Water

Wholesalers say retailers should bridge liquidity gap

Water UK, on behalf of wholesalers, has told Ofwat that water retailers should pay 70 per cent of wholesale charges to ensure liquidity remains in the market. As part of Ofwat's consultation to find an enduring solution during coronavirus the group urged the regulator to avoid any moves that could disrupt the market's stability.

S&P keeping close eye on utilities’ access to debt

Matan Benjamin, director of infrastructure ratings for the utility sector at S&P Global Ratings, talks to Utility Week about how coronavirus has impacted utilities companies' short-term liquidity, and his view that investor perceptions of the industry will be key in the near future.

Re-writing the EdStone: What does Miliband’s return really mean?

Former Labour leader and DECC secretary Ed Miliband made a surprise return to his old brief when he was appointed to Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet. But what influence will he have and how have his years in the political wilderness changed his thinking on energy issues? David Blackman talks to former colleagues - and adversaries - of Miliband about his views on decarbonisation, energy prices, nationalisation and what approach he is likely to take in holding the government to account.

Submissions invited on CMA appeals

The CMA has asked for submissions relating to the redetermination of business plans for Anglian, Bristol, Northumbrian and Yorkshire. Customers, the water sector and other stakeholders are all invited to comment.

Thames Water appoints new CEO

Thames Water has announced Severn Trent’s Sarah Bentley as its new chief executive – almost a year after Steve Robertson left the role. Bentley, who is currently chief customer officer at Severn Trent, will start in the autumn on an annual salary of £750,000 – an increase from her predecessor’s £610,000 basic salary in 2018/19.

Increased consumption could be ‘tipping point’ for water capacity

The public health advice to wash hands for 20 seconds to help protect against coronavirus could mean additional water consumption of 10 litres per day for every person in the UK, an expert has claimed. Waterscan’s Barry Millar said this will cause serious problems for water-stressed parts of the UK if lockdown is extended into the summer.

Utility Week launches Keeping Us Connected

Tideway resumes work

Work has resumed on the Thames Tideway project this week after drilling was paused due to the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, the company behind the project has been awarded a 74 ESG score by S&P, highlighting the environmental benefits of the finished project.

Identifying hidden vulnerable customers

Even before the coronavirus, understanding which of their customers would come under the broad umbrella of “vulnerable” was a key challenge for utilities companies. Here data specialist Mike Fox looks at ways companies can use their own data to search out difficult-to-identify vulnerabilities.

On the Move: Ovo Energy chair appointed

Former Burberry executive Stacey Cartwright is to head up the Ovo Energy board. Meanwhile, Thames has welcomed a director from Sydney Water, David Black has a new role at Ofwat and Electricity North West has created an HR director position. Utility Week presents a round-up of appointments from across the sector.

Utilities workers to get priority for virus testing

The government has extended the professions able to access coronavirus testing to include utilities workers.

Weekend press round-up: Energy suppliers warned to be lenient on struggling customers

Reports in the national newspapers this weekend included more commentary on the impact of coronavirus on the energy supply market. There was also speculation on the number of sector jobs likely to be affected by the crisis and a report on how National Grid is responding to the pandemic.

A memorandum for transformation

Seven Days: Top Utility Week stories for w/c 13 April

As part of our enhanced coverage during the coronavirus lockdown, we present a review of the key news stories this week. These include concerns over ‘acts of god’ clauses in contracts, divisions emerging in the energy supply market’s lobbying efforts to government and the impact of the lockdown on networks.

‘Don’t give water firms a free pass for failure’