Utility Week

🌟 The 2025 Women in Utilities Awards are open for entries! 🌟 Shine a spotlight on the incredible women in your organisation and the champions who support them. Check out the entry guide for the full list of categories and start your entries/nominations today: https://bit.ly/3WdFHCi

Elexon’s CEO, Peter Stanley, shares insight as market facilitator, around ‘decarbonising industry for whole systems flexibility’ at the Utility Week Future Networks Conference, 18 March. Download our brochure now to see the full agenda: https://bit.ly/3VrBYAm #FutureNetworks

Top stories today (£) ✅ ‘Box ticking’ suppliers falling short of customer ratings rule https://buff.ly/4gKGEdx Energy suppliers have been accused of failing to display mandatory customer service ratings in a prominent position on their respective websites, despite being ordered to do so by Ofgem more than a year ago. Of the 16 suppliers with more than 25,000 customer accounts, only Good Energy displays its Citizens Advice rating on its homepage. Vulnerable customer experience consultant Carolyn Delehanty told Utility Week that suppliers were failing to be transparent, while Citizens' Advice head of energy policy Alex Belsham-Harris encouraged Ofgem to take action. 💧 Thames rescue deal will ‘stifle’ ability to raise new equity https://buff.ly/40op8G0 The conditions attached to Thames Water’s preferred liquidity rescue agreement could jeopardise the company’s longer term financing prospects, a rival bidder has cautioned. A group of Class B creditors has set out what it categorises as unfavourable terms within the offer currently being considered. The B group, which accounts for around £750 million of the water company’s debt pile, has now submitted its own alternative plan to the Class A creditors’ offering. 🎙️ Utility Week Podcast: Tackling waste on the energy system, with the Energy Geeks https://buff.ly/3DYslmQ Could we achieve as much as a 10% energy saving on the path to 2030 through tackling inefficiencies on the system? This is the bold claim of a new thinktank comprised of six energy policy experts. The Energy Geeks join our latest Utility Week podcast.

Top stories today (£) ⚡ T-pylon architect slams National Grid for being ‘stuck in the past’ https://buff.ly/4h1Nv1H The architect behind National Grid’s T-pylons has criticised the transmission operator for effectively ditching the innovative design. erik bystrup, founder of Danish firm BYSTRUP Architecture Design & Engineering, told Utility Week that the decision is “very frustrating” and shows that National Grid is “stuck in the past”. It comes after a National Grid document – seen by Utility Week – reveals that the transmission operator is reluctant to use T-pylons in their current guise for any of its upcoming major projects. 👨💻 Significant cyber attack could be ‘death knell’ for Thames Water https://buff.ly/4gVgzbk Following reports that Thames Water’s IT is "falling apart" and vulnerable to cyber-attacks, former GCHQ chief Brian Lord explains why issues at Thames point to wider vulnerabilities within the utilities sector. Writing for Utility Week, Lord outlines why a significant cyber attack “could be an organisational death knell” for Thames. 💧 ‘Deeply flawed’ reforms would give water firms say on projects outside their regions https://buff.ly/3BMUexT Mooted reforms to planning rules for major infrastructure projects in Wales are “deeply flawed”, according to Energy UK. In particular, the trade body has taken aim at the Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government’s proposals to make water companies statutory consultees on all projects, even where they don’t operate.

⚡ To make RIIO3 financeable, our investors need better returns https://buff.ly/40ofdk1 (£) As Great Britain’s electricity transmission networks unveil plans to spend almost £68 billion across RIIO3, SP Energy Networks’ chief executive Nicola Connelly gives her take on what to expect during the next price control period. Speaking to Utility Week, Connelly outlines why a significant increase in rates of return is crucial to achieving the sector's ambitious targets. 

Top stories today (£) 📰 Weekend press: National Grid quietly abandons noisy new T-Pylons https://buff.ly/4fN4ROQ National Grid has quietly abandoned the new T-pylon design in favour of traditional lattice pylons due to higher costs and complaints from that they create ‘spooky’ noises in high winds. Also in the latest round-up of the weekend’s papers, wind becomes the UK’s biggest source of electricity and the UK Ministry of Defence explores ways to stop North Sea turbines from blocking its radar. 👷♂️ How to avoid a public backlash on major infrastructure projects https://buff.ly/4h2SD5J Sharon Darcy, the chair of the Linear Infrastructure Planning Panel, presents six key questions utilities should ask themselves before approaching community engagement around large projects. 💧 Thames’ advisers back £3bn Class A deal https://buff.ly/4gMSGmM Financial assessments carried out as part of Thames Water’s High Court hearing have revealed the impact a special administration would have on consumers and creditors. The assessments also reveal why the Class B bondholders are so opposed to the £3 billion deal on the table from their Class A counterparts, with their returns slashed to pennies on the pound. Despite this, specialist financial advisers Kroll and Teneo have supported the Class A deal – which is also Thames’ preferred option – as the best scenario for the company moving forwards.

🤝 On the Move: DCC appoints CFO; NIC boss steps down https://buff.ly/4j3TOnc (£) In our first industry appointments round-up of 2025, Smart DCC has appointed a new chief financial officer, while the National Infrastructure Commission has announced that its chief executive will step down. Elsewhere, there are appointments at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s parent company and the former chief executive of Asda has taken up a role at M Group Services.

Top stories today (£) 💧 Single social water tariff resurrected https://buff.ly/3BSMZnX Plans to introduce a single social tariff for water customers have been revived. Utility Week understands that the Labour administration has put the prospective support mechanism back on the table after it was dropped by the previous government. Keir Starmer’s government is said to be supportive of developing a solution to end water poverty and is planning to hold meetings with industry officials to work out the feasibility of introducing a nationwide scheme. 🟢 What needs to be achieved in 2025 to reach clean power by 2030? https://buff.ly/3DGB4tW We are now just five short years away from a monumental target in the form of Clean Power 2030. The time for talking is over, so what needs to be achieved in the next 12 months to keep us on track to decarbonise the power system by the end of the decade? The Energy Geeks, a group of leading thinkers on energy policy, give their view. ⚠️ Price cap risks becoming a ‘lobbyist charter’ https://buff.ly/3C5rJeF Consumer groups have raised concerns about suppliers lobbying Ofgem to change aspects of the price cap. Citizens Advice claims that without reforms, the price cap risks becoming a “lobbyist’s charter”, with suppliers the main beneficiaries. It is one of several consumer groups and charities to raise concerns that if Ofgem’s adjustment of the price cap methodology keeps favouring suppliers it will weaken price protections for consumers.

🎖️ Three energy heavyweights bag New Year’s honours Three prominent figures in the UK utility sector were recognised in the 2025 New Year’s Honours list for their contributions to addressing energy challenges and climate change. The recipients for the King’s honours list included Uniper’s chief executive Michael Lewis, the head of the government-backed Mission Control unit Chris Stark CBE, and former Labour MP Alan Whitehead. https://buff.ly/4a6dVx5 (£)

How can we improve customer and smart meter interaction through data analysis? Find out with Utilita Energy’s head of customer experience on 25 February https://bit.ly/4fRv2EP #CustomerSummit