Utility Week

4 | 2ND - 8TH FEBRUARY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK STORY BY NUMBERS Seven days... National media Oil price rise gives the US a boost A substantial rise in oil prices in recent months has led to a resur- gence in American oil production, enabling the country to challenge the dominance of Saudi Arabia and dampen price pressures at the pump. The success has come in the face of efforts by Saudi Arabia and its oil allies to undercut the shale drilling spree in the US. Those strategies backfired and ultimately ended up benefiting the oil industry. New York Times, 28 January Cape Town water crisis: residents urged to turn off toilet taps Residents in the South African city of Cape Town have been warned to "save water as if your life depends on it" to avoid the supply being shut off. A severe drought has forced the city's municipality to limit consumption to 50 litres per person per day. Officials are urging people to switch off their toilet cisterns and limit flushing to conserve water. The head of the provincial government said if the taps ran dry it would be "the disaster above all disasters". BBC News, 26 January Blow to fracking firms as UK insists on financial checks Fracking companies must undergo financial health checks if they want to win a green light for their operations, the business secretary has said, as the industry faces another barrier to exploration in the UK. The decision comes aer a Barclays-backed company hoping to be the first to frack in the UK for seven years failed to win consent from business secretary Greg Clark because of the state of its accounts. Third Energy is ready to start extracting gas at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire and is awaiting permission from Clark. The Guardian, 25 January Future Energy's customers taken on by Green Star O fgem has appointed Green Star Energy to take on the customers of col- lapsed supplier Future Energy, which ceased trading last week. The watchdog announced late on Tuesday that it had cho- sen Green Star, with more than 300,000 domestic customers across the UK, as supplier of last resort for Future Energy's 10,000 clients, based mainly in the North East and Yorkshire. Under the move customers will pay the same tariff prices for now, with balances protected and, if they still wish to switch, no exit fees imposed. Neil Barnes, Ofgem's associ- ate partner for consumers and competition, said: "We are very pleased to have been able to secure a deal with Green Star Energy, where Future Energy customers will continue pay- ing the same price for their energy as they were before. And their credit balances will be honoured. "Our advice for customers of Future Energy is to wait until Green Star Energy contacts you. They will give you more infor- mation about the tariff you are on, and about your credit bal- ance. Then you can shop around for a better deal if you wish to." Last week's announcement on Future Energy's website gave no explanation for its closure. It was the second supplier to cease trading this winter, aer Brighter World Energy closed in December. The social supplier said its business model had become unsustainable over the long term because of market conditions. Its custom- ers were taken over by Robin Hood Energy, the council-owned supplier that provided the white-label tariffs it offered to customers. Last winter, GB Energy Supply went bust, blaming ris- ing wholesale energy prices for making its position "untenable". Ofgem appointed Co-op Energy to take its 160,000 customers. TG See analysis, p8 UK cancer sufferers struggle to pay energy bills A survey carried out by Macmillan Cancer Support and Npower has revealed that 35,000 people liv- ing with cancer in the UK are having trouble paying their energy bills. 1.4% of cancer sufferers say they last felt warm more than a year ago and have to wrap up to stay warm. 31% of cancer suffers say they feel the cold more because of their diagnosis and treatment. 23% of those who feel colder say they have sleepless nights because of the cold. 14% of those who feel colder suffer from anxiety and 15% suffer from depression. "If it is Ofgem's view that the double-digit returns are unjustified, you should do something about it immediately" A group of 30 MPs write to Ofgem chief executive Dermot Nolan demanding action on network charges.

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