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UTILITY WEEK | 24TH FEBRUARY - 2ND MARCH 2017 | 5 INTERCONNECTORS: NETWORK OR GENERATION? Age UK gets UKPN's vote UK Power Networks has selected Age UK as its charity of the year for 2017. Staff voted on which charity to support, and Age UK's turn as the network operator's charity of the year will start on 3 March. In 2016 UKPN employees raised more than £34,000 for a mixture of charities through events such as dress-down days, car washes, head shaves, bake sales, cycle rides and a rowing challenge. Carolyn Nixon, the head of communications and engagement at UK Power Networks, said: "Helping older people in our communities is really important to us and we look forward to raising vital funds for our new charity of the year." Streetlights connected to the UK Power Networks electricity network in Kensington and Chelsea have been converted into charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) – a first for central London. The trial is tackling the lack of off-street parking in London as a potential blocker to EV uptake. In outer London, 33 per cent of households have no access to off-street parking, and in inner London the figure rises to 46 per cent. The use of smart cables for charging the vehicles allows the amount of electricity consumed to be accurately determined – and paid for. 3 March The deadline for entry to the Utility Week Stars Awards 2017. Find out more at www.utilityweekstars.co.uk UU's sticks lick the leaks A team at United Utilities has tracked down and plugged more than 18,000 hidden pipe leaks in the North West over the past 12 months. Their success has largely relied on the use of "listening sticks" – devices that have been used since the Victorian era. The long wooden sticks with an ear- trumpet-style end vibrate when a leak is detected, producing a distinctive sound. As a result, the 140-strong team from United Utilities has saved an average of 900 million litres of water over the past year – the equivalent of 360 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Horizon outsources IT Horizon Nuclear Power has appointed technology provider Capgemini to deliver its IT services for the next three years. The deal comes shortly after Horizon announced a partnership with US company Exelon Generation to help design an operating model for the proposed new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd. The partnership with Capgemini will see the creation of a new "nuclear centre of excellence" based on a similar service the tech firm has already delivered in France. The centre will host a "multichannel service desk to help enable first-class end-user experience for all employees". It will also include a security operations centre and make use of cloud computing technology to deliver scalability as Horizon's new nuclear project grows. Balancing mechanism Ancillary services Ancillary services Capacity market Capacity market Energy market Access rights revenue TNUoS (from –£6.40 to £19.66) BSUoS (from –£0.55 to £41.96/MWh) Transmission losses Carbon price support (£7-£15/MWh) Revenue Costs Cap and floor Interconnector Generation Source: Uniper Notes: Cap and floor refers to new interconnectors only; Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges are 2016-17 tariffs using generic load factors and excluding substation and local circuit tariffs; Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges use settlement final data from 1 Jan to 31 Oct 2016. See interview, p6