Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/662533
UTILITY WEEK | 8TH - 14TH APRIL 2016 | 31 Community Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellen. bennett@fav-house.com; Assistant editor (insights): Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: jane.gray@ fav-house.com; Associate insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathew.beech@ fav-house.com; Deputy news editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080; e: lois.vallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucinda.dann@fav-house.com; Reporters: Saffron Johnson, t: 01342 332050, e: saffron.johnson@fav-house.com and Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tom.grimwood@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: richard.powell@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Sarah Wood, t: 01342 332077, e: sarah.wood@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amanda.barnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332507, e: peter.bissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £637 per year. Overseas £749 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332507 TV protest The Arab Spring that briefly lit up Egypt looks like a distant memory. The end of dictator- ship saw a brief flirtation with a democratically elected gov- ernment – unfortunately one that was too Islamic for many Egyptians to tolerate – before popular unrest resulted in a return to military rule. One would have thought that between dodging suicide bombers and paramilitary death squads, the average Joe would be too despondent to complain about much – but far from it, if the actions of TV host Gaber al-Qarmouty are anything to go by. Last week he fronted his studio bulletin wearing what looked like an enormous envelope plastered with utility bills, in protest against rising electricity and gas bills. Last year the government announced that it was with- drawing energy subsidies gradually over five years, but the move is already starting to bite. "The issue is not just about the electricity bill," he told his audience. "It is actually water and gas too. I do not want to incite against the state, but I must say there is a crisis regarding the electricity bills, we're really feeling the pinch." Bearing in mind that critics of the government regularly turn up dead in ditches in Egypt, it is a sign of how wide- spread discontent has become that Al-Qarmouty feels safe to go public on national TV. The cost of living cheaply Meanwhile, in a continent far, far away – ours – you can opt out of paying energy bills altogether, and you can do so in style, by tuning in, drop- ping out and going off-grid in a groovy trailer designed by Austrian firm Wohnwagon. The company's creations are built with self-sufficiency at the forefront of the design. They generate their own power courtesy of solar panels and have their own off-the-grid waste and water systems. They are made solely using natural or recycled materials such as clay plaster, larch wood treated with natural oils, and sheep's wool for insulation. What's not to like? Apart from the eighty grand asking price, of course. What's this piece trying to say? It was avant-garde French artist Marcel Duchamp who famously submitted a urinal as an exhibit for an art show at the Grand Central Palace in New York in 1917, to make the point that art is all about the context. Fast-forward 100 years and Disconnector is pleased to report that the artist collective calling themselves Eccleston George, based in the Isle of Wight, is going one better and putting together an entire exhi- bition about poo. Yup. Twenty illuminated resin spheres will display the (dried) excrement from a vari- ety of sources such as elks and lions, as well as a human baby. "Poo is all around us and inside us, but we ignore it," says co-curator Daniel Roberts, thus making the bleeding obvious sound profound in a way that would doubtless have impressed M Duchamp. Interspersed between the exhibits of different types of faeces will be facts hidden behind toilet lids on the walls. According to Roberts, the aim is also to raise concerns about issues such as dog mess and the lack of access to sanita- tion in developing countries, although Disconnector reckons it is mostly about sticking poo on the walls and calling it art. In case you're interested, the attraction will be on show at the Sandown Zoo through the spring and summer before going on tour. For the record, the commit- tee of the Grand Central Palace rejected M Duchamp's urinal on the grounds that, y'know, it's just a toilet, mate. Disconnector William Marchant @richonlyinname EDF condemns "unfounded rumours & fantasy information" in press on Hinkley shenanigans. Repeats: will start generating in 2025. *roll eyes* Matthew Pennycook MP @mtpennycook If #HinkleyPointC is set back two years to 2027 it will exacerbate the looming #energy crunch that we already face. Ann Robinson @AnnRobinson8 Smaller nuclear reactors could help us have the diverse energy mix we need to power us in the future. Decc getting this right. pm @paulmassara Hinkley escalation puts it at £116/mw in 2025 versus £35/mw U.K. Prices and £25/mw Euro- pean . Hmmm industrial competitiveness ?? DECC @DECCgovuk A quarter of all UK electricity generation now comes from #renewables, show new stats Doug Parr @doug_parr Seems 'Doubts grow over UK zero-carbon energy target' - would look more do-able if #renewables had not been shafted Alasdair Cameron @ACameronFOE 'What we needed was to put in steps — urgent measures — to protect bill payers.' - Minister on cutting solar from 2016. Wales&West Utilities @WWUtilities We've appointed our first Feline Asset Manager, part of our latest innovation project. npower @npowerhq We support @UKRegulators @EnergyUKcomms - #water and #companies join forces to help #vulnerable customers Jonathan Gaventa @jonathangaventa Tesla just sold 180k electric vehicles in 24 hours. This is more than the total of all EVs sold in the EU last year. CCWater @WaterWatchdog 'Population growth in UK to 73.5 million in next 20 years will present water resource challenges' - Alex Plant @AnglianWater Top Tweets