Utility Week

Community 'Tis the season to be jolly Ho! Ho! Ho! There's snow across the land, there's the final of Strictly Come Dancing coming up, there's fisticuffs between Jose Mourinho and A N Another in the tunnel aer a match. It can only be Christ- mas time! In the spirit of giving, Disconnector is going to end the year's last issue of Utility Week with the blind optimism of a turkey wondering what's happening on Boxing Day. We can put all the gloom and uncertainty of 2017 well and truly behind us and look forward to Boris's Sunny Uplands. True, the Brexit nego- tiations were a bit touch-and- go for most of this year, but it's all been sorted now. Theresa May has heroically reached a Stage 1 agreement that com- mits the UK to both leaving and staying in the Single Market, which both obviates the need for, and necessitates, a hard border in Northern Ireland. Why argue about a so or hard Brexit when you can have Schroedinger's Brexit? Personally, Disconnec- tor thinks it's a triumph, and anyone who says otherwise is a miserable commie. All we need to cement the moment is an event to bring the country together in a celebration of national unity. President's Trump's motorcade scooting down Pall Mall ought to do the trick. 2018 is gonna be so cool! I smell a rat As a for instance, next year could be the year mankind at last rids itself of a pest that's been bugging us for millennia. Rats. That's right. Boffins at Edinburgh University have been applying themselves to the problem of how to rid the planet of this menace once and for all with a process called "gene drive". In a nutshell, it works by spreading infertility genes through a population, which causes a catastrophic drop in numbers over several generations. The technology uses the DNA-editing technique called CRISPR, a natural process by which bacteria fight off viruses by snipping away at their DNA. The rodents would be genet- ically modified in the labora- tory before being released into the wild where they could mate with the native population. Professor Bruce Whitelaw of the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute said: "For the first time we have the makings of technology that could reduce or eliminate a pest population in a humane and species-spe- cific manner. It's time to explore what this technology can do." And who could argue with the good professor? Okay, it could be argued that not many of us actually see any rats. But some of us do. And the rest of us know they exist, which is icky. And that's enough. So let's genetically modify a load of rats and chuck 'em out there and see how it goes. Worth a punt, right? Killjoys Mind you, the eggheads at Edinburgh may never get a chance to splice and dice the DNA of rats if those nanny stat- ists at the UN get their way. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is debating whether to impose a morato- rium on such research, because some countries fear a possible military application. It's health and safety gone mad, says Disconnector. Mind you, the case for honest pest controllers everywhere wasn't helped by the revelation obtained under a US freedom of information request that the biggest financier of "extinc- tion technologies" worldwide is the US's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which has earmarked $100 mil- lion dollars for research. Those guys must really, really hate rats. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Deputy news editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@fav-house.com; Content editor: Alice Cooke, t: 01342 332102, e: alicecooke@fav-house.com; Senior reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Sales executive: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house. com. t: 01342 332009; Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e; sophieabbott@ fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ. 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Emily Gosden @emilygosden UK gas prices spiking due to Forties / Austria explosion / cold weather could be first big test for some of the many small new energy suppliers managing their hedging in-house. Gareth Thomas @GarethThomasMP Who is going to take over the project to deliver lots more energy co-ops? Wait a mo just realised there is no such project... no govt interest in consumers with real economic power. Indice @indice_energy Sales of electric cars could outstrip diesel cars as early as May 2019, according to analysis by Matt Finch, at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit in the UK: "This date is incredible, as clearly it is only 18 months away." XLN @XLNBusiness North Sea pipelines have been shut for emergency repairs - meaning energy prices are going to go up unless you get yourself locked into a fixed contract soon. Dustin Benton @dustin_benton Sky reckons UK will stay in EASA… < similar pragmatism could keep UK in the internal energy market - overwhelmingly a good thing for UK consumers. cliffski @cliffski Tesla is proving that battery storage can work with renewable energy to provide cheap power. Why the hell isn't the UK doing this? Devra @DevraWiz State-owned Korean energy firm rescues UK's Moorside nuclear power project, one of 2 state-owned bidders. Wouldn't the Brexiteers want the UK state to build and run it? Wouldn't everybody? The UK shld. profit from this, not S. Korea Mark @TheAndroid2011 World's first large-scale tidal energy farm launches in Scotland… The rest of the world is streaks ahead. Most not even paying for electric with solar/wind. The UK: "ooh by gom, can't have that you know. Oooh must be a coal factory with smog cos this here is Britain." Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 15TH - 21ST DECEMBER 2017 | 31

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