Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 13TH - 19TH JULY 2018 | 11 Policy & Regulation This week EV charge points 'for all new homes' Government strategy for phasing out petrol and diesel engines considers mandating charge points Electric charging points could be made mandatory on new housing developments under the government's blueprint for encouraging the mass switch to electric vehicles (EVs). In its Road to Zero paper, published this week, the Depart- ment for Transport (DfT) set out steps for implementing the government's pledge to phase out the sale of diesel and petrol cars, vans and motorcycles by 2040 (except for heavy goods vehicles). The paper includes a plan to consult "as soon as pos- sible" on introducing a requirement "where appropri- ate" for charge point infrastructure when new dwellings are built in England. The consultation will consider how this can be done in the "most cost-effective way" while meeting the wider objective to boost housing supply. In built-up areas where off-street parking is not avail- able, the DfT said it wanted all new street lamp posts to include charge points. The government said it would also consult on amend- ing building regulations to require charging provision in offices and supermarkets. Energy UK's chief executive Lawrence Slade wel- comed the strategy but expressed disappointment that the government had not set a more ambitious timescale for phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles. David Smith, chief executive of Energy Networks Association, welcomed the strategy's recognition of the important role energy networks will play in delivering the government's clean transport goals. DB GAS CMA takes action against Daligas The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has taken action against gas provider Dali- gas for failing to provide pricing information to small business customers. A statement by the CMA said it had issued legal directions to the London-based company aer it breached a previous order to address the issue. The Energy Market Inves- tigation (Microbusinesses) Order 2016 requires all energy companies supplying microbusi- nesses to provide an online tool allowing them to access accurate energy quotes to compare with other firms, and potentially switch to a better deal. It said more than 20 firms offering energy to that market segment were already complying with the order, issued as part of the CMA's investigation into the energy market. Daligas, it said, had failed to respond to several reminders to meet this require- ment. WATER Tor Water gets retail licence Tor Water has been granted a water supply and sewerage licence, and has revealed plans to expand beyond the South West to other areas of the UK. Director Jiro Wilson told Utility Week's sister title Water. Retail the company was "over the moon" about being granted its licence. "We are waiting on MOSL to complete their side of things, but otherwise we are ready to put this boat in the water," he said. "To start with we are targeting the South West, it's our own turf and where we are most comfort- able. In time we will grow and cover other areas across the UK." ELECTRICITY Ofgem clears WPD for smart meter data Ofgem has given the all-clear to Western Power Distribution (WPD) to access half-hourly con- sumption data from domestic smart meter customers. The regulator approved a data privacy plan submitted by WPD setting out its proposed arrangements for collecting, processing and storing the information. It will be allowed to request the data on a monthly basis via the Data and Communications Company. The information, covering a period of less than one month, will initially be attributable to individual meters but then quickly aggregated and anonymised. The unanonymised information will be "ephem- eral", meaning it is "never stored to disk, and ceases to exist as soon as it is processed". EVs: charging infrastructure is key Political Agenda David Blackman "Clark chalks up a victory on hybrid vehicles" It's safe to say that the political world's attention on Monday wasn't focused on the launch of the government's strategy to phase out combustion engine vehicles. This was despite the presence at the event of two cabinet ministers, business and transport secretaries Greg Clark and Chris Grayling. At least they turned up though, unlike Boris Johnson, who snubbed a conference of Balkans foreign ministers who had come to London, while talists, marks a fresh cabinet victory for Clark to add to his success in emerging on the winning side in the much more profound row over the nature of the UK's post-Brexit trading relationship with the EU. A few months ago, Clark nar- rowly escaped being sacked from the cabinet in Theresa May's January reshuffle. Things can change rapidly given the current unstable nature of politics, but this week it looks like the quiet man of BEIS is back with a roar. mulling over whether he wanted to remain foreign secretary. Like the railways, which have been Grayling's biggest recent headache at the Department for Transport, the Road to Zero paper has been heavily delayed. The main bone of contention has been resistance within gov- ernment to the idea of including hybrid cars and vans in the 2040 ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles. BEIS was concerned that excluding hybrids would be bad news for a UK car industry already deeply concerned about the impact of Brexit. The hybrids decision, while disappointing for environmen-

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