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UTILITY WEEK | 9TH - 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 | 5 "Fanciful nonsense" The GMB union has insisted that avoiding winter blackouts with a "smart energy" revolution is "fanciful nonsense", as the smart grid is years away This year marks 40 years since one of the most severe droughts in UK history hit Wessex Water's supply region in the summer of 1976. During the drought, parts of the region went 45 days without any rainfall, forcing the firm to impose a ban on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers. The company said "unprecedented efforts" to cut consumption and new supply schemes meant a full-blown crisis was averted. August was National Water Qual- ity month. To mark the occasion, pump distributor Anchor Pumps created an infographic depicting the UK's water supply. Accord- ing to the company, the South East of England has the hardest water, while the South West, Wales and the North have the soest. Ninety-four per cent of the population is happy with the water supply, and 99.6 per cent of tap water in the UK is within quality standards. Despite this, more than £1.5 billion is spent on bottled water every year. Chisholm takes on BEIS Alex Chisholm has been given sole responsibility for heading the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, after Martin Donnelly stepped down as joint permanent secretary. Viridor CEO steps down Pennon Group has announced that Ian McAulay will step down from the position of Viridor chief execu- tive, and from the Pennon board, with immediate effect. Phil Piddington has been appointed managing director of Viridor, and took up the role the role on 1 September. He joined Viridor in 2014 to lead the energy division. Wessex names new non-executive director Wessex Water has appointed a new independent non- executive director to its board. Richard Keys is a chartered accountant who spent 37 years at PwC and was a partner there for 26 years. PEOPLE MOVES Lagoon advisers appointed A team of technical experts have been appointed to assess the technical aspects of tidal lagoon energy in the UK as part of an independent review. Renewable energy advisory group IT Power Consulting will lead the team of technical advisers which include staff from Energised Environments and Xero Energy. The experts will assess and validate the technical aspects of the evidence and identify gaps for a wider tidal lagoon programme in the UK. The review, announced by the government in February 2016 is be- ing led by former energy minister Charles Hendry. Hydro needs access to public funds The government must introduce an incentive structure for hydropower and give it access to public funds, to encourage more projects to be built, developer Barn Energy has insisted. The firm, currently developing a hydropower scheme in Kirkthorpe on the largest weir in Yorkshire, said it wants an incentive structure for the "long-term delivery of renewable energy", and more funds to enable other projects to go ahead. Barn Energy chief executive Mark Simon told : "We would like recognition of the fact that these are very large civil engineering projects that have very much longer lifetimes and larger yields than other renewables like solar or wind. "We would like an incen- tive structure that rewards such long-term delivery of renewable energy… but also that gives us ac- cess to public funds to get low-cost money for a long period that will enable such projects." Cuts to the government feed-in- tariff scheme have made new hydropower projects difficult to finance because the government aims to cap spending on feed-in tariffs at £75 million to £100 million from 2016 to 2018/19. Watch video online: http://bit. ly/2c1ubmw ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY