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4 | 27th February - 5th March 2015 | utILIty WeeK National media Dogger Bank gets government go-ahead Dogger bank creyke beck, the world's would-be largest offshore windfarm, has received govern- ment permission for its next stage of develop- ment. head of offshore wind for the crown estate, huub den rooijen, said the scale of the project meant it could be built at significantly lower costs. 2.4GW capacity of windfarm 1.2GW capacity of each of the two windfarms 400 Number of wind turbines in total 130km Location off the yorkshire coast Hopes rise for US-Iran nuclear deal Top nuclear officials of Iran and the US joined seven-nation talks at the weekend in a move that may help resolve technical disputes standing it the way of a deal meant to curb Tehran's atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic. The Guardian, 21 February India arrests officials for energy 'leaks' Police in India say they have arrested seven people for alleg- edly leaking classified government documents to energy companies for money. Two government officials, an employee of a top energy company and two "middlemen" were held at the petroleum ministry's office in the capital, Delhi, on Tuesday, police said. Two other men, both energy con- sultants, were arrested on Friday. Reports said the leaked docu- ments pertained to energy pricing and policy. BBC News, 20 February IRA fuel smugglers dump lethal waste IRA fuel launderers are feeding lethal toxic waste into the main drinking water reservoir for 60,000 people living on both sides of the [Ireland] border. Four 1,000-litre cubes of deadly poison were dumped overnight last Tuesday into a drain that feeds into Lough Ross, which supplies drink- ing water to Dundalk in Co Louth and to the republican heartland of Crossmaglen in south Armagh. The lids were le off two of the upturned containers, allowing the toxic sludge to flow into the drain 100 metres from the reservoir. Belfast Telegraph, 23 February story By NUMBErs O fgem was under siege this week, accused of drop- ping the ball on network charges, stifling competition in the retail space and a "miscalcu- lation" that cost Western Power Distribution's customers £860 million. The regulator was singled out in the Competition and Markets Authority's first public statement since its ongoing inquiry into competition into the retail sector began. In a report issued last Wednesday, the CMA expressed concern that Ofgem's regulatory codes unintentionally stifled innovation and set the barrier for entry to the market too high (see analysis, p25). In a separate report this week, the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee rounded on the regulator, which it said had failed to provide value for money for customers (see news, p9). Committee chair Tim Yeo said: "Ofgem must get its act together and scrutinise these near monopolies more effectively." The ECC's report also high- lighted a potential "miscalcula- tion" by Ofgem that could have cost WPD's customers £860 mil- lion. WPD's financial settlement for the next price control period, RIIO-ED1, was fast-tracked under a new system in May 2014. By the time the regula- tor made its determinations on the other networks, its view of efficient costs had changed. The report said: "There could be an £860 million difference between WPD's fast-track RIIO- ED1 assessment and Ofgem's subsequent view of efficient costs in October 2014. If this is an Ofgem miscalculation caused by fast-tracking, WPD custom- ers may have to fund the £860 million difference over the eight year price control period." EB Ofgem under fire from MPs and the CMA "What happens when renewable energy runs out?" The rhetorical question was posed by Ukip parliamentary candidate Victoria Ayling in a local debate in Lincolnshire. She later insisted her question referred to government subsidy of renewables, rather than the energy itself. Seven days... £220k Thames Water has been fined £220,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,500 for polluting the river blackwater in Surrey.