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Tackling the Trilemma

Examining the frictions between decarbonisation, security of supply and affordability - across both energy and water. An ongoing series of content from Utility Week.

Editor's picks

Octopus CEO slams grid monopoly
Greg Jackson has hit out at the monopolistic nature of the UK electricity grid. The Octopus Energy chief executive described the grid as a source of “phenomenal frustration” for firms involved in renewable generation, interconnection and battery storage and called for competition in electricity transmission.
News
Every day a greener day
Ahead of the so-called Green Day splurge of net-zero policy announcements, energy expert Tom Lowe highlights areas where action is urgently needed to fast-track the energy transition. Focussing on the decarbonisation of heat, he calls for a regulatory and policy framework to be set out that removes uncertainty, actively supports the transition and gets out of the way of delivery.
Opinion
Shared PSR to go live at end of March
A shared priority services register will finally launch at the end of March in what is being billed as “the biggest single breakthrough in PSR data sharing in over a decade”. Vulnerability expert Steve Crabb, who has been advising on the project, told Utility Week that in almost all areas of England and Wales water companies and electricity distribution network operators would hit the deadline of 31 March to share their data on vulnerable customers.
News

Latest in Tackling the Trilemma

Cadent to give hydrogen villagers option to stay on gas
Cadent has pledged that if its Whitby hydrogen village pilot is chosen to go ahead, residents will be offered the choice to take part or remain on natural gas. The gas network's director of strategy Angie Needle told Utility Week this would involve laying parallel pipes and discontinuing the offer to fund electrification of heat as an alternative to hydrogen.
News
Fivefold increase in grid consents required, NIC warns
The rate at which transmission projects are granted planning consent must increase fivefold in order to deliver the government’s 2035 target to decarbonise the electricity system, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has warned in its latest annual progress report.
News
Ministers rule out low-carbon generation levy tax breaks
The government has rejected offering renewable generators similar tax breaks to those introduced for the gas and oil windfall profits levy. It argued that renewables deployment is already supported through a range of other policy levers. Calls for a share of revenues from the levy on fossil fuel companies to be earmarked for energy efficiency have also been quashed.
News
Heat pump stats alleviate cold weather performance fears
Concerns that heat pumps do not perform well in cold weather have been “put to bed”, according to Marc Brown, business leader for homes at Energy Systems Catapult. Brown’s comments come following the publication of interim heat pump performance data which shows heat pumps to be three times more efficient than gas boilers.
News
CfD budget ‘sends the wrong investment signals’
The government has set a budget of £205 million for the first annual Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round. However, groups including RenewableUK and the Marine Energy Council have been critical of the way funds are being allocated, saying the budget and parameters are "too low and too tight" to unlock the necessary investment.
News
EDF and Drax rule out using back-up coal plants next winter
EDF and Drax have categorically ruled out extending the life of coal units which were kept on standby as part of this year’s winter contingency plans. Both operators told Utility Week that using their units again next winter was impossible, just hours after National Grid Electricity System Operator outlined its intention to begin negotiations for contract extensions.
News
Ofgem considers rolling over gas price controls
The energy regulator has suggested introducing a two-year interim price control for gas distribution networks from 2026. Ofgem cited existential uncertainties facing the gas sector, namely the scale of hydrogen conversion and the role of green gas in decarbonising heat, as potentially requiring a “simplified short-term” price control before choosing an appropriate form of long-term regulation.
News
Central heating use plummets as public seeks alternatives
A government survey reveals a 21% decrease in the number of people using gas central heating as the main means of heating their homes. It has led industry experts and fuel poverty charities to raise concerns about affordability, health and the environment.  
News
Grid connection amnesty suffers from low uptake
Uptake of the National Grid’s connection ‘amnesty’ has been lower than expected, the company’s transmission chief has admitted. The deadline for customers to submit expressions for the amnesty has already been extended to the end of April but at the moment firms have shown little interest in giving up their connection offers.
News
Weeks left to spend remaining £95m boiler upgrade funding
Almost two-thirds of the £150 million boiler upgrade scheme (BUS) funding risks being lost at the end of this month. The remaining amount far outweighs the £43.6 million of BUS vouchers redeemed since the scheme was established in April last year. Any money left in the fund will be returned to government at the end of the month.
News
ESO puts back-up coal plants to work for first time this winter
Two coal units were put into action on Tuesday (7 March) evening for the first time as part of National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO)’s winter contingency plans. But concerns have been raised that coal was chosen over demand flexibility as the emergency measure of choice.
News
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