Uncategorized

Tweet nothings

Exclusive research for Utility Week reveals that Ecotricity and British Gas are the best-performing utilities in the social media space. But Derek Eccleston says the sector as a whole needs to spread its wings

Pennon Group to leave FTSE 100

Pennon Group, parent company of South West Water, is leaving the FTSE 100 it was announced yesterday.

Davey gives go-ahead to resume shale gas ‘fracking’

Shale gas 'fracking' can resume subject to new controls to mitigate seismic risks, energy secretary Ed Davey has announced.

Thames Water: burst mains have risen by half in cold snap

The number of burst water mains across London and the Thames Valley has increased by 50 per cent since the start of December, Thames Water revealed today.

Davey calls Doha negotiations a ‘modest step forward’

Energy secretary Ed Davey has described a deal struck at the latest round of international climate change talks in Doha as a "modest step forward".

Industry questions future role of CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme

A government decision to simplify rather than scrap the unpopular CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme raises more questions than it answers, according to industry watchers.

Survey finds utilities struggle to retain future leaders despite development programmes

Only 6 per cent of utility companies in the UK believe they are "very effective" at retaining future leaders despite high levels of investment in development programmes, a survey revealed today.

EU’s Blueprint for water calls for increased metering

Member states need to develop pricing policies that promote water efficiency or miss out on

Communities share £3 million for renewable heating

A renewable heating scheme has awarded households in 38 communities a share of £3 million to install renewable heating kits such as solar water heating, water pumps and biomass boilers.

Severed gas pipe in Clackmannanshire leaves 3,500 homes off supply

Cold homes put older people’s health at risk

Illnesses connected to living in a cold home costs the NHS £1.36 billion every year, according to a report published today by Age UK.

CCS ‘could be cost competitive by 2020’

Fossil fuelled power plants fitted with carbon capture and storage could compete on cost with nuclear and renewables by 2020, according a study led by the CCS Association.

One Minute Intervew: Nigel Earnshaw, municipal operations director, Veolia Water

What was your first job? Santa’s helper in Debenhams at Christmas (quite a while ago).

Coal ain’t dead yet

While there might be a rising sun over new nuclear, the short-term future looks more likely to need the extended services of some of old warhorses to keep the lights on. Should Hitachi and EDF achieve their ambitions to build new nuclear in the UK, their plant will almost certainly not be available in time to plug the hole in the UK's generating capacity left by the expected retirement of ageing coal and nuclear power stations in 2016.

Is this the end of energy market liberalisation?