Utility Week

Community Hitting a bum note As the nights draw in and autumn turns into winter, a man's thoughts – and many a water company chief executive's – naturally turn to fatbergs, and the difficulty of getting rid of them. Fortunately, help is at hand in the shape of Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, who has joined forces with the City to Sea cam- paign to make a stand against the use of wet wipes and their damaging impact on the planet in a new YouTube video. The short film sees Serkis (who played Gollum in the films) take on the role of an animated talking anus, quite literally, to encourage people to make a change in their hobbits, sorry, habits. "All across the news we are seeing people take a stand to look a…er our planet," said Serkis. "It's time we all start taking responsibility for our actions, and that starts with being a good a**hole. It's only one tiny change we can all make which goes a long way in protecting our oceans." There are many jokes about actors talking out of their backsides, but seeing as this is a worthy cause, Disconnector will refrain from repeating them just this once. Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Content director: Jane Gray, janegray@fav-house.com, t: 01342 333004; Editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Digital editor: James Wallin, 01342 332015, jameswallin@fav-house.com; Intelligence editor: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@ fav-house.com; Reporter: Adam John, t: 01342 332069, e: adamjohn@fav-house.com; Water correspondent: Ruth Williams, e: ruthwilliams@fav-house.com, t: 01342 332069 Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332116; Business development executive: Sarah Wood, e: sarahwood@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332117 Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e: sophieabbott@fav-house.com; General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2018 Membership subscriptions: UK £769+VAT per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), the regulator of the UK's magazine and newspaper industry. We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact the Editor. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you want more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk. Perhaps Northern Powergrid could come up with something suitably space age for its silent fleet? Or get David Hasselhoff to drive them around? Now that would be cool. Gin o'clock The great nationalisation debate is never far from the front pages, and this week was given impetus by a CBI report that said bring- ing utilities back into public hands could cost £196 billion. Disconnector has been fol- lowing the discussion with a keen eye and is starting to won- der if this could herald a return to other work practices long since consigned to the desktop trash bin of history. Tea trolleys used to be a regular feature of office life and Disconnector would like to start a one-man campaign to get this particular institution reinstated. He can clearly remember refresh- ments being served promptly at 10.30 in the morning and 3.00 in the a…ernoon in the smoke-filled newsrooms of yesteryear. One illustrious title, which recently vacated its premises in Covent Garden, even used to have a Friday a…ernoon trolley that allegedly involved almost- lethal servings of gin and tonic. On second thoughts, maybe communal kitchens and coffee machines are not such a bad idea, a…er all… Noises off Over the years, Disconnector has written about all kinds of power, from political to renew- able, but a press release from Northern Powergrid announc- ing a "silent power" trial was a new one, even for this hack. Northern Powergrid has teamed up with Hyperdrive Innovation and Offgrid Energy for the "silent power project", where electric vans with onboard energy storage systems will be sent out to restore power for vulnerable customers instead of using portable diesel generators. The company says one van can power up to three homes or a small community centre for up to 24 hours, or more if the homes have solar PV. Disconnector likes the idea of silent power, although is worried some people may feel they are missing out without the sound of a loud generator keeping them up all night. When EVs were first launched, some people voiced similar concerns and manu- facturers had to add futuris- tic engine noises into some models, so other motorists and pedestrians knew they were approaching. Sadly, Disconnector's preferred sound – that of 1980s supercar KITT in Knight Rider – never came to fruition. UTILITY WEEK | 18TH - 24TH OCTOBER 2019 | 31 Drink for victory Regular readers will know that Disconnector is fond of a swi… one or two, particularly when the beer is brewed in an envi- ronmentally friendly manner. So the great man was heartened to hear the news this week that Carlsberg has unveiled plans to make the world's first "paper" beer bottle, made from sustainably sourced wood fibres. According to the PR blurb, the Danish beer giant has developed two prototypes, one using a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, and the other a 100 per cent bio-based PEF polymer film barrier. The ultimate ambition is to create a 100 per cent bio-based bottle without polymers. However, all this talk of "paper" beer bottles has got Disconnector scratching his follicly challenged head. Surely, glass beer bottles are already widely recycled? Cans certainly are. Disconnector does like to regale the regulars down the Dog and Duck with the statistic that some beer cans contain aluminium, which was first mined 150 years ago. He also has a few bottles of stout under the staircase, which are of a similar vintage – but that's another story.

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