Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/221850
GAS 13 | Political Agenda 26 | Market view Biofuels 27 | I am the customer Will Davies WATER 6 | Chief executive view Cathryn Ross, Ofwat 7 | Expert view Karma Ockenden 8 | Interview Mark Powles, chief executive, Business Stream 14 | Analysis PR14 business plans 18 | News Thames Water profits up 19.2% ELECTRICITY 13 | News Commissioner urged to reject nuclear deal 19 | Market view Crunch time for renewables 20 | Analysis National Grid results 21 | Investor view Nigel Robinson 22 | High viz Balfour Beatty and Beauly Denny 23 | Pipe up Prof Harriet Bulkeley 24 | Analysis DNOs and distributed generation Energy 15 | Analysis Rolling back green levies 20 | Market view Big bucks from mini-bonds 27 | News Npower apologises for poor customer service This week Leader Ellen Bennett 4 | Seven days 6 | Opinion Cathryn Ross, chief executive, Ofwat 8 | Interview Mark Powles, chief executive, Business Stream The real work of PR14 is just about to start 13 For a moment back there in the summer, it looked as though PR14 could go horribly wrong. As we now know, Ofwat had under estimated the scale of the task and got its sums out to the tune of £10 million. It had to draft in a "delivery partner" to help its thinly stretched staff manage the huge workload, and in the middle of it all, chief executive Regina Finn upped and left. So the water regulator, and the sector itself, are to be all the more commended for pulling together and delivering a very different price review on time and politically on message. Under Jonson Cox's chairmanship, Ofwat anticipated the cost of living storm and started making the right noises back at the beginning of the year. To their credit, the companies listened and the vast majority this week were able to proudly announce that they intended to keep price rises at or below the rate of inflation until 2020. Ofwat's chief regulation officer, Sonia Brown, is to be praised for keeping the price review on track during what she once called with wonderful understatement, "difficult times". It could have been so different. If the regulator had failed to understand and act on the public and political mood, or the compa nies had failed to listen, the water sector could be facing a similar disaster to energy retailers. As it is, Thames Water aside, the compa nies have come out of this week with the sort of positive headlines their energy cousins can only dream of. They should enjoy it while they can. For all that we've heard about PR14 in the run up, the price review in earnest has only just begun. As new Ofwat chief executive Cathryn Ross, writing for us this week, emphasises (p6) – the regulator's agenda is firmly focused on customers. Will the balance between bill cuts and inves tor returns proposed in business plans be enough to satisfy Ross and Cox? Don't count on it. Policy & Regulation 13 | News Commissioner urged to reject nuclear deal 13 | Politics Mathew Beech writes 14 | Analysis Water company business plans 15 | Analysis Rolling back green levies 18 Finance & Investment 18 | News Thames Water profits up by 19.2 per cent 19 | Market view Crunch time for renewables 20 | Market view Big bucks from mini-bonds 20 | Analysis National Grid interim results 21 | Investor view Nigel Robinson 22 Operations & Assets 22 | High viz Balfour Beatty and Beauly Denny 23 | Pipe up Professor Harriet Bulkeley 24 | Analysis DNOs and distributed generation Ellen Bennett, Editor ellen.bennett@fav-house.com 27 Customers Utility Week's annual Utility Industry Achievement Awards will once again be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Mayfair. Put 9 December in your diaries for the biggest events date in the utility calendar. More than 1,200 of the great and the good of the utility industry will meet to toast the winners and share a glamorous evening of dancing and entertainment accompanied by a celebrity host. This year's categories are: Capital Project Management Award; Community Initiative of the Year; Customer Care Award; Digital Utilities Awards; Environment Award; IT Initiative of the Year; Marketing Initiative of the Year; Staff Development Award; Supply Chain Excellence Award; and Team of the Year. 9 December, Grosvenor House Hotel, London Website: www.utilityweekawards.co.uk 27 | News Npower apologises for poor customer service 28 | Market view The importance of forms 30 Community 30 | Subscriber focus Doug Clarke, Severn Trent Water 31 | Disconnector UTILITY WEEK | 6th - 12th December 2013 | 3