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UTILITY WEEK | 30TH JUNE - 6TH JULY 2017 | 3 This week 4 | Seven days 6 | People & Opinion 9 | Topic: Flexibility Why today's utilities need to be responsive and adaptable 15 Policy & Regulation 15 | News Ofgem mulls how to deliver flexible regulation 16 | Lobby The new parliamentary arithmetic was reflected in a barebones Queen's Speech 19 Finance & Investment 19 | News Wessex buys Flipper switching service 20 Operations & Assets 20 | High viz Scottish Water's Montrose solar farm 24 | Pipe up Julie Nugent, The Design and Technology Association 23 Customers 23 | News New marketing rules come into force 24 | Event The launch of the Utility Week- WNS Trust Council 26 | Analysis Can Thames Water turn things around after the drubbing from Ofwat 28 Markets & Trading 28 | Analysis The ramifications of the closure of Rough 30 Community 31 | Disconnector GAS 9 | Topic: Flexibility Why today's utilities need to be responsive and adaptable 28 | Analysis The ramifications of the closure of Rough WATER 19 | News Wessex buys Flipper switching service 20 | High viz Scottish Water's Montrose solar farm 26 | Analysis Can Thames Water turn things around after the drubbing from Ofwat 15 | News Water Water firms need robust data strategy ELECTRICITY 19 | News Electricity Interconnectors get cap and floor OK ENERGY 15 | News Ofgem mulls how to deliver flexible regulation 16 | Lobby The new parliamentary arithmetic was reflected in a barebones Queen's Speech 23 | News New marketing rules come into force 24 | Event The launch of the Utility Week-WNS Trust Council CGI: Demand side flexibility in UK utilities http://bit.ly/2qOgC0R GORE: New Arc Rated Foul Weather Protection http://bit.ly/2ot3xrO Knowledge worth Keeping Visit the DownloaDs section of Utility week's website http://www.utilityweek.co.uk/ downloads The energy system is being transformed in a political vacuum While political rows continue over the prospect of an energy price cap, a potentially far more important conversation is taking place on the network side of the energy sector. Transformative change is blasting its way through business-as-usual for the power system, with disruptive behaviours and technologies already ushering in new players and new business models, and that process can only accelerate. You won't read about it in the national media or any political party's manifesto, but by 2030, the way consumers interact with the power system will have profoundly changed. The shi will govern how consumers power their homes; how they charge their vehicles; whether they have a domestic bat- tery installed; if they sign up to community energy schemes. The structure of the future power system will touch every consumer and business in the country, in multiple ways. It's strange, then, how little political attention it gets. A suggested blueprint for the change has been laid out by the Future Power System Architecture project, led by the IET and Energy Systems Catapult, which published its second report this week. The project was funded by Innovate UK in phase 2 and BEIS in phase 1, but its outputs do not appear to have been taken to government's heart. There was no minister present at the launch of either project report. The absence will have been felt by the project's leaders, who should be congratulated on a job well done. Several of them were at Utility Week Live last month, and highlights from their presentations are included in our special feature on flexibility (p9). It's not too late for government to make a positive impact. There is an urgent need for an overarching vision and common language to guide power system change, which can only be delivered at a policy level. Politicians need to catalyse transformation by adopting a leading role in this debate – it would be far more constructive than their endless to-ing and fro-ing on price caps. • With so much controversy and tub-thumping afoot in the utilities industry, it was refreshing last week to indulge in an unabashed celebration of the hard work, talent and passion that runs through the sector. Huge congratulations to all finalists and winners at our Stars Awards, which attracted a record crowd in Manchester. A full write-up of the inspiring event will feature in next week's issue. Jane Gray, Deputy Editor, janegray@fav-house.com Leader Jane Gray