Utility Week

4 | 31ST MAY - 6TH JUNE 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Seven days... Church of Scotland sticks with fossil fuels More than 70 Church of Scotland delegates – including the outgoing moderator the Very Rev Susan Brown – have formally lodged their frustration at the decision of its general assembly not to divest from fossil fuels, with advocates describing Wednesday's vote as "an embarrassing abdication of moral leadership". A counter-motion to disinvest from oil and gas companies by 2020 was narrowly defeated. The Guardian, 22 May Saudi Arabia to buy US natural gas Saudi Arabia is planning to buy large volumes of American natural gas for the first time, signalling a new strategy for its state-owned company Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco has reached a preliminary agreement with Sempra Energy to buy five million metric tons of liquefied natural gas a year for 20 years, the companies said last week. The Saudi energy giant has pre- viously indicated it wants to invest in the US, where shale drilling has produced a glut of cheap gas. New York Times, 22 May Nigeria blackouts The fact that even the Power, Works & Housing Ministry cannot secure a reliable electricity supply from the national grid is a consequence of decades of under-investment by the state. For critics of the government, it is proof of president Muhammadu Buhari's failure to fulfil his promise to bolster Nigeria's decrepit infra- structure. As it begins a second term this month, supporters and critics alike say Buhari must intensify efforts to fix the power shortages that make Nigeria one of the least electrified countries in the world per capita and serve as a brake on Africa's largest economy. The Financial Times, 28 May National media Thames Water CEO Steve Robertson steps down S teve Robertson has stepped down as chief executive of Thames Water with imme- diate effect. Ian Marchant, who has been independent chair since Janu- ary 2018, will become interim executive chair until a new chief executive is appointed. Thames Water said Robertson will remain an employee until 30 June to "ensure an orderly tran- sition", working with Marchant. The company said the search process for his replacement is under way. Utility Week understands the decision was mutual. Both Robertson and the company "felt this was the right time" for new leadership to take on the operational and delivery challenges for the next regula- tory period – 2020-25. He was appointed chief executive in September 2016, and told Utility Week in an inter- view last year that he was in it for the long haul. At the time, he said he had no regrets taking on the role, although he admitted he was "perplexed" when he was first approached for the job. In the interview, he said: "One of the things with infra- structure businesses is that you have to be very suspicious of people who come in, wave a big flag, have a short-term impact, and disappear again. It's not that sort of business." The company says it has "successfully transformed" in a challenging environment and built strong foundations to deliver its strategy. Marchant said Robertson had done "a great job leading the company through significant change, putting the building blocks in place for its long-term success". Robertson said it had been a "privilege" to lead the company. He thanked "all those I have worked with, both inside and outside the company". KP "We have to stop seeing the rollout as something mandated… it's an opportunity to engage with efficiency" Katie Russell, Ovo Energy's head of data and analytics, responding to a question at Utility Week Live about how the industry should get more energy customers on board for the smart meter rollout. STORY BY NUMBERS UK bathing water quality tested The Environ- ment Agency has resumed seasonal water quality testing at more than 400 popular swim- ming spots. 97.9% Percentage of bathing waters in England that meet the agency's tough standards, the results from last year showed. 388 Number of locations that achieved a rating of excellent or good. 28% Proportion of sites in the early 1990s that would have met the highest standards today. £2.5bn Amount invested by water compa- nies in projects aimed at improv- ing water quality at swimming beaches.

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