Utility Week

Community Going back to the future… As Britain prepares for a visit from the "combover-in-chief " himself, Donald Trump, it appears the US president's obsession with "clean coal" is under fire yet again. No pun intended. But this time it is from none other than the Terminator and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is giving Trump's energy policies a right old roasting. "So, President Trump, I know you really want to be an action hero, right?" Schwarzenegger says on a video uploaded last week to Facebook, while staring at a Trump bobblehead. "So, take it from the Termi- nator, you're only supposed to go back in time to protect future generations. But your administration attempts to go back in time to rescue the coal industry, which is actually a threat to future generations." Arnie then compares Trump's attempts to rescue the American coal industry with trying to bring back other long- forgotten treasures. "It is foolish to bring back laughable, outdated tech- nology to suit your political agenda," Schwarzenegger says. "I mean, what are you going to bring back next? Floppy disks? Fax machines? Beanie Babies? Beepers? Or Blockbuster? Think about it. What if you tried to save Blockbuster?" Disconnector has fond memories of time spent in his local Blockbuster video store, searching for classics such as Tango and Cash. As for making VHS great again, forget it! The heat is on As temperatures stay in the "can I go home now?" part of the Celsius scale, water compa- nies have been issuing advice about how households can reduce their consumption. Disconnector was particu- larly taken with the advice from Southern Water about turning off taps when one is brushing one's teeth and swapping baths for four-minute showers dur- ing the heatwave, which was seized upon by the nationals. Nothing says a tabloid headline like "four-minute shower". But being given the "heatwave" story is no laugh- ing matter when you are a journalist. Disconnector can still remember being ordered to head down to his local Sussex beach by his then local news- paper editor aer being told to "find me a front page picture of someone enjoying themselves on the beach". If you think that's a recipe for disaster, humiliation and being chased for 500m by an Alsatian who really wanted to play fetch with a young report- er's ankle, then you would be absolutely right. The physical scars healed a long time ago, but the mental scars linger. Goal for gas At the time of going to press, England remains in the grip of an unfolding drama, which threatens to engulf the very fabric of our society. No, not the World Cup! Dis- connector is talking about the Europe-wide shortage of CO2, which is causing a shortage of essentials such as beer. The subtleties of the Euro- pean food and drink supply chain are beyond Disconnec- tor's understanding, but he cannot help but think that with all this talk of cutting carbon emissions that new and previ- ously untapped sources could be found closer to home. Carbon capture and storage is thoroughly laudable, of course, but why can't these gasses be put to better use, such as ensuring the beer taps carry on flowing at the great man's local hostelry? If all else fails, Disconnector can think of a few politicians who should be hooked up to a machine and used as a source of renewable hot air. For once, they could give something back to society. Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Acting content director: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray (maternity leave); Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; News editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@ fav-house.com; Content editor: Alice Cooke, t: 01342 332102, e: alicecooke@fav-house.com; Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332116; Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e: sophieabbott@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2017 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the publishing director, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk UTILITY WEEK | 6TH - 12TH JULY 2018 | 31 CCC @theCCCuk Simple and low-cost measures to reduce emissions are currently being missed - for example onshore wind (in the power sector), insulation (buildings), and tree planting (land use and forestry) Richard Black @_richardblack Q: How many new low-carbon policy measures have ministers introduced since @theCCCuk said they needed to close the policy gap this year? A: None. Matt Finch @mattfinch00 Turns out far from being a #ManchesterCity, the UK is actually #NewcastleUnited. ie a bit of a sleeping giant that should be challenging, and could be challenging if only the board and management wanted to! #MidTableMediocrity #ClimateChange #MustTryHarder Richard Nourse @RichardHCNourse Note to @beisgovuk. All new power scenarios from @theCCCuk have a doubling of onshore wind capacity Comms_Nick @Comms_Nick Arnie for president! One of the most articulate advocates for clean energy, if you don't want to get bogged down in climate change debate the argument is easy, coal is like Blockbuster and renewables are Netflix! Duncan Carter @Duncan_E_Carter Kirsty and Phil are in the West Mids promoting 'free' smart meters. Expect most consumers dont realise meters are not free and they are paying Phil and Kirsty through their bills... Jan Rosenow @janrosenow New @IPPR report shows that it will take the UK 60 years to hit its fuel poverty targets. In one of the richest countries in the world this is scandalous. @NEA_UKCharity @uk_ace @fpeeg @FuelPovertyRN @harrimus Tom Steward @Steward_T In the Lords yesterday afternoon, apparently the CMA "does not consider itself best placed" to conduct a review of the SVT price cap. Not sure what that says for its 2-year investigation of the energy market? 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