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4 | 27TH NOVEMBER - 3RD DECEMBER 2015 | UTILITY WEEK National media SESW customers complain about social tariff Sutton and East Surrey Water has seen an increase in written complaints after revealing its social tariff charge as a separate line on customer bills. 22 extra written complaints directly about the social tariff 9% of customers aware of the social tariff… 30% of those don't agree with the water support scheme 50% discount the scheme offers on water bill France forestalls summit water attack France is to protect water systems from attack during the global climate summit that begins in Paris on 30 November with up to 45,000 people attending, including 138 heads of state, just over two weeks aer Islamist militants struck in the French capital. While Veolia and counter- terrorism experts made plans for the event some time ago, the 13 November attacks that killed 130 people, claimed by Islamic State militants, have put security forces on high alert. The Guardian, 23 November Pylon blasts plunge Crimea into darkness Crimea was plunged into a complete blackout on Sunday aer electricity transmission lines from Ukraine were blown up, in a stark reminder of the peninsula's economic reli- ance on Ukraine one-and-a-half years aer its annexation by Russia. The blast followed a blockade in Ukraine of the power lines close to Crimea by Ukrainian nationalists and members of the Tatar ethnic group native to Crimea calling for a full economic and energy blockade of the peninsula on the grounds that Russia is persecuting pro- Ukrainian residents. Financial Times, 22 November Morocco solar plant to power a city A giant plant using energy from the sun to power a Moroccan city at night will open next month. The solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will retain heat to power a steam turbine in the evening. The first phase will generate for three hours aer dark; the last stage aims to supply power 20 hours a day. BBC News, 23 November STORY BY NUMBERS Without a turnaround, RWE may sell Npower Seven days... "We cannot continue to extract, consume, and discard resources ad infinitum" Karmenu Vella, EU commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, speaking at a European Parliament Water Group dinner G erman energy giant RWE is poised to cut jobs from UK retail arm Npower, and may even pull out of UK supply entirely. The company's chief finan- cial officer, Bernhard Guenther, told Reuters that plummeting profits at Npower aer billing data problems and a spate of customer losses mean RWE needs to find a plan by next March to fix the beleaguered unit. RWE did not rule out selling the company, either. "We're not categorically rul- ing out adjusting our portfolio of countries," Guenther told Reuters when asked whether RWE would sell Npower at some point. "But such a decision would also prompt the question: are we the better owner or is someone else?" RWE reported double-digit operating profit losses in its first half year financial results, chiefly blaming unexpected problems in its UK supply arm. Earnings from UK supply plummeted 60 per cent from €133 million in the first half of last year to just €53 million in H1 2015, with further "significant deterioration" expected. In stark contrast, RWE said Europe-wide energy sup- ply showed a positive trend, contributing €614 million to the operating result, up from €589 million. Shortly aer the dismal results, Npower chief executive Paul Massara stepped down, along with the company's chief financial officer Jens Madrian, "by mutual consent". RWE said it acted "on the unexpectedly negative mid-year result for 2015" in announcing the departures. A spokesman for Npower added: "We do not comment on speculation." JA £900k South West Water has sold 30 disused sites at auction and says half the proceeds will go back to customers through lower bills