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UTILITY WEEK | 25TH SEPTEMBER - 1ST OCTOBER 2015 | 3 Leader Ellen Bennett This week 4 | Seven days 6 | People & Opinion 8 | Event House of Commons reception organised by Utility Week and the ENA 11 Policy & Regulation 11 | News Labour MPs defend Nandy's appointment 12 | Lobby The party political conference season is upon us 17 | Interview Q&A with Chris Loughlin, chief executive of South West Water 19 Finance & Investment 19 | News UK gives £2 billion guarantee on Hinkley 20 | Market view Keeping foreign owners apprised of the smart meter rollout 22 Operations & Assets 22 | High viz EDF's Torness plant 24 | Game changer Hydro International's HeadCell wastewater grit removal system 26 Customers 26 | News Battery sell-out 'will not affect UK launch' 27 | Market view The poorest are the least likely to switch, despite having most to gain 28 Markets & Trading 28 | News Price spikes unlikely despite low gas stocks 30 Community 31 | Disconnector See you in Brighton, Manchester and Aberdeen Got that sinking feeling? It must be party conference season. Since the ill-fated, erstwhile Labour leader Ed Miliband stood up at a party conference in September 2013 and pledged an energy price freeze, the annual political shindigs have been open season on utilities. This year, however, utilities are speaking up for themselves. Utility Week, in association with the Energy Networks Association, kicked off a series of political events with a reception at the House of Commons last week (p8) – and we'll be taking the industry's mes- sages to the party conferences with our series of panel debates and a soon-to-be-launched policy paper. For a taste of what's to come, here are the top five things we'll be looking out for in Brighton, Manchester and Aberdeen this autumn: 1. Conference season kicks off with Labour in Brighton this weekend, and it's fair to say an energy price freeze will be the last thing on anyone's mind. With attention from the party – and the national media – firmly fixed on new leader Jeremy Corbyn, we'll be keen to see whether newly appointed shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy holds his line on the renationalisation of energy companies (she's already broken ranks on nuclear). 2. On to Manchester, where the message from industry to govern- ment is loud and clear: clarity and consistency, please. As EMR teeters from a series of random cuts and tweaks, a statement of the government's position on energy policy is becoming well overdue. 3. Talking of overdue, what's the CMA up to? It seems to have come over all John Chilcot, announcing a six-month delay to its final report this week. Ever optimistic, we'll hope that industry's well-argued response has given it pause for thought over some of its more interventionist proposals, such as the backstop tariff. In the meantime, we'll be asking ministers, why the delay? And what is their current thinking on the energy retail market? 4. While we're in Manchester, we'll be interested to hear what the government has to say on water, because so far we've heard nothing at all. Still, as the companies know, flying under the political radar can be no bad thing… 5. Up in Aberdeen, we'll be getting to know the new players on the political scene. Angus MacNeil, chair of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, made a well-received entrance at our House of Commons reception last week with a committee agenda that includes the impact the government's policy flip-flops are having on investor confidence. We look forward to hearing more. Ellen Bennett, Editor, ellen.bennett@fav-house.com GAS 6 | Chief executive's view Graham Edwards, Wales & West Utilities 28 | News Price spikes unlikely despite low gas stocks WATER 17 | Interview Q&A with Chris Loughlin, chief executive of South West Water 24 | Game changer Hydro International's HeadCell wastewater grit removal system ELECTRICITY 19 | News UK gives £2 billion guarantee on Hinkley 22 | High viz EDF's Torness plant 26 | News Battery sell-out 'will not affect UK launch ENERGY 8 | Event House of Commons reception organised by Utility Week and the ENA 11 | News Labour MPs defend Nandy's appointment 20 | Market view Keeping foreign owners apprised of the smart meter rollout 27 | Market view The poorest are the least likely to switch, despite having most to gain Knowledge worth keeping Visit the Downloads section of Utility Week's website http://www.utilityweek.co.uk/ downloads Schneider Electric: Modicon M580. It's a revolution. Every time. http://bit.ly/1FZogqK Cognizant: Using Predictive Analytics to Optimize Asset Maintenance in the Utilities Industry http://bit.ly/1cBKZP0