Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 15TH - 21ST JUNE 2018 | 5 PAN-UTILITY Gongs for NWG chief and former Dong chairman Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) chief executive Heidi Mot- tram and the former chairman of Dong Energy UK, Brent Cheshire, were among the utilities leaders recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for 2018. Mottram received a CBE for services to the water industry and business community, while Cheshire, who retired as the chairman of Dong Energy UK [now Orsted] in June 2017, was awarded a CBE for services to the renewable energy sector. The other utility executives honoured this year were Alan Creighton, senior smart grid devel- opment engineer, Northern Power- grid; and Annette Heslop, financial director, Energy4All, who received MBEs for services to energy and community energy, respectively. ELECTRICITY Grid-scale liquid air energy storage plant opens The world's first grid-scale liquid air energy storage plant has been officially opened near Manchester. The 5MW demonstration project has a storage capacity of 15MWh and was developed by Highview Power in partnership with Viridor, which is part of Pennon Group. The project was supported by £8 million of government funding. The technology works by using excess electricity to compress air and cool it to -196C, condensing it into a liquid. When electricity is needed, the air is allowed to reheat, causing it to evaporate back into a gas, expanding rapidly enough to power a turbine. £40,000 Record fine incurred by Northern Ireland Water for polluting the Moyola River in County Londonderry with raw sewage in February last year. Human remains dating back to the 11th century were found during excavation work on the South Downs for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, Eon has said. The well-preserved remains of the adult male – aged 25 to 35 years, thought to have been executed – were found by archaeologists when surveying the route for the onshore cable that now carries power from the 400MW windfarm. "[The] proposals for automatic compensation should serve as an incentive for suppliers to get switches right first time" Rob Salter-Church, interim executive director of consumers and markets at Ofgem, on the regulator's proposals that suppliers automatically compensate customers if their switch goes wrong. Energy UK figures show 493,912 customers switched supplier last month, a 13 per cent increase compared with May 2017. This brings the total number of customers who have switched supplier over the first five months of 2018 to nearly 2.3 million. Small and mid-tier suppliers are continuing to make gains with over a third of total switches in May involving customers moving from larger suppliers. 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,0000 0 SWITCHING MOVEMENT BETWEEN SMALL AND MID-TIER AND LARGER SUPPLIERS source: Electralink May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May 2016 2017 2018 Big six suppliers to small suppliers Small suppliers to big six suppliers Big six suppliers to big six suppliers Small suppliers to small suppliers

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