Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH APRIL 2018 | 13 Policy & Regulation This week Cadent faces probe into record keeping Ofgem to investigate whether company correctly maintained records of gas pipes in blocks of flats Cadent will be investigated by Ofgem to determine if the company failed to keep records of gas pipes (known as risers) in some blocks of flats. The gas network distribution company said it had identified some of its records for high-rise buildings were not contained in its digitised records and as a result were not part of its 10-yearly survey. Cadent told Utility Week the Grenfell Tower in north London, where 71 people died aer a fire broke out in June last year, is not one of the buildings missed in its survey. It said the block of flats was surveyed in 2016. The company said it notified the regulator about its discovery in early February. Cadent confirmed to Utility Week it is now surveying more than 1,000 buildings – approximately 0.01 per cent of the properties to which it transports gas. Cadent, formerly known as National Grid Gas Distri- bution, owns, operates and maintains four of the eight regional gas distribution networks in the West Midlands, North West, East of England and north London, and has a responsibility to keep records of these, Ofgem said. The regulator's investigation will look at whether Cadent maintained records for all its risers, whether it has the appropriate systems in place to do so and whether it maintains an efficient and economical pipe- line system. "The opening of this investigation does not imply that we have made any findings about non-compliance," Ofgem said. KP PAN-UTILITY Utilities at risk from Russian cyber-attack "Every possible precaution" must be taken to guard against a potential Russian cyber-attack on the UK's electricity infra- structure, foreign secretary Boris Johnson has said. Responding to a question by the BBC's Andrew Marr about the potential vulnerability of the UK's infrastructure to a Russian assault, Johnson said: "We have to take every possible precaution. If you look at what Russia has done in Salisbury and on critical infrastructure, we have to be very, very cautious indeed." Johnson was speaking in the wake of comments by Russian president Vladimir Putin that the Western countries that par- ticipated in the 14 April assault on suspected chemical weapons facilities in Syria would face "consequences". WATER Sector must tackle corporate behaviour Water companies must address concerns over corporate behav- iour alongside producing their business plans for the upcoming price review, PR19, Ofwat's chief executive has warned. Rachel Fletcher has written to the CEOs of all water companies to set out how the regulator will progress with plans to put the sector "back in balance" in the coming months. Fletcher said: "Our goal is a thriving water sector that holds the trust and confidence of customers and wider society. The corporate behaviour of some companies, along with significant service failures, has damaged that trust." ENERGY Civil nuclear faces 'significant damage' outside Euratom The civil nuclear industry faces "significant damage" unless the UK maintains the benefits it enjoys as a member of the Euratom treaty, the Confederation of British Industry has warned. In the study, entitled Smooth Operations, the business lobby body has assessed the extent to which the UK should diverge from EU rules and regulations following Brexit. In most of the 23 sectors the report examines, it concludes that the benefits from diverging are "vastly outweighed" by the costs of deviating from rules necessary to ensure smooth access to the EU single market. These include energy, where it concludes that alignment with the EU's energy and cli- mate change rules will help to "achieve secure, affordable and low-carbon energy supply". Cadent: 10-yearly survey missed some records Political Agenda David Blackman "The consumer green paper didn't set the world on fire " It seems longer but it's not even two years since Theresa May stood on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street to launch her crusade to help those "just about managing". One of the fruits of the prime minister's early mission to put ordinary folk "back in control" emerged last week. But the publication of the consumer green paper didn't set the world on fire like its authors at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy might have hoped. energy companies though, the price cap legislation going through parliament is likely to be a bigger game changer than any of the measures outlined. It may be telling that the prime minister wasn't person- ally associated with last week's launch, which was handled by business secretary Greg Clark. It looks like that initial heady commitment to restore power imbalances between business and consumers has dropped down the agenda. Some of this was unsurpris- ing given the febrile atmosphere in the run-up to Saturday's air strikes on suspected chemi- cal weapons facilities in Syria. When the threat of World War III is the subject of uneasy jokes on panel shows, it's a bit hard to focus on next year's gas bill. The lack of attention may also reflect the technical nature of the proposed remedies out- lined in the green paper, except for the eye-catching "sector scorecard" that would enable customers to compare utility suppliers on issues such as con- sumer engagement and service quality as well as price. From the perspective of

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