P R E S E N T S
24
| 29TH MARCH - 4TH APRIL 2019 | UTILITY WEEK
U lity Week Live at the NEC on 21-22 May
will be exploring transi on in the sector in all
its guises. In the third of a series of monthly
reports, Nadine Buddoo turns her a en on
to regula on and asks whether is it fostering
transi on or hampering it.
REGULATION
AS A DRIVER
FOR
CHANGE
hi ing poli cal narra ves, new technologies and the
evolving role of consumers con nue to shape the
way u li es view the state of transi on across their
sectors. For u li es, drawing successful outcomes
from this period of change and uncertainty is largely dependent
on the regulatory frameworks that impact their business.
While successful regula on encourages innova on and the
prolifera on of new technologies, poorly placed regula on can
hamper innova on and benefi t no one.
According to the U lity Week Live survey, carried out by
Insight Advantage in the build-up to this year's show, just 6.4 per
cent of u li es professionals strongly agree that the regulatory
regime under which their business operates is currently fi t
for purpose. Most (29.7 per cent) neither agree nor disagree,
while 10.9 per cent strongly disagree. When asked if they have
confi dence in their sector regulator, 31.7 per cent somewhat
agree, while 10.4 per cent strongly disagree.
There is also some disparity across diff erent sectors in terms
of how much confi dence businesses have in their regulator. For
energy networks (62.5 per cent) and water companies (62.1 per
