Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 25TH - 31ST MAY 2018 | 3 This week 4 | Seven days 6 Policy & Regulation 6 | News New CfD rules to cost consumers £1.5bn 7 | Analysis Water companies finally cut ties with offshore havens 8 | Special report How near is the electric vehicle revolution and what will it mean for utilities? 14 | Event The obstacles to utilities adopting EV fleets 17 Finance & Investment 15 | News Thames Tideway to issue green bonds 18 Operations & Assets 18 | High viz South West Water's Plymouth WTW 19 | Pipe up Sue Husband, National Apprenticeship Service 21 | Analysis What blockchain means for domestic energy trading 26 | Column Alastair Martin, Flexitricity 27 | Market view Utilities should learn to embrace digital disruption 28 Customers 28 | News Castle Water acquires Invicta Water 30 Community 31 | Disconnector GAS 21 | Analysis What blockchain means for domestic energy trading WATER 7 | Analysis Water companies finally cut ties with offshore havens 15 | News Thames Tideway to issue green bonds 18 | High viz South West Water's Plymouth WTW 28 | News Castle Water acquires Invicta Water ELECTRICITY 6 | News New CfD rules to cost consumers £1.5bn 8 | Special report How near is the electric vehicle revolution and what will it mean for utilities? 14 | Event The obstacles to utilities adopting EVs 26 | Column Alastair Martin, Flexitricity 28 | News Electricity People confused over 'renewables' ENERGY 6 | News Smart meter action plan to be published 19 | Pipe up Sue Husband, National Apprenticeship Service 27 | Market view Utilities should embrace digital disruption Forget the smart talk, it's time for action With the clock ticking on the great smart meter rollout, could there finally be some good news to silence the naysayers? Apparently so, opposition peers were assured this week, when junior Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy minister Lord Henley pledged to publish an annual progress report on the programme (see news, p6). The beleaguered flagship scheme to install the smart home devices and empower energy consumers has fast evolved into a logistical nightmare for most retailers and a PR embarrassment for the government. Yet it now seems we can all be confident that, far from lagging behind schedule as critics would have us believe, the initiative will hit its target of offering a smart gas or electric meter to 53 million households by 2020. Furthermore, the government roadmap and progress reports will soon show the way to get there – including how the myriad operational and technical problems that have plagued the project's painful journey will finally be resolved. So why were we all worrying? Possibly because, with the dead- line looming, at the latest count only 11 million meters had been installed – and just a fraction of those with the latest technology. Ask any industry player for their thoughts on the rollout and at best you're met with resigned frustration at the ambitious programme they have inherited. At worst, their answer would be unpublishable. Only time will tell if the logistical and resource challenges facing stakeholders – such as the enrolment of less sophisticated SMETS1 meters with the Data Communications Company – will be resolved. But despite the government's comforting words, as the Smart Meter Bill made its way through the House of Lords this week, there wasn't an overwhelming air of confidence. More bumps in the road lie ahead, with the regulator firing a warning shot about smaller suppliers that have failed to deliver on their SMETS obligations under their licence. Can an annual progress report really be the solution to such a thorny problem? As one political insider told Utility Week, the announcement smacked of window dressing rather than any clear action plan. The smart meter rollout offers huge potential to transform the nature of energy supply and the relationship between energy retail- ers and their customers. It needs a clear-sighted appraisal of the challenges facing it, a pragmatic approach to the 2020 deadline and meaningful ministerial support. Not just smart talk. Suzanne Heneghan, associate editor, suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Leader Suzanne Heneghan Knowledge worth keeping Subscribers to Utility Week can access premium content and exclusive research, available to read online or as downloadable documents. http://www.utilityweek.co.uk/

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