Autumn axe falls
The government has been busy this week, and the axe has fallen on early subsidy certainty for renewables projects in the early stages of development. On Wednesday government said it would remove pre-accreditation for projects applying for support through the Feed-in Tariff scheme, effectively blocking developers from securing an agreed subsidy rate before costly permitting applications and construction begin.
The government also rejected a number of windfarm projects, with plans for 360MW of Welsh wind being turned down, as were proposals for a 970MW offshore windfarm due to concerns over the visual impact to the Dorset and Isle of Wight coastlines.
Eon joined in the week of cuts by announcing it was axing its plans to offload its nuclear assets to spin-off company Uniper as the German government moves to close a legal loophole.
Boil water issues bubble on
Wessex Water was the latest water company to have to issue a boil water notice this week, imposing restrictions on 250 households in Somerset. A trace amount of bacteria was found in a routine water quality sample at Bratton Seymour reservoir, which was drained and cleaned, allowing the notice to be lifted three days later.
The restrictions were not linked to cryptosporidium, which blighted United Utilities last month. However, there was some good news for UU, as the company’s share price jumped 6 per cent in the last two weeks, boosted by fresh takeover talk.
Corbyn’s ‘crude and calculated crusade’
As the wait for the new Labour leader comes to an end on Saturday, the former shadow energy minister warns that Jeremy Corbyn’s energy plans should not be dismissed, should he be unveiled as the new party leader. Writing exclusively for Utility Week, Tom Greatrex says the industry should not dismiss the “alarming” calls of Jeremy Corbyn to renationalise the sector.
Water Market Quarterly
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