Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 7TH - 13TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | 5 ENERGY Octopus acquires Affect Energy Mid-tier green energy supplier Octopus Energy has bought West Sussex-based Affect Energy for an undisclosed seven-figure sum. The deal will see Octopus take on Affect's 22,000 customers. It marks the third "significant deal" for the company in as many months. Octopus recently took on the 95,000 customers of insolvent Iresa, and it also formed a strategic part- nership with M&S Energy, following the departure of SSE. Affect Energy is a 100 per cent renewable supplier, founded in 2016, and claims a consistent 9.5 out of 10 rating on TrustPilot. Octopus said it would retain Affect Energy's operations team. Affect has 20 staff, 17 of whom will transfer to Octopus while three senior managers, will take on con- sultancy roles. Scottish Water has revealed that it had to temporarily suspend work on a £24 million "strategic water main" serving 85,000 people in parts of North Ayrshire to avoid disturbing some breeding sand martins. Pipe-laying work was stopped after the birds nested on both banks of an excavation housing a dewatering system, used to drain the ground of water, on a flood plain near the Garrier Burn at Drybridge. 26235  3 September 2018 10:00 AM  Proof 9 01 www.water.org.uk Investment £ Water and Sewerage Bills Customers Receiving Help Supply Interruptions Leakage The Environment Business Plans Companies have consulted 5.3M in real terms spend across next five years A 13% increase from current period £ £ £ £ £ = by more than 4% By 2025, companies plan to help Technology and innovation to reduce water leaked by Domestic bills to fall on average A 36% decrease in the time that supplies are interrupted £50BN 8000km of river improvements, benefitting people and wildlife, and £ + £ £ £ = £ Highlights customers 1.4M customers 461M litres every day That's more than a 16% reduction 98% bathing water areas are expected to meet tough European standards Over to come up with the best ideas each year with their water bills, an increase of around 90% Water UK Manifesto Campaign 2018.indd 1 03/09/2018 10:23:47 Water UK published its Manifesto for Water on 3 September as water companies submitted their busi- ness plans for PR19 to Ofwat. The trade body revealed the water industry plans to spend more than £50 billion between 2020 and 2025. (See Ofwat story, p4, and Water UK news, p15). £56m The UK contribution to a World Bank-backed battery storage fund for South Africa, announced by Theresa May. "A precedent has been set with Ofgem extending the small generator discount a number of times due to the lack of an enduring solution" Millennium Wind Energy has proposed an extension to the discount on transmission charges currently available to some small-scale generators in Scotland. source: Water UK "Our ambition goes above and beyond any targets set by regulators" Northumbrian Water Group's new water director, Dr Eliane Algaard, says the company wants to be a "game changer" when it comes to tackling leakage.

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