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UTILITY WEEK | 24TH - 30TH APRIL 2015 | 5 Scottow Moor Solar completed the first phase of its 50MW solar power plant on a former RAF airbase in Norfolk last week. Proposals for the second phase, approximately 18MW, will be brought forward in autumn this year. Once both phases are complete, the scheme will generate £10 million for the county council and an additional £25,000 heritage contribution will be made by the developer to the local council to benefit the community. Developer David Fyffe said the project demonstrates "how well the public and private sector can work together to mutual benefit". "…the impact of windfarms on the black grouse population…" Scottish Power Renewables said this week it is developing innovative research to protect blackgrouse on its windfarms across Scotland £200m The estimated worth of new market entrant Ovo Energy, which is embarking on a private equity deal. See p16 Analysts at consultancy Poyry have suggested that recent pressures on the level of government funding for renew- able energy projects are exposing renewable energy generators to wholesale electricity markets for the first time. The graph illustrates how volatile the power market price can be. For example, in Germany the balancing market price fluctuates between -€100 and +€200 per megawatt-hour. Analysts suggest that balancing markets are oen less transparent and subject to national rules and regulations. See full story for more detail, p28 Renewable generators exposed to market as support periods end Unions delay action in NI Water row Trade unions have pushed back the deadline for a resumption of industrial action against Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) for a second time. A pensions package has been agreed between the unions and NI Water, but it needs to be approved by Northern Ireland's Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP). Unions had served notice that they would consider further industrial action unless the DFP signed off on the deal by 13 April but they have now extended this to 23 April. This is the second time they have pushed back the deadline. Unite representative Joanne McWilliams told Utility Week: "We're still waiting for the DFP, but we're getting closer to the deadline." A DFP spokesperson said: "NI Water as the employer, together with the Department of Regional Development as its sponsor department, has submitted a pay remit business case to DFP for consideration. Given the executive's pay policy, it is important that suf- ficient time and careful consid- eration be given to the pay remit business cases." The GMB, Unite, and Nipsa unions gave an initial deadline of 31 March, but pushed this back to 13 April to account for the impact of the Easter holidays. WATER Dec 00 Jun 01 Dec 01 Jun 02 Dec 02 Jun 03 Dec 03 Jun 04 Dec 04 Jun 05 Dec 05 Jun 06 Dec 06 Jun 07 Dec 07 Jun 08 Dec 08 Jun 09 Dec 09 Jun 10 Dec 10 Jun 11 Dec 11 Jun 12 Dec 12 Jun 13 Dec 13 Jun 14 400% 350% 300% 250% 200% 150% 100% 50% 0% Wholesale electricity price indexed to Dec Historical monthly average power price in key European markets (€/MWh real 2013) England Netherlands Germany