Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 28TH JUNE - 4TH JULY 2019 | 5 United Utilities has recruited seven former military personnel to drive its new fleet of water tankers, which are deployed to pump water into networks to keep the taps flowing after a pipe burst or leak. The water company has hired a total of 30 new drivers after it added 19 water on wheels tankers to its 49-strong fleet. The new recruits have all been taken on as regional response controllers and include serving reservists and former army, navy and air force personnel. ELECTRICITY Zero-carbon generation to overtake fossil fuels this year This year zero-carbon energy sources will overtake fossil fuels to generate more of Great Brit- ain's electricity for the first time, National Grid has forecast. In the first five months of 2019, nearly 48 per cent of generation came from zero- carbon sources – wind, solar, nuclear, hydro and storage – compared with almost 47 per cent from coal and gas. National Grid expects zero-carbon gen- eration to remain on top over the full year. ENERGY Centrica to press on with job cuts British Gas owner Centrica has confirmed it plans to cut around 700 management and back office jobs. The move is part of the com- pany's "transformation" announced in February 2018, which is expected to reduce staff numbers by 4,000. The price cap on retail energy prices, combined with customer departures and "fierce competi- tion", were cited as reasons. A "full consultation" process will take place over the next 45 days. The GMB union hit back at the news, arguing that British Gas cannot "cut its way out of a crisis". Centrica said it had been deliver- ing "efficiencies" throughout 2018 and this year. A spokesperson for the supplier said: "As part of our ongoing trans- formation – announced in February 2018 – today (19 June) we have communicated further proposed changes to some of our colleagues. The roles potentially affected are in management layers and back office functions." Justin Bowden, GMB national secretary, said: "Centrica's still fall- ing share price tells you everything you need to know about the state of the company and how it has been run over the past few years." "Reaching net zero will require strong and coherent economic incentives to reduce emissions and spur innovation across all sectors, particularly how we heat buildings" Energy Systems Catapult head of markets, policy and regulation, George Day, speaking as the organisation published a report outlining how the current situation is "far removed from the textbook ideal of economy-wide carbon pricing and constrains low-carbon innovation". "With the 2050 net zero target being put into law, it's more important than ever to get the fundamentals of our new energy system right" David Smith, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, commenting on Great Britain's electricity networks agreement to uphold a list of six principles while rolling out new markets for flexibility services. 14% The energy sector has been rated second only to retail in terms of customer complaints in the sixth annual Consumer Action Monitor from the Ombudsman Services, which revealed that 14 per cent of respondents had an active complaint about an energy company. 102 Number of turbines installed so far at the East Anglia One offshore wind farm off the coast of Suffolk.

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