Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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4 | 4TH - 10TH DECEMBER 2015 | UTILITY WEEK National media RIP CCS The Department of Energy and Climate Change has scrapped its flagship competition to help develop technology for carbon capture and storage (CCS). £1bn amount cut Apr '12 competition launches Dec '13 White Rose wins funding Feb '14 Peterhead wins funding Sep '15 White Rose axed £3m Drax's investment in White Rose at the time, according to Citigroup Billionaires join forces in climate push Bill Gates has joined forces with Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, Mukesh Ambani and a rollcall of other billionaires in a push for billions of dollars of new private and public investment in "clean energy". The initiative includes $10bn of new spending commitments from 20 governments — among them the US, China, India and Brazil — and were unveiled at the start of talks in Paris on Monday to create the first new global climate accord in 18 years. Financial Times, 30 November Obama: climate talks an 'act of defiance' Barack Obama has told crucial UN climate talks in Paris that the nego- tiations represent an act of defiance aer the barbaric attacks in the city in which 130 people were killed. Offering his condolences and pledging solidarity with the people of "this beautiful city" he said: "We have come to Paris to show our resolve ... to protect our people, and to uphold the values that keep us strong and keep us free. We salute the people of Paris for insisting that this crucial conference will go on." The Guardian, 30 November Most Tanzanians rely on unsafe water Only one in three people in Tan- zania has access to piped water despite government efforts to improve water supplies, with most of the population still relying on unsafe water that brings the risk of disease, according to a study. Two years aer a government initiative to improve water supplies, a survey by a local governance think-tank Twaweza found most Tanzanians, 64 percent, still draw water from unsafe sources. Reuters, 26 November STORY BY NUMBERS Domestic competition for water 'likely by 2020' Seven days... "It's our response to the transformation of the European energy landscape" RWE chief executive Peter Terium on RWE's decision to split its business in an Eon-style overhaul by next year. More, p19. W ater companies are braced for a funda- mental transformation following the Treasury's surprise announcement on Monday that competition in the domestic market could be introduced as early as 2017. The announcement was part of a broader package of reforms published by the Treasury on 30 November to "boost competi- tion" in a number of sectors in England, which chancellor George Osborne said would "get a better deal for consumers". It came as a surprise to the water industry, which has been focused on current plans to open the market to competition for non-household customers in 2017. While further reform has always been on the horizon, it was not expected for a number of years. The Treasury has commis- sioned Ofwat to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of domestic market opening, reporting back by summer 2016. In the docu- ment published on Monday, the Treasury seemed to refer to domestic competition as a foregone conclusion, saying: "The government will work with water companies to begin the transition to household retail competition before the end of this parliament." Pinsent Masons environ- ment lawyer Ellie Watson told Utility Week: "The outcome of [Ofwat's] review will be critical to properly assess the benefits of pushing towards household competition so quickly. Govern- ment must now ensure there are appropriate safeguards for consumers in place." While water companies privately expressed concerns that the announcement could affect investor confidence, the markets held steady, with listed water company stocks rising in response to positive half-year results last week (see Stock- watch, p19). LV £300k Amount South West Water was ordered by Plymouth Crown Court to pay, along with costs of £14,421, after polluting a Devon watercourse, the largest fine borne by the firm.