Strategy, policy & regulation

Latest PPM warrant backlash prompts call for further change

Next step taken to permanently end prepayment premium

Boost for two large battery storage projects

‘Inertia’ on heat is driving up costs for consumers

Minister promises hydrogen village decision before Xmas

Government awards £65m to green heating projects

Ofwat approves retail code changes

Water regulator Ofwat has approved changes to the wholesaler, retailer code that will simplify processes for business customer disconnections and tariff alteration requests. As part of work undertaken by MOSL, multiple similar approaches are to be streamlined to make it consistent for customers and trading parties.

Restoring trust in utilities using multi-channel comms: A guide

Thames Water to cut up to 300 jobs

Thames Water is preparing to axe up to 300 jobs. The staff affected will be from the retail and digital teams. It follows weeks of pay negotiations with trade unions including GMB, which described the planned redundancies as "abhorrent".

Ofgem proposes new ‘sandbox’ to test regulatory changes

Ofgem plans to establish a Future Regulation Sandbox to test and trial changes to energy regulations ahead of full adoption and collect evidence to inform difficult policy decisions. The proposed scheme builds upon, and would be in to addition to, the Energy Regulation Sandbox previously introduced by Ofgem to allow innovators to apply for regulatory derogations to trial new products and services or launch them into the market.

Optimising frequency response

Government urged to introduce ’emergency energy tariff’

Scottish Water CEO: We must heed underinvestment lessons from England

Ofgem to introduce monitoring for price cap exempt tariffs

Changes to wholesale costs raise investability concerns

Energy UK has raised concerns about proposals set out within Ofgem’s update on its ongoing wholesale cost review. The trade association has written to the regulator’s price cap team, warning that current proposals “reflect a fundamental departure from previous wholesale cost reviews, and, if pursued, raise serious concerns about the investability of the sector”.

MPs fear taxpayer will be left on hook for Bulb sale

A heavyweight Parliamentary committee has raised concerns over the amount of taxpayer money used to facilitate the sale of Bulb to Octopus. In particular, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns that there are “substantive risks” about Octopus’ ability to pay back around £3 billion of taxpayer money used to cover the cost of placing Bulb in a Special Administration Regime. Consequently, the PAC has warned that consumers could ultimately be saddled with any unrecoverable costs.

Ofgem throws weight behind locational pricing

Everflow management acquires majority stake

Electricity North West launches £7m flexibility tender

National Grid to get head start on £298m upgrade

Ofgem is set to release early construction funding (ECF) so National Grid can get a head start on its £298 million transmission upgrade in Yorkshire. The regulator has confirmed its minded-to position to approve National Grid Electricity Transmission’s ECF application which asks for up to 20% of the project’s total estimated cost.