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4 | 7TH - 13TH OCTOBER 2016 | UTILITY WEEK EDF 'best place to be interviewed' Big six utility com- pany EDF Energy came top of a list of "Best Places to Interview in 2016". The award, pre- sented by jobs and recruiting market- place Glassdoor, was won through voluntary feedback from candidates after an interview. 100% Full positive feedback from candidates for EDF. 95% Percentage of positive interview feedback for fifth placed PwC. 2.7 Rating out of five given by candidates for difficulty of interview for ana- lyst role at EDF. 3 Rating out of five given by candi- dates for difficulty of interview for graduate engineer role at EDF. STORY BY NUMBERS Further delays for smart meter rollout Seven days... T he full smart meter rollout was hit with another delay, as the smart meter network operator missed its deadline for go-live. The Data and Communica- tions Company (DCC) was expected to go live on 30 September, aer several delays on its original start date in December 2015. The DCC has now stated that the new go-live date will be the end of October. The launch will provide the functional- ity required for suppliers to install, commission and oper- ate SMETS2 meters for credit customers. It will also support smoother smart meter switching between suppliers. A spokesperson for the DCC said: "The national data and communications infrastructure is in the final stages of testing and is making good progress. We are working hard to deliver the network at the earliest pos- sible opportunity to the energy industry." The government has set out deadlines for using the DCC and meter installation as part of its plans to ensure a "timely" rollout, and ensure both energy suppliers and distribution network operators are ready to commence the rollout from the DCC go-live date. All domestic suppliers are required to be using the DCC by 1 August 2017, while large sup- pliers will also have to install 1,500 SMETS2 meters by 1 Febru- ary 2017. A BEIS spokesperson said: "Smart meters will enable sup- pliers to deliver innovative prod- ucts and services… This new infrastructure will make it easier for consumers to switch and is in the final stages of testing." "It has been an enormous waste of time" Ovo Energy chief executive Stephen Fitzpatrick tells Utility Week he thinks the CMA remedies will be "very effective at helping to boost the profits of the big six". National media 'Renewables not to blame for Australian blackouts' Early inquiries into South Aus- tralia's blackout say it was not caused or exacerbated by the state's dependency on renewable energy, the federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg has said, and he called for a "real debate" on the issue regardless. Extreme weather in South Aus- tralia, which included widespread flooding and a severe storm last week, saw more than 20 power pylons destroyed and electricity knocked out for the entire state. More rain and possible thunder- storms have been forecast. 2 October, The Guardian Italian olive grove stands in way of Euro- pean energy security 231 olive trees in Southern Italy stand in the way of a $45 billion pipeline designed to bring gas from central Asia and help wean the European Union off its depend- ence on Russian energy. Local authorities want the pipeline re-routed away from the prized grove, which includes trees thought to be more than 400 years old, but developers have Rome's approval to proceed, on condition they are transplanted while pipes are laid and buried. 4 October, Reuters Harnessing the power of storms The powerful typhoons which batter the Japanese coastline each year can be a devastating force of nature, leaving a trail of destruc- tion. But engineers are trying to tame these Pacific storms by har- nessing the power of their winds. A Japanese inventor has devel- oped a prototype turbine which he claims could gather enough energy from a single typhoon to power Japan for 50 years. 29 September, Daily Mail 5.8% Coal's share of electricity genera- tion dropped to a record low in the three months to the end of June.