Utility Week

4 | 5TH - 11TH OCTOBER 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Seven days... Cardiff doctor helps ease Iraqi crisis illness An Iraqi doctor who settled in Cardiff is to visit his home country to help those caught up in a water crisis. For months residents in Basra have been protesting over a lack of clean water, interrupted electricity supply, rising unemployment and corruption. Dr Laith Al-Rubaiy said there were 17,000 hospital cases of diarrhoeal illness, up from 1,500 two months ago. He already runs a mobile clinic there and also hopes to treat people via Skype when he is back in Wales. BBC News, 30 September Victoria renewables jobs set to boom The renewable energy construction boom in Victoria, Australia, is on track to create more than 6,000 jobs a year, according to a new analysis. As of August 2018, large-scale wind and solar projects under construc- tion in Victoria had created 5,169 job years of employment – meaning one person working full time for one year – overtaking Queensland with 5,156, according to an analysis by Green Energy Markets released by GetUp on Tuesday. The Guardian, 1 October Failure to switch costs Irish consumers €300 Consumers in Ireland could save as much as €300 a year simply by switching their electricity and gas providers, new research has identi- fied. The research, commissioned by the energy regulator, also found most householders do not realise that they must be told when their electricity or gas contract comes to an end. People who have signed up for a discount offer have to be informed by their supplier that the deal has ended and they will return to much higher standard energy tariffs. Irish Independent, 2 October STORY BY NUMBERS National media Philip Hammond calls for review of utility regulation P hilip Hammond has announced a review of utility regulation, which could see the creation of a single regulator covering gas, water and energy. The chancellor has commis- sioned the National Infrastruc- ture Commission (NIC) to carry out an independent study of the telecoms, energy and water regulators. The review is part of a package of measures that the Treasury said would support businesses to boost skills, growth and prosperity in the new economy. At a fringe meeting organised by Centrica at the Conserva- tive party conference this week (2 October), junior Treasury minister Robert Jenrick MP, said: "We've asked the NIC to work with us on how to improve regu- lation and what are the range of options across industries to make them more consumer focused and inject more compe- tition." He said that among the "radical options" that might be considered are creating a single regulator across "all industries to ensure that all sectors work together and are more nimble and flexible". Jenrick, who holds the post of exchequer secretary, added that the utilities regulators should be "much more front-footed" in responding to changing pres- sures on consumers. He said the review was also designed to respond to Labour pressure to restore public owner- ship over the utilities. The exercise will look at how to "renew the model of privatisa- tion of utilities so that it retains and regains public confidence, so we can win that battle of ideas and how we can have smarter regulation to stay fleet of foot as new technologies come on board. "The UK can lead the world on having good smart regulation that is flexible and fit for the time." A spokesperson for Ofwat said: "We are looking forward to working with the National Infra- structure Commission and other regulators on this important review." DB Hinkley Point on track EDF Energy says Hinkley Point C is on track to meet its next major milestone in 2019. The project began in 2016 and is the first nuclear power plant to be built in the UK in over 20 years. 4,500 Number of tonnes the concrete platform that will form a base for the reactor buildings will weigh. 3.2GW Planned capacity of the Somerset plant when operational. 750 Metres of underground concrete galleries that have been installed. 500m Length of the jetty been built to import aggregates by sea. £10.6bn Value of contracts awarded. See High Viz, p18 "The effect could be that vulnerable customers pay more than under the original price cap" Shadow energy minister Alan Whitehead warns that higher bills for the most hard-up customers could be a "perverse outcome" of the price cap.

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