Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 5TH - 11TH APRIL 2019 | 3 This week 4 | Seven days 6 | Inside story Brexit looks to be moving towards a soft exit 8 Policy & Regulation 8 | News CBI backs moves to avert nationalisation 11 | View from the top Angela Love, Elexon 12 | Analysis Ofwat marks down water company business plans 15 Finance & Investment 15 | News Gridserve to build 'electric forecourts' 16 Operations & Assets 16 | High viz Peel Environmental 17 | Market view Specifying a vehicle fl eet 18 | Analysis Ofgem vetoes a 600MW link to the Western Isles 20 | Event Working together to tackle cyber-threats 23 Customers 23 | News Aquafl ow 'likely' to enter liquidation 24 | Opinion Tim Pritchard, Kantar 25 | Market view Prosumers take control 26 | Market view Water resilience in Hull 26 | Market view Avoiding procurement litigation 27 | Market view Supply chain innovation in AMP7 28 | Utility Week Live Ben Earl, Southern Water 30 Community 31 | Disconnector GAS 16 | High viz Peel Environmental WATER 12 | Analysis Ofwat marks down water company business plans 23 | News Aquafl ow 'likely' to enter liquidation 26 | Market view Water resilience in Hull 27 | Market view Supply chain innovation in AMP7 28 | Utility Week Live Ben Earl, Southern Water ELECTRICITY 11 | View from the top Angela Love, Elexon 17 | Market view Specifying a vehicle fl eet 18 | Analysis Ofgem vetoes a 600MW link to the Western Isles 25 | Market view The challenges and opportunities of prosumers taking control ENERGY 6 | Inside story Brexit looks to be moving towards a soft exit 8 | News CBI backs moves to avert nationalisation 20 | Event Working together to tackle cyber-threats 23 | News Revised price cap comes into effect 24 | Opinion Tim Pritchard, Kantar DOWNLOAD: How to beat the digital disruptors at their own game https://bit.ly/2MfKXA8 See the Community section, page 30 If you are responsible for your company's outsourced or internal customer service centre we can deliver compelling cost savings to your business, with a typical rate for an FTE of just £10 per hour. 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AN APPSOLUTE MUST IFS: Sponsored report: Getting Ahead in the Diversifying Energy Market https://bit.ly/2MXkFkI Leader Suzanne Heneghan Finding Brexit's softer side Watching parliament snarled up in another bitter Brexit deadlock earlier this week, it was hard not to wonder if it was time a few utilities bosses stepped in. While the unedifying political row over Britain's membership of the EU has dragged on for almost three years, life – and work – outside the Westminster bubble has carried on for the industry. Energy and water companies have continued to make big calls on delivering lifeline services to millions of customers – despite a Beast from the East, freak droughts, a string of winter storms, relentless technological change and increasingly demanding government and regulatory targets. As one industry executive noticeably disillusioned with politi- cians put it to me this week: "I just look at parliament's lack of decision-making and know that shambles would never, ever happen in our business." As our special Brexit report (p6) reveals, utilities are striving to keep calm in the face of the ongoing uncertainty, from interconnector projects and emissions trading, to security and access to resources. Fortunately for industry, some important groundwork has been done – such as over the UK's departure from the Euratom treaty and Ofgem's modi‡ cation of rules for interconnectors to enable trade to continue – for now. The government has also worked closely with the water sector on port and customs arrangements to maintain chemical imports vital for the water supply in the event of no deal. Yet industry leaders remain "constantly vigilant" and preparing for the worst. A senior network source I spoke to this week declined to publicly join the Brexit debate but privately admitted to having "long been stockpiling hardware". Such prolonged uncertainty, said another, is "the enemy of long-term planning, con‡ dence and investment for utilities". Mean- while, one water chief executive writing recently for Utility Week called on the government to get on with the job. Taking the true temperature of an industry is never easy, but the mood music being picked up by Utility Week is that the soŒ er Brexit the House of Commons seems to be inching towards could be the best option for utilities – particularly for energy companies, where close EU alignment would do much to help an industry working across borders. We can only hope that by this time next week we will know for sure. Suzanne Heneghan, acting editor, suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com

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