Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 13TH - 19TH DECEMBER 2019 | 3 This week 4 | seven days 6 | Review of the year A dramatic year for utilities 12 | election 2019 Utility Week's calls to action for the new administration 14 | election 2019 Comment: Andrew Lidbetter 15 Policy & Regulation 15 | News Regulator minded to let Shell recoup costs 16 | View from the top Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary, Prospect 17 | Utility of the Future An interview with Emily Keaney, director of the UKRN 18 | h3O: The service ethic Water companies seek to re- establish a public service ethos 20 | Market view What the next Energy White Paper must contain 23 Finance & Investment 23 | News New owners to take full control of ENW 24 Operations & Assets 24 | high viz Nissan transforms an EV Leaf into a Christmas tree 25 | expert view Mike Wilks, Capgemini 26 | Roundtable These are challenging times for challenger energy companies 28 | Market view Integrate systems to beef up security 29 Customers 29 | News Survey: awareness of price cap is falling 30 Community 31 | Disconnector Mando: Improving experiences for vulnerable customers https://bit.ly/361toNK 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. Synergy operates an established Contact Centre in a modern and thriving part of Durban, South Africa employing experienced and highly educated staff. We already successfully work with a number of UK utilities across a range of services: If you would like to see our operation for yourself we can fly you, at our cost, to South Africa. Here we will give you a full tour of our facilities, a presentation on how we work and access to our professional teams. For further information please contact steve.cripwell@synergyoutsourcingltd.co.uk / 020 7932 4171 or toby.selves@synergyoutsourcingltd.co.uk / 020 7932 4116 BaseC: DNOs need tried and tested cabling systems they can rely on https://bit.ly/33Wyzyv https://bit.ly/33Wyzyv Leader Suzanne Heneghan Election promises to the North must be kept As the results of Election 2019 sink in, it's likely Brexit will be hogging the spotlight. But other policy issues will be vying for attention too – not least, what next for the North? Regional growth and devolution ended up becoming a major political football on this campaign trail, with the North of England in particular proving a key battleground. There was a ra‚ of vote-chasing pledges made about much-needed critical infrastructure investment. And there will be huge pressure on the new administration to deliver. The regions will play a vital role in Britain's future prosperity and clean growth. And energy and water companies, and their customers, will be slap bang at the heart of it. As a result, the utilities sector has already been busy developing key regional projects over several years. It has created a world-leading renewables economy and skills base via high-performing local ventures in little over a decade; driven cutting-edge regional trials and pilot schemes; and forged strong public-private sector working partnerships to address both the challenges and opportunities that the constantly shi‚ ing landscape presents – including this year's 2050 net zero target. It's the reason why several key industry players are supporting the work of regional bodies, such as the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, in bringing together a range of stakeholders to foster collaboration, attract investment and help accelerate regional economies. Those championing growth in the regions will be holding politi- cians to account and expect them to ful‰ l their promises now the electioneering has faded. That was certainly the takeaway message from a Northern Power- house conference in Manchester last week. While the election narrative for the North was weighted heavily towards rail – notably building an east-west line linking Leeds and Manchester (e' ectively creating a Northern Crossrail) – the wider potential impact on utilities of such huge industrial, economic and environmental strategy visions cannot be understated. Enabling e-mobility infrastructure, distributing clean energy and water resources, and generating the power to service these growing smart cities will all require huge co-ordination and activity from the industry. As one sector player put it to me this week, net zero may be a national ambition, but it will need to be delivered by the regions. If utilities want to prove themselves the truly regional companies they believe they are, there's never been a better time than now to do it. Suzanne Heneghan, editor, suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com COVER STORY 6 | Review of the year How history was made during 2019 ELECTION 2019 12 | Politicians must give energy the attention it deserves HIGH VIZ 24 | Nissan brings a little bit of Christmas EVENT REPORT 26 | small energy fi rms feel the heat

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