Utility Week

4 | 9TH - 15TH MARCH 2018 | UTILITY WEEK STORY BY NUMBERS Seven days... National media Australia installs a record amount of solar The future of Australia's solar indus- try is looking bright aer a record 3.5 million panels were installed on rooops last year, giving the equivalent output of a medium- sized coal-fired power station. The record 1,057MW of capacity in small-scale systems smashed the previous record set in 2012, figures from the Clean Energy Regulator showed. The data also revealed the average system size has also dou- bled since then from 3kW to 6kW. The Guardian, 6 March Ukraine closes schools to save gas Ukraine has told all schools and higher education institutions to close in an effort to save gas, aer its Russian supplier refused to deliver more fuel. Energy giant Gazprom – one of the world's largest natural gas suppliers – said it was unilaterally severing its contracts with Ukraine. It made the announcement aer a Stockholm court ruled against it at the end of a long legal battle. BBC News, 2 March South Africa to investi- gate water ministry South Africa's parliament will conduct an inquiry into allegations of mismanagement at the water ministry, a senior lawmaker said on Friday, as the country's tourist hub Cape Town grapples with the worst recorded drought in its history. Mlungisi Johnson, chairman of parliament's Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, told Reuters his committee was draing the terms of reference for the inquiry and expected it to get under way this month. "We are going to get to the bottom of the situation at the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and are moving with speed," Johnson said. A DWS spokesman said the ministry would co-operate. Reuters, 2 March Ofwat: water firms 'ill- prepared for bad weather' S everal water companies have "fallen well short" on their forward planning to ensure the recent adverse weather did not impact water supplies, Ofwat has said. The regulator warned it "won't hesitate to intervene" if it finds companies have not had the right structures and mecha- nisms in place. The aermath of the freeze dubbed the "Beast from the East" and the rapid thaw has resulted in supply disruptions across London and the South East. Parts of the Midlands and Scotland have also been affected. Ofwat described supply prob- lems as "deeply distressing" for customers. Last weekend, Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water issued a statement advising they were experiencing "exceptionally high" levels of demand for water due to multiple bursts on net- works and an increase in leaks in customer properties. The companies asked their customers with water to use "as little as possible" while they worked to get things back to normal. "We are putting as much extra water as we can into our local networks and fixing leaks and bursts as quickly as possi- ble. We sincerely apologise to all those who are currently without water or experiencing low pres- sure," the statement read. Rachel Fletcher, chief execu- tive of Ofwat, said: "While the recent severe freeze and thaw have undoubtedly had an impact on pipes and infrastructure, this weather was forecast in advance. A number of water companies appear to have fallen well short on their forward planning and the quality of support and communication they've been providing. "Everyone's number one pri- ority must be getting the water flowing as quickly as possible. When the taps are back on, we will take a long, hard look at what has happened here and we won't hesitate to intervene if we find that companies have not had the right structures and mechanisms in place to be resilient enough." KP Utilities the most 'forward- thinking' The utilities sector is the most "forward-thinking", with 94 per cent of its leaders agree- ing technology is driving change within it, according to a Fujitsu report. 42% intend to imple- ment the Internet of Things in the next 12 months 40% to implement wearables 40% to implement artifi- cial intelligence 75% believe staff have the right skills for technology 53% of the public agree technology has dramatically changed utilities 17% would like to see technological advances in utilities "You make your money from a captive market. So you need to show you're playing fair" Environment secretary Michael Gove, speaking at the Water UK City Conference in London on 1 March, warned water companies to be transparent and accountable

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