Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 7TH - 13TH FEBRUARY 2020 | 5 ELECTRICITY Drax hits back over judicial review into gas turbine plans Drax has denied that its plans to install new gas turbines at its North Yorkshire plant are a threat to the UK's net zero ambitions, as the pro- ject was hit with a legal challenge. Environmental law firm Client Earth has launched a judicial review against the government's approval for the project, which would see two coal units replaced with combined- cycle gas turbines. Business secretary Andrea Leadsom gave the scheme the green light in October, against the recommendations of the Planning Inspectorate. Client Earth said the project's scale, emissions intensity and oper- ating life made it a significant threat to the UK's carbon targets. ELECTRICITY Tory opposition to onshore wind 'thawing' Conservative opposition to onshore wind power is "thawing" but there are "still barriers to overcome" before the government block on new projects can be removed, a leading Conservative environmentalist has said. Speaking to Energy UK, Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN), said parliamentary membership of his organisation had nearly doubled since the general election. He said 72 MPs and lords were now members of the CEN, com- pared with 40 before December's poll, including 27 from the new intake of MPs. However, pressed on whether the government's ban might be li"ed, he admitted that it was "still "really tricky". WATER Environment Bill returned to parliament The landmark bill designed to protect and restore the country's natural environment in the face of changing climate and loss of natural habitats has been brought back to parliament. The Environment Bill will enshrine environmental principles in law and introduce measures to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive. It was introduced last October but did not complete its passage before parliament was dissolved. New powers will be given to regulatory bodies Ofwat and the Environment Agency to oblige water companies to work together to meet current and future demand for water across the country. The bill will set out legally binding environmental improve- ment targets with a newly created office for environmental protection to scrutinise policy and law. The new department will have powers to investigate complaints and take enforcement action against public authorities as necessary. Basil Scarsella, the chief executive of UK Power Networks, has reportedly withdrawn from the running to be the next chief executive of Thames Water. Thames has been looking for a new chief executive since Steve Robertson stepped down from the role last May. Scarsella, who has been head of UKPN since 2011, was widely tipped as the frontrunner to replace him. Utility Week Investor Summit 2020 Book your place now at the only pan-utility conference to bring together key speakers and figures from government, regulation, investment and utilities, who will assess the impact of Brexit, regulation, M&A activity, infrastructure, legitimacy and climate change on future investment. It takes place on 5 March in London. For more details visit https://event.utilityweek.co.uk/investor £328m Value of National Grid ESO contracts to five companies for a new stability service incorporating inertia, voltage control and short circuit level contribution. "Black start will be one of the last bastions of large fossil fuel power stations on the system" Duncan Burt, director of operations at National Grid Electricity System Operator, says a huge amount of work is needed before distributed generation can perform black start on the grid. Energy UK CEO Renewable UK deputy chief executive Emma Pinchbeck will become chief executive of Energy UK in July, replacing Lawrence Slade, who stepped down at the end of last year. Clark gets select committee appointment Ex-BEIS secretary Greg Clark has been appointed chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. The other candidate was Stephen Metcalfe, a former chair of the committee. APPOINTMENTS

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