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A half-mile-long combined sewer overflow is being dug in the Yoker area of Glasgow (boring machine pictured above) to help improve the water quality of the River Clyde and alleviate flooding problems in nearby commercial properties. The work is part of Scottish Water's £250 million investment in the greater Glasgow area's wastewater network and is due to be completed by next summer. UTILITY WEEK | 25TH SEPTEMBER - 1ST OCTOBER 2015 | 5 "We're in a very different place to where we were ten years ago" Renewable UK chief executive Maria McCaffery is stepping down from the role next spring after ten years. 45l/day Northumbrian Water's latest efficiency campaign has helped 1,800 properties reduce consumption by 45 litres per day per customer. £160m Renewable energy developer Eco2 has sold a 40MW biomass project in northeast England to investors in a deal worth £160 million. Coal-fired capacity shows steady decline The National Grid team supporting our Home Nations Our control room keeps a close eye on surges in electricity demand (known as TV pickups ) as kettles and lights across the country are switched on during World Cup match breaks. VS FIJI ENGLAND 500MW is equivalent of 200,000 kettles being switched on at the same time. RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 Full time Game starts 8.00pm Half time 500 Mw Predicted pick up 300 Mw Predicted pick up GROUP STAGE • 18 SEPTEMBER • TWICKENHAM Rugby World Cup cuppas National Grid predicted the half-time demand pick-up of the England vs Fiji Rugby World Cup opener with near-perfect accuracy, according to data from the transmission system operator. Ahead of the game, National Grid expected power demand to jump by 500MW at half time as the nation's kettles switched on. The actual pick-up was 475MW. The full-time pick up was far lower than expected, though, which suggests that not all England fans waited for the final whistle before preparing a post-match brew. National Grid predicted a 300MW pick-up, but the reality was less than 150MW. Jack Barber, a senior energy forecaster at National Grid, said: "With England, Scotland and Wales all competing, we're forecasting regular demand effects during the group stages of the tournament. We anticipate these will get stronger if any of the home nations progress into the knockout rounds." Government questioned on water market timetable The government has been asked to clarify whether it is on target for the planned opening of the water market in April 2017, and what assurance programme it has in place. The parliamentary written question by Lord Moynihan also asked whether the government planned to publish a clear timetable of the necessary steps towards market opening. The government will answer the question in writing in the next few weeks. Under current plans, water companies will have to provide letters to the government on their progress at three points in the build-up to April 2017. The assurance group, led by Defra, will then give the environment secretary advice on whether the market is ready to go live as scheduled. This decision is set to be made in "early 2017", according to Defra, only a few months before the market is due to open. Senior executives in the industry told Utility Week that a go/no go decision at this point would be "too late" and would potentially dam- age trust and confidence in the entire sector. WATER