Utility Week

"The NIC report was pretty much out of date as soon as it was published… Net zero changes the dynamic and debate about how we decarbonise electricity." Nuclear Industries Association chief executive Tom Greatrex on the NIC's assertion that the UK only needs one more nuclear power plant UTILITY WEEK | 11TH - 17TH OCTOBER 2019 | 5 Climate change activists brought some streets and bridges in central London to a complete standstill as they began two weeks of protests. At the time of going to press, more than 300 people had already been arrested. The group says the protests in the capital were five times bigger than similar events in April, which saw more than 1,000 people arrested. ENERGY Missing energy white paper is still coming The energy white paper promised by the government in November is still coming, according to a policy expert at the Confederation of Brit- ish Industry (CBI). Tanisha Beebee, senior policy adviser for energy and climate change at the CBI, was speaking at a media briefing hosted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. Beebee told reporters the organi- sation had recently been assured by the new energy and clean growth minister Kwasi Kwarteng that the long-awaited document has sur- vived the departure of former prime minister Theresa May and will be published in late 2019 or early 2020. She suspected that it may be released alongside the National Infrastructure Strategy, which is also expected in early 2020. Beebee said its continued absence has frustrated businesses, which are hungry for insight into the government's plans for decarbonisation. Book your table now The Utility Week Awards 2019 have had a record- breaking number of entries, plus a 48 per cent increase in companies. Tables are filling up fast, so make sure you book today for the best seats on the night: https://utilityweekawards.co.uk 80% The Future Homes Standard due in 2025 will reduce the carbon emissions of new-build homes by 75-80 per cent, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. ENERGY No 'blank cheques' for decarbonisation Ofgem chairman Martin Cave has warned that the energy regulator will not write any "blank cheques" for low carbon projects as the UK moves to decarbonise its economy. In a speech at its State of the Energy Market event in London last week, Cave discussed the annual report's findings, including future costs around decarbonisation. Specifically, he said offloading the costs of decarbonisation on to vulnerable consumers would "undermine" the public support needed to tackle climate change. "Whether it's for power generation, transport or heat, we will only support proposals which offer the best value, most effective and fastest route to decarbonisa- tion," he said. "We won't be writing blank cheques." ENERGY Kwarteng promises to investigate energy costs Energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng has pledged to examine the balance between the electricity costs being paid by industry and householders. At a fringe meeting last week at the Conservative party confer- ence, organised by the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, he said he wanted to look at the relatively expensive cost of energy for UK business. "The cost of electricity in Germany is much lower for industry and higher for consumers: that's something we need to look at," he said, citing a key conclusion of the Helm review of energy costs, published in 2017. Kwarteng also said he had commissioned work from within the department about potential pathways to reaching the net zero target aœer taking over the energy portfolio this summer. See conference analysis, p10

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