Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH NOVEMBER 2015 | 5 "It's gold, that's what matters" Cardiff University geologist Hazel Prichard has been studying precious metals in urban waste alongside Thames Water, and says £13 million is being flushed away through sewers every year. A relic of 20th century gas storage has become the backdrop for a new park and event space at King's Cross in London. Gasholder number 8 was built during the 1850s for Pancras Gasworks and formed part of the largest gas works in London. It has been a feature of the King's Cross skyline for more than 150 years. The 25m-high Grade II listed structure was dismantled and refurbished in 2011 before being re-erected in its new location next to Regent's Canal. Sonia Brown leaves Ofwat Sonia Brown left the Ofwat senior management team last Friday, following a management overhaul announced by chief executive Cathryn Ross in September. Under the new structure, Brown's role of chief regulation officer (CRO) will be lost along with the post of senior director of finance and networks, held by Keith Mason. The new senior management structure contains four new positions: senior director of strategy and planning; senior director, Water 2020; senior director finance and governance; and senior director Thames Tideway. Brown and Mason were both given the option of applying for one of the newly created roles. However, Ross said: "Sonia decided to look for a new challenge in the commercial sector, and therefore has chosen not to apply for a vacant role in Ofwat in the light of our proposed senior team restructure." No update has yet been given on whether Mason will apply for one of the new roles. Ross said in September that the role of CRO had been created to answer a particular need in the run-up to PR14, and that it now created an unnecessary hierarchy. She said: "Post-PR14, there is no set of responsibilities that would logically sit within a CRO role as distinct from senior directors." An Ofwat spokesperson confirmed that Brown would be given a severance package, which has received Cabinet Office approval. The spokesperson refused to divulge details of the package, but said they would be published alongside details of senior management's remuneration in the regulator's annual report. Consultation has now closed on the new management structure. Recruitment for the four new roles is ongoing. WATER 43% The proportion of pet owners who this week admitted in a survey to leaving the heating on during the day to keep their pets warm. Southern Water launches 'Astronomical Savings' campaign To coincide with British astronaut Tim Peake's voyage to the International Space Station next month, Southern Water has launched an Astronomical Savings campaign to explore how water-saving techniques employed by astronauts can be used in everyday life. In the UK, every person uses on average 150 litres of water a day. An astronaut uses six.