coal cargo ships calling for a phase-out.

PAN-UTILITYThefts prompt action at Severn Trent.(News)
October 10, 2008... Severn Trent Water has increased security at its sites after metal thefts that the company estimates have cost half a million pounds in the past six months. "We aren't alone in experiencing a rise in this kind of theft," said Pete...

WATERBryan fear over Ofwat 'old guard'.(News)(Jerry Bryan of United Kingdom. Office of Water Services)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Water regulator Ofwat is suffering from "regulatory schizophrenia" as reformers who favour competition battle the old guard, according to Jerry Bryan, managing director of Albion Water. Bryan said he was encouraged by signs that Ofwat had...

Features.(decision to create a Department for Energy and Climate Change)
October 10, 2008... The department for climate change should be welcomed Two cheers are in order after last week's government reshuffle and the decision to create a Department for Energy and Climate Change. The department was still in temporary Whitehall...

waterCompanies should fix leaks to boost supply.(Features)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... by Annabel Andrews Water companies should consider leakage reduction an essential part of managing water supplies, Ofwat and the Environment Agency have said. Speaking at Water UK's Leakage Conference 2008 last week, Paul Hope, head of...

Features.(European Market Coupling Company)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... electricity Dual market link hit by IT problems Early technical problems have marred the launch of market coupling and a day-ahead power exchange between Germany and Denmark. European Market Coupling Company (EMCC), the...

Optimistic power forecast.(Features)
October 10, 2008... Electricity supplies will be sufficient to meet demand even in harsh weather conditions this winter, according to a report by system operator National Grid just published by energy sector regulator Ofgem. According to the Winter Outlook...

News.(reducing water use)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Trust in us: the water industry should be reformed to provide water services, and incentivised to cut demand through a Water Efficiency Commitment, according to the National Trust. In a strategy entitled From Source to Sea, the organisation...

PAN-UTILITYPlanning reforms on a knife edge.(News)
October 10, 2008... Ministerial hopes of establishing a new independent body to determine key infrastructure projects such as power stations, water treatment works and new power lines were hanging in the balance in Parliament this week. The government's...

Reshuffle shifts focus to energy.(Features)
October 10, 2008... MPs and peers grappled with a new department and a government reshuffle this week Well, a week really is a long time in politics. Last week's government reshuffle - though relatively limited in personnel terms - was certainly eye-catching...

Indirect action.(Features)
October 10, 2008... Juries have been unwilling to punish environmental protesters, but utilities can take steps to keep them away in the first place, says Richard Blann Well-organised environmental protests now seem to be a regular feature of the British...

PAN-UTILITYEnergy and climate move in together.(News)(prime minister creates a government department that will bring together energy and climate change policy under one roof )(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... The prime minister has created a government department that will bring together energy and climate change policy under one roof for the first time. The major shake-up in the Whitehall landscape came as part of a reshuffle in which former...

News.(competition could raise water use )(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Water Competition 'could raise water use' Water UK last week warned that the creation of separate retail companies risked encouraging water consumption and reducing collaborative working. The industry body said: "Retail companies...

Features.
October 10, 2008... How will utilities survive the crunch? The regulated utility sector has been one of the most prolific users of the debt capital markets in recent years, and there's no sign of a let-up. In the water sector alone, the ten major water...

ENERGYScotland plans tenfold boost for bio-heat.(News)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... A Scottish Government consultation on its plans for renewable energy has given a new impetus to renewable heat. The consultation said that although Scotland had ambitious targets and significant growth in renewable electricity, renewable...

Get smart.(Features)
October 10, 2008... Smart meters would drastically reduce the risks of utility provision and enable new business models, say Mark Powell and Paul Westhead Privatisation and competition in the UK's energy markets was heralded as the way to drive prices down...

GASSupport gathering for east Europe network.(Features)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... by Simon Jones The grid operators of Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania have signed an agreement to develop a region-wide gas network for central and southeast Europe. The four transmission system operators agreed to form a joint...

News.(UK government's emissions trading scheme could meet part of their carbon-reduction target with energy-saving measures for employees' homes)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... pan-utility Staff may help meet CRC targets companies that take part in the UK government's emissions trading scheme could meet part of their carbon-reduction target with energy-saving measures for employees' homes. The...

Pan-utility Water companies count energy cost.(Features)
October 10, 2008... Energy accounts for 45 per cent of water companies' proposed increases in operating expenditure for the period 2010-15, according to a report published by Ofwat last week. Many companies requested that energy prices be a "notified item"....

WATERPollution costs Yorkshire and Severn [pounds sterling]27.5k.(News)(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... Two water companies have been fined over pollution incidents. Severn Trent Water was fined [pounds sterling]13,500 with costs of [pounds sterling]4,500 after it pleaded guilty at Hinckley Magistrates' Court to polluting Gilwiskaw Brook, a...

Features.(climate change causes worsening water shortages )(Brief article)
October 10, 2008... WATER Climate change will batter the Med Climate change will cause worsening water shortages in the Mediterranean region, according to the European Environment Agency, the World Health Organisation and the European Union's Joint...

News.
October 10, 2008... ENERGY Power aplenty, whatever the weather Power supplies should be sufficient to meet demand this winter even if the weather is harsher than in recent years, Ofgem has reported after taking advice from National Grid. The...