Finance and investment

Time to act on Covid-related energy debt

SSE expects to take £200m hit from pandemic

SSE has confirmed it expects to see its earnings reduced by roughly £200 million over its current financial year due to the effects of the coronavirus. In a third quarter trading update, the company said the impact of the pandemic on its operating profit is anticipated to fall towards the middle of the £150 million to £250 million range originally estimated in its last full-year results in June 2020.

UK risks EV charging blackspots without funding boost

The government should hold Contracts for Difference (CfD) style auctions to spur a five-fold increase in the growth of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure network this decade, a right of centre thinktank has urged.

NI Water begins construction on treatment plant

NI Water has hailed a wastewater treatment plant as an example of what the company can do when adequately funded

Megaprojects can be built on time and on budget – if you know how

Treasury drops net zero commitment from its Green Book

The Treasury will not include a requirement on departments to explain how they will meet net zero emissions in its guidance for appraising government spending.

UU issues first sustainable bond

United Utilities has issued £300 million sustainable bonds to fund investment in infrastructure, the environment and to support customers who struggle to pay their bills

RIIO-ED2 must be the platform for achieving net zero for all

Western Power Distribution chief executive Phil Swift writes about the commitments outlined in the company’s business plan for 2023-2028 and the collaboration that underpins it.

Pandemic setbacks raise Hinkley build cost by £500m

Defra approves fast-track spending for Anglian

Yu Group sees digital dividend

Anesco to build 200MW solar portfolio for Gresham House

Shell buys UK’s largest public EV network

Investors express alarm at CMA U-turn

Regulation not legislation key to ending CSOs

New commitments for water companies, Ofwat and the Environment Agency to increase transparency and reduce the reliance on storm overflows have been made in response to Philip Dunne's Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill. Utility Week speaks to the chair of the Environmental Audit Committee.