Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/382339
UTILITY WEEK | 19Th - 25Th SEpTEmbEr 2014 | 3 Leader Ellen Bennett This week 4 | Seven days 6 | People & Opinion 8 | Interview Iain mcCaig, chief executive of First Utility 13 Policy & Regulation 13 | News permits 'will protect water from fracking' 14 | Analysis Coal's demise greatly exaggerated 15 | Blog Can Ofgem move with the times? 18 Finance & Investment 18 | News renewables in regulatory 'storm' 19 | Analysis m&A activity after pr14? 20 | Market view Electricity storage gap looming 21 | Blog Tideway Tunnel is the best option 22 Operations & Assets 22 | High viz United Utilities Eccleston works 23 | Pipe up Stuart Lacey, Electralink 24 | Market view No Catch-22 with catchment 25 Customers 25 | News Complaints fall again 26 | Market view Energy efficiency five-a-day 27 Markets & Trading 27 | News Carbon at two-month lows 28 | Analysis EU ETS ripe for reform 30 Community 30 | Reader of the week Cheryl phillips, Design and Technology Association 31 | Disconnector When Knight goes, who will speak out? So farewell to Angela Knight, the energy industry's feisty champion, who announced her intention to stand down from the top job at Energy UK at the end of this year. Aer just two years in post, her departure comes out of the blue, but while she might have ruffled a few feathers among the members with her take-no-prisoners approach, it seems likely that the decision to go was hers alone. Indeed, Knight is spoken of fondly by the industry, and the widely held opinion is that she will be a tough act to follow. She took the reins of Energy UK from David Porter shortly aer the organisa- tion's formation, from an amalgamation of three trade bodies. In doing so, she was determined that Energy UK would have its own voice, rather than fall prey to the tendency of trade associations to be stifled by consensus. In this, she succeeded. Energy UK is now firmly established in the industry and public consciousness, and has a strong voice of its own. Yet her two-year tenure, during which time the energy sector became Public Enemy Number One, must have been even more galling than Knight – who defended bankers in her previous role – could have envisaged. Perhaps the prospect of a year or more of forced inaction, while the CMA inquiry progresses, while enduring the continued vilification of energy companies, was just not that attractive. Her departure leaves a vacuum at the top of the energy industry. Company bosses privately acknowledge the need for leadership, for influential individuals to stand up and deliver messages that may be unpalatable but are necessary, and in a language the public under- stands. But with the media and politicians in no mood to listen, with shareholders' interests to consider, and the CMA hovering, they say they are unable to do so. That's debatable – but since no-one from the companies is willing to take the risk, we'll never know whether those fears are jus- tified or not. So the next chief executive of Energy UK must be care- fully chosen: someone must stand up and speak for the industry. Ellen Bennett, Editor ellen.bennett@fav-house.com • Utility Week went to press before the result of the Scottish referendum was announced. See www.utilityweek.co.uk for full coverage GAS 13 | News permits 'will protect water from fracking' 18 | Stock watch bG Group WATEr 19 | Analysis m&A prospects after pr14 21 | Blog The Tideway Tunnel is the best option 22 | High viz United Utilities Eccleston works 24 | Market view No Catch-22 with catchment 25 | News Complaints fall for sixth successive year ELECTrICITY 20 | Market view Electricity storage gap looming 27 | News Carbon at two-month lows ENErGY 6 | Chief executive's view Juergen maier, Siemens 8 | Interview Iain mcCaig, CEO, First Utility 15 | Blog Can Ofgem move with the times? 18 | News renewables in regulatory 'storm' 23 | Pipe up Stuart Lacey, Electralink 26 | Market view Five-a-day plan for energy efficiency 28 | Analysis EU ETS reform Knowledge worth keeping Visit the Downloads section of Utility Week's website http://www.utilityweek.co.uk/ downloads Diligent: British Gas gives board portal a warm reception http://bit.ly/1sAvsnw Rolta: White Paper: Pull yourself together http://bit.ly/1qPuBgR