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Utility Week Achievement Awards 2013 winners Industry Champion Award Winner: Basil Scarsella Capital Project Management Award Winner: Fulcrum Customer Care Award Winner: Ecotricity Northumbrian Water stormed the Utility Week Achievement Awards on Monday, winning in five categories. Chief executive Heidi Mottram, who joined the company from Northern Rail in 2010, picked up the prize for Utility of the Year at the ceremony in London's Grosvenor Hotel. Judges said Northumbrian had "consistently outperformed its peers". Northumbrian also won Community Initiative of the Year, Marketing Initiative of the Year, Supply Chain Excellence and the Environment Award. Electricity Community Initiative of the Year Winner: Northumbrian Water Environment Award Winner: Northumbrian Water IT Initiative of the Year Winner: SSE Electricity MEPs endorse backloading plan Eggborough on a knife edge The European Parliament gave final approval to backloading plans on Tuesday, in a bid to stabilise the EU Emissions Trading System. MEPs voted 385 to 284 for the proposal to delay the auction of 900 million emissions allowances. The move is intended to strengthen the carbon price in the short term, while longer term measures are worked out (see p15). Matthias Groote, the German MEP steering the legislation through the Parliament, said the move would help restore the incentive to invest in low carbon innovation after a glut of permits depressed the price. Eggborough's coal-to-biomass conversion is under threat after the government last week moved to restrict the availability of subsidies. The Yorkshire scheme was one of 16 bidders to qualify for the Final Investment Decision Enabling programme, intended to smooth the transition to a new subsidy regime. However, the introduction of an annual "affordability envelope" risks edging it out. The budget is particularly tight in 2015/16, at £260 million, most of which is expected to go to Eggborough's nearby rival in biomass conversion, Drax. Digital Utilities Award Winner: Scotia Gas Networks Supply Chain Excellence Winner: Northumbrian Water Marketing Initiative of the Year Winner: Northumbrian Water Team of the Year Winner: RWE Npower Staff Development Award Winner: United Utilities UTILITY WEEK | 13th - 19th December 2013 | 5