Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 28TH FEBRUARY - 5TH MARCH 2020 | 3 This week 4 | Seven days 7 Policy & Regulation 7 | News Ofwat to prohibit inter- company loans 8 | Chief executive's view Alex Goody, Gemserv 9 | Analysis Brearley fi res warning shot at networks and retailers 10 | Utility of the Future Ian Parry explains why mentoring is empowering for staff 11 Finance & Investment 11 | News Policies not enough to attract investment, says industry 12 | Analysis Is Centrica strong enough to rise to the challenge? 16 Customers 16 | High Viz Glasgow's Grafton gas holder 17 | Market view EV fl eets: we're not there yet 19 | Expert view Mark Dewell Managing Director, Advanced 20 | Analysis National Grid ESO's progress on decarbonising the system 22 | Analysis How utilities are using ethical hackers in the war against cyber-criminals 26 | Analysis Are the cost pressures of AMP7 putting a strain on resilience? 27 | View from the top Paul Fidler, director of operations, ENA, on fl ood response 29 Customers 29 | News Water sector battles through the storms 30 Community 31 | Disconnector Leader Suzanne Heneghan Flood alert A s the UK's "storm season" continues, it seems extreme ooding has become the new normal – and utilities are on the frontline. Anyone who has travelled the length of the country in recent days will have grown accustomed to seeing swathes of prime agricultural land submerged under vast lakes of standing water. Ongoing TV reports show distressed communities battling to rescue their homes from the havoc wreaked by two storms within days, followed by a deluge of snow this week. Tragically, the death toll has now risen to ve people. As 90mph winds battered the country, and more than a month's-worth of rain fell within just 24 hours in places, water and power providers were out maintaining lifeline services and protecting critical national infrastructure for homes, business and transport, as revealed in our comment on page 27. It has become clear the nation faces a " ood response moment" – some- thing environment secretary George Eustice, just days into his ministerial post, was quick to accept when he admitted that the government couldn't protect every single household, due to the nature of climate change. Yet he also pointed to how government is spending £2.6 billion on ood defences, with more than 1,000 schemes set to protect 300,000 homes by 2021. And this winter, 90,000 homes in England are said to have been saved from ooding, with a further £4 billion more still to come for ood defences. Sadly, the devastating scenes have proved the perfect prologue to the government's long-awaited National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS), due out with the Budget next month. How much it will accord with the 2018 recom- mendations of the National Infrastructure Commission's rst-ever National Infrastructure Assessment will soon emerge. A key priority, according to the commission, is a long-term programme to deliver a nationwide standard of ood resilience by 2050 – with funding for ood risk management rising signi cantly over the coming decades. Since that assessment, we heard then-chancellor Sajid Javid pledge an "infrastruc- ture revolution", with the promise of money earmarked for climate issues when the government's strategy is published. All eyes will be on that report, including those of regional leaders who want a review of how future ood defence activity is funded and organised. The tide has turned, and demand is rising for the country to now look way beyond emergency responses and reactive measures – no matter how welcome they have been so far. Suzanne Heneghan, editor, suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com • Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, will be a keynote speaker at Utility Week's Investor Summit on March 5. For details go to www.utilityweek.co.uk/investor COVER STORY 22 | Analysis Ethical hacking: to catch a thief ANALYSIS 9 | New Ofgem boss means business VIEW FROM THE TOP 27 | Networks go the extra mile during fl oods Mando: Improving experiences for vulnerable customers https://bit.ly/361toNK See the Community section, page 30 JULES: Working with the FITS regime https://bit.ly/2vEZfGi ANALYSIS 12 | Centrica needs to dig deep

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