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Energy suppliers grilled on direct debit practices

Energy retailers have been given three weeks to provide Ofgem with information relating to their direct debit activities, the business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed. It comes after the regulator’s chief executive Jonathan Brearley expressed concerns that some suppliers may have been increasing direct debit payments by more than is necessary or directing customers to tariffs that may not be in their best interest.

3 years ago

WPD pays £14.9m in redress for failing vulnerable customers

3 years ago

Tunnelling completed on Thames Tideway

3 years ago

CfDs for existing generators could reduce energy bills

3 years ago

Ofgem to reduce distribution connection charges

3 years ago

CCW launches credit protection campaign for businesses

CCW has launched a campaign to support water retailers to tell their customers about any credit accrued on their account and inform them of the risks as well as benefits of advance payments. The watchdog wants all business customers to be aware that in the event of retailer failure they could lose their money and will offer a communication toolkit to spread the word effectively.

3 years ago

In pictures: chainsaw-wielding roadworks robot set for trial

3 years ago

Weekend press round-up: Hinkley Point B could be spared imminent closure

As the government rushes to secure the UK's energy supplies whilst weaning the country off Russian gas, there are reports that EDF's Hinkley Point B nuclear power station could be spared from imminent closure and that ministers are in talks with South Korea to help build the series of new nuclear plants promised by the prime minister. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have released figures showing raw sewage was discharged into English bathing waters more than 25,000 times in 2021. This and more in Utility Week's latest round up of the weekend papers.

3 years ago

BEIS extends compensation scheme for energy intensive industries

3 years ago

Ofgem redistributes £384,000 of recovered RO payments

3 years ago

Ofwat proposes new approach to resilience monitoring

Ofwat has proposed a new approach to monitoring and regulating operational resilience as it takes a longer-term view of sector-wide challenges. The regulator said this will include asking water companies to report on a series of new measures covering asset health, unplanned maintenance and equipment failures that will eventually be consolidated into an “integrated monitoring framework”.

3 years ago

ESO vets stalled connection bids to ease grid bottlenecks

3 years ago

Government risks missing carbon removal goal, MPs warn

The chair of Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has expressed a lack of confidence that the government will meet its target for the roll out greenhouse gas removal technologies. Based on the current rate of progress, Philip Dunne MP said it requires a “leap of faith” to see how the government will achieve its goal to suck five megatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year by 2030.

3 years ago

Octopus acquires stake in Lincs offshore wind farm

3 years ago

Major disparity in fuel poverty across English regions

3 years ago

Leakage and wastewater emissions focus for innovation winners

3 years ago

Only 10% of customers intend to ask supplier for owed credit balances

3 years ago

Energy efficiency is security strategy’s ‘biggest gap’- Carney

Demand reduction is the “biggest gap” in the government’s recently published energy security strategy, Mark Carney has said. The United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance also backed a suggestion by his Bank of England predecessor Lord King for a more widespread rollout of carbon taxes.

3 years ago

Rudd ‘surprised’ by ministers’ lack of fresh steps on energy bills

Former secretary of state for energy and climate change Amber Rudd has said she is “very surprised” that the government has not taken more action to tackle unaffordable energy bills, predicting the pressure to do will become “unstoppable” this autumn.

3 years ago

‘Continued strain’ of price cap takes toll on Scottish Power profits

Scottish Power's retail arm has recorded a £12 million loss for the first quarter of 2022, with the company citing the price cap methodology as causing a strain on earnings. The company, which at the end of March served 4.8 million customers, said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by £118 million, or 111.5% year-on-year.

3 years ago