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4 | 12th - 18th September 2014 | UtILItY WeeK National media Nuclear return delayed eDF energy confirmed fears that it will delay the full return of its Heysham-1 and Hartlepool nuclear power plants until December, reducing already tight supply mar- gins this winter. Dec 14 The date EDF Energy expects all four units to be back online 5% Expected reduc- tion of EDF Energy's annual nuclear output £150m Estimated hit to EDF Energy's annual earn- ing due to the outages (RBC Capital) 2.5GW Total capacity of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool units BP faces further $18bn Gulf of Mexico fines BP has been found grossly negligent over the Gulf of Mexico disaster, leaving it facing possible civil fines of almost $18 billion (£11 billion) for the 2010 spill. The oil giant was "reckless" in the run-up to the catastrophe, a US district court found, and allowed millions of barrels of oil to flood into the water because of its own "gross negligence" and "wilful misconduct". The ruling could push the total bill for the disaster well beyond the $43 billion BP has currently accounted for. The Telegraph, 4 September Europe must not depend on Russian gas Europe's dependency on Russian gas could be slashed by a third if EU leaders place a higher priority on energy efficiency savings, according to the Institute for Public and Policy Research. Europe imports about a third of its gas from Moscow and half of that flows through Ukraine. While only 15 per cent of the UK's gas comes from Russia, six of the states closest to the Russian border are reliant on it, raising fears of a "gas crunch" this winter if the crisis in Ukraine is not resolved. The Guardian, September 9 Levels of carbon dioxide surge The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at its fastest rate in 30 years last year amid signs the world's oceans and forests might not be storing the planet- warming gas as readily as they have in the past. The Financial Times, 9 September story by NUMbErs N etwork companies called for a faster planning system at an Energy and Climate Change select commit- tee (ECCC) hearing on Tuesday morning. In the inquiry into network costs, MPs heard that a fast- track planning process for some distribution and transmission developments would be "ben- eficial". Frank Mitchell, chief execu- tive of Scottish Power Energy Networks, told the committee the long planning process meant higher costs. He said: "Putting copper in the ground and hanging overhead lines is fraught with planning issues." John Pettigrew, executive director of National Grid, agreed things could be improved. He told the committee the current planning system was "a long process". He said: "There is the oppor- tunity to put some flexibility into it. When it is a less major project, there could be a fast- track way of getting through the planning act." Pettigrew also said that var- ied regional charges, as opposed to a standard nationwide charge, were fairer and allowed National Grid to manage the system more efficiently because it encouraged developers to build close to the transmission network. Jeremy Nicholson, director of the Energy Intensive Users Group, agreed. He said that while consumers would "pay very heavily" for the connection of green and low carbon genera- tion, the regional variance in network costs would help to ensure it is "at least done in a cost-efficient way". The panel unanimously agreed that incorporating network costs on to energy bills would be welcome, a move supported by Graham Edwards, chief executive of Wales and West Utilities, who said it would "dispel the myths" behind what was causing bills to rise. MB Networks call for faster planning system "You can go green and continue to prosper and develop – that is the strong message we will be taking to the global community in the coming months" UK energy secretary Ed Davey on his vision for global climate deal in Paris 2015. Seven days...