Company strategy

Paypoint ‘abused dominant position’

Ofgem has alleged a company which provides over the counter services to prepayment energy customers breached competition rules, causing detriment to suppliers. The regulator says that between 2009 and 2018 exclusivity clauses in Paypoint contracts meant retailers were left with limited ability to use rival services.

Welsh Water, Portsmouth and Wessex top the first C-MeX chart

White Paper: 10 Best Practices for Building Effective Dashboards

So Energy tops star ratings as challengers continue to dominate

So Energy has once again topped the Citizens Advice star ratings table, having been ranked first for six of the previous 11 quarters. These latest customer service ratings show the legacy suppliers continuing to lag behind their smaller rivals. British Gas X, Centrica's digital-only offering which was granted a supply licence earlier this year, debuted in the rankings at 35.

Ofgem forecasts a 20% increase in cost of administering RO

Ofgem has revealed it expects the costs of administering the renewables obligation (RO) for the 2020-21 year to be £6.6 million – a 20 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The administration charges are used to cover a number of costs under the scheme.

Octopus expands into US with acquisition of Silicon Valley startup

Octopus Energy has entered the US market with the acquisition of Evolve Energy, a Texas and Silicon Valley-based startup. The company aims for its Kraken platform to have a presence in all 50 states, targeting 25 million accounts on the platform by 2027.

Utility Week Live Online: Operational Excellence and Innovation

Portsmouth launches biodiversity fund

Portsmouth has launched a fund for enhancing biodiversity at its operational sites following customer feedback that prioritised the environment

Pennon updates on Covid impact and plans for Viridor funds

Pennon, the parent company of South West and Bournemouth Water, has said it expects revenue for this financial year to take a £10 million hit from coronavirus. Options for deploying proceeds from the £4.2 billion sale of Viridor are still being weighed up and the company said it was considering market opportunities.

Smart meters or emergency brakes?

Covid-19 bad debts hit water sector ratings

After a ripple of downgrading in the water sector on the back of final determinations earlier this year, companies are further challenged by the financial impacts of Covid-19. Fitch warns there is limited headroom for manoeuvre

What to expect from CMA on PR19 appeals

The CMA is due to deliver its initial redetermination of the PR19 business plans from Anglian, Bristol, Northumbrian and Yorkshire imminently. Will it side with Ofwat or the companies on customer engagement, returns and resilience? Utility Week gauges the view of an analyst, legal expert and ratings agency.

EDF proposes 350MW solar farm in Essex

National Grid to develop proposals to link up British and Dutch windfarms

Framework to measure sector diversity launched

Energy & Utility Skills has launched an inclusion framework to paint a picture of diversity across the utilities sector. It comes after concern was raised that many utilities companies do not ask their employees for information on their ethnicity, meaning there is little data on which to base any moves to make the sector more diverse.