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Lockdown halts half of planned work by UKPN

Lockdown halts half of planned work by UKPN

Utility Week talks to UK Power Networks chief executive Basil Scarsella about the impact of coronavirus on the company. He discusses the effect on projects, the financial hit the company will take because of reduced demand and his pride in the dedication shown by his workforce and the wider utilities sector.

4 years ago

Warm Home Discount ‘should extend to all fuel poor households’

Opposition MPs have urged the government to widen the Warm Home Discount scheme to cover all fuel poor households for the duration of the coronavirus crisis. In a letter to business and energy secretary Alok Sharma, they also demanded “long overdue plans” for improving the energy efficiency of homes are brought forward.

4 years ago

CCC delays sixth carbon budget

The government’s climate change watchdog has pushed back the publication of its blueprint for the upcoming sixth carbon budget as it seeks to understand how the coronavirus response feeds into the net-zero journey.  

4 years ago

Suppliers ‘should be mandated to provide emergency credit’

Fuel Bank Foundation chair, Matt Cole, says the charity is seeing an increase in people who would never have otherwise needed help due to coronavirus. He is calling for government and the energy supply industry to use this opportunity to put in place a safety net for the most vulnerable customers, especially those using pre-payment meters.

4 years ago

Whitehead re-appointed to Labour’s energy brief

Alan Whitehead has retained the post of shadow energy minister in Labour’s remodelled front bench Parliamentary team. As part of the reshuffle, Whitehead’s responsibility for climate change has been split off into a separate portfolio.

4 years ago

‘No plans’ to furlough staff at major energy suppliers

Scottish Power, Bulb and Shell Energy have all told Utility Week they will not be following industry peers in furloughing staff.  EDF has said that while it continues to monitor the situation, it has not put any employees on leave. 

4 years ago

BEIS support for energy suppliers ‘could be open to abuse’

4 years ago

British Gas furloughs 3,800 staff

4 years ago

Coronavirus: Drastic action needed to prevent charging spikes

4 years ago

Coronavirus and the climate question

With COP26 postponed and the urgent need across policy, regulation and strategy to respond to coronavirus, where does that leave the decarbonisation agenda? David Blackman looks at the concerns of experts and predictions about the next steps.

4 years ago

Ed Miliband returns to Labour energy brief

Ed Miliband has been appointed the new shadow secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, replacing beaten leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey, who has moved to the education brief.

4 years ago

Regulatory No Man’s Land

In the latest of a series of articles exclusively for Utility Week members, Maxine Frerk – former Ofgem executive – asks whether the regulators have responded quickly and decisively enough on the implications of the coronavirus outbreak. As well as assessing whether their reassurances go far enough, she examines which parts of the regulatory programme could safely be put on hold.

4 years ago

Vickers: ‘Challenging’ for government to offer support direct to suppliers

Matthew Vickers, chief executive of the Energy Ombudsman, has said any government intervention in the energy supply market would be better directed at consumers rather than the retailers themselves. However, another industry expert took a differing view while stressing that suppliers would simply have to accept a dip in revenue from business customers.

4 years ago

COP26 postponed until 2021

4 years ago

Political agenda: Utilities will come under pressure to offer leeway

Utility Week policy correspondent, David Blackman, gives his weekly insight into what’s happening in the corridors of power.

4 years ago

What we can already learn from the Covid-19 crisis

With the pandemic highlighting how events in one country can have huge effects globally, we need to be more aware of the consequences of our actions on the rest of the world and feed this into our smart climate change policy, according to EUA chief executive, Mike Foster

4 years ago

Police prevent utilities staff from travelling to work

Some power station workers have been barred from driving to work by the police because they were unable to prove that they were critical staff, Utility Week has learnt. Trade bodies and union leaders have called on the government for explicit advice.

4 years ago

Most senior BEIS official moves on

The business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) department’s top official has been appointed second in command of the entire civil service.

4 years ago

Suppliers to lobby BEIS over fears of ‘debt contagion’

4 years ago

Future supplies of bioenergy feedstock ‘highly uncertain’

4 years ago

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