Utility Week

4 | 4th - 10th November 2016 | UtILItY WeeK Bake Off final triggers modest pick-up The final of the Great British Bake Off saw a TV pick-up of 196MW on 26 October, the equivalent of 80,000 kettles boiling at once. The figure is relatively small compared with other notable events. The biggest TV pick-up of all time happened in 1990. 2,800MW The biggest TV pick-up recorded by National Grid for the World Cup Semi 1990: West Germany v England. 2,110MW The Rugby World Cup Final: England v Australia 2003 HT TV pick-up. 2,290MW The final episode of EastEnders when it was broadcast twice weekly. 2,200MW An episode of Dallas caused this pick-up in 1985. stOry By NUMBErs DCC misses final launch deadline for IT system Seven days... T he Data and Commu- nications Company has overrun the official contingency period for launch, undermining smart meter roll- out targets. The Data and Communica- tions Company (DCC) admitted that the central IT system for the national smart meter rollout did not go live on 31 October as promised. This is despite the company reaching the end of its contingency period for launch of its critical IT system. A DCC spokesperson told Utility Week: "DCC is undertak- ing its final preparations for live services." However, the com- pany declined to confirm a new launch date. The DCC's milestones for delivery and assurance of a "timely rollout" of smart meters by suppliers were approved by government. The plan includes a requirement for all domestic sup- pliers to be using the DCC by 1 August 2017, and large suppliers will have to install 1,500 SMETS2 meters by 1 February 2017. With delays to the launch of the DCC, however, many suppliers are concerned about meeting these targets and the overall ambition for all homes to be offered smart meters by 2020. Consumer groups have warned that pressure on these objec- tives could add to the £11 billion overall cost of the programme, which is ultimately funded by consumers. Until the DCC's central com- munications system is launched, suppliers will be forced to con- tinue installing SMETS1 founda- tion meters. The interoper- ability issues of SMETS1 meters make them difficult to transfer between suppliers if a cus- tomer decides to switch. They also carry the risk of becoming stranded assets because they are not currently compatible with the DCC's system. SJ National media IGas sites targeted by KKR-backed group Fracking firm IGas is facing a raid on its conventional oil and gas assets by an energy group backed by US private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). IGas confirmed that its bond- holder Trans European Oil & Gas, which is controlled by KKR, had "proposed a sale of the company's conventional assets". Sources confirmed a Sky News report that TEOG was trying to force the sale in order to buy up the assets itself. The Telegraph, 31 October Dong considers sale of oil and gas assets The biggest windfarm operator in the UK is considering selling its oil and gas business, four decades a‡er it was set up, to manage Denmark's North Sea oilfields. Dong Energy, which is majority- owned by the Danish government, said it had appointed JP Morgan to perform a strategy review that could result in the sale of the oil and gas business. The Guardian, 26 October Fracking warning after study finds link to childhood cancer Chemical contamination from the fracking industry has been linked to an increased risk of childhood leukaemia, according to a major new study by US scientists. The study, published by Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, has prompted renewed calls for the Scottish Government to ban fracking for underground shale gas. Ministers are due to publish reports on the safety of the industry in the next few weeks. US scientists have found 55 fracking pollutants linked to can- cer, including 20 associated with leukaemia or lymphoma. Herald Scotland, 30 October 14th The UK's position in EY's biannual Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, an all-time low. 650% Potential growth in offshore wind power worldwide by 2030, according to the Interna- tional Renewable Energy Agency.

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