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by Roger Milne The multi-billion pound gas mains replacement programme is set to be reviewed and could be scaled back, Utility Week understands. Steve Smith, Ofgem's senior partner responsible for [...]

by Roger Milne The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) expects new nuclear generation to come on line in 2021, not 2018 as assumed a year ago, according to [...]

by Roger Milne The latest government-commissioned assessment of UK electricity generation costs said gas was the cheapest near-term baseload option. 'Third generation' nuclear plant will only come into its own [...]

by Roger Milne The most extensive trial yet of heat pumps in the UK has raised questions about current government policy, which anticipates a major role for the technology in [...]

by Roger Milne Utilities were braced this week for a change of government that would signal a major shake-up in energy regulation and the dismantling of the newly established Infrastructure [...]

by Roger Milne Customers could benefit to the tune of [pounds sterling]50 million over 15 years if National Grid was allowed to convert one of its 'feeder' pipelines into the [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has confirmed its intention to carry out a wide-ranging review of competitive metering arrangements. The regulator is consulting on the scope of the exercise, which was [...]

by Roger Milne National Grid has developed a range of mobile communications-based smart meters that its OnStream metering business has described as the smartest on the*market. They comprise an electricity [...]

by Roger Milne Parliament has given the thumbs down to the government's draft suite of energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) and called for major improvements to make them 'fit for [...]

By Roger Milne The operator of Drax, Britain's biggest power station, insisted this week that it would be technically and economically feasible to switch the plant's 4GW of generation capacity [...]

by Roger Milne Energy retailers have been caught in a pincer movement by Ofgem and the government over the time limit - currently up to 65 days after the event [...]

by Roger Milne Climate change minister Joan Ruddock has told Parliament that the government has no plans to intervene in the carbon market by setting a price floor. She spelt [...]

by Roger Milne The government wants to use data matching to target households and individuals for more purposes than the fuel poverty issues currently planned. Fuel poverty minister David Kidney [...]

by Roger Milne The government has revealed that further intervention in the electricity market, which might involve underpinning the carbon price, is under consideration. This was recommended last year by [...]

by Roger Milne Ministers should be prepared to intervene in the market and set a regulatory framework explicitly designed to encourage low-carbon investment, Parliament told government this week. The proposals [...]

Shadow without a doubt Charles Hendry, shadow energy minister, criticises government indecision on energy policy and tells Roger Milne what the Conservatives will do if they take power. Pic: apparently [...]

Organisations are responding to the government's consultation on a smart meter rollout and not everyone is happy. Gas networks, especially, question whether the government has got a handle on costs [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has created a new business unit to handle administration of its expanding environmental workload. The initiative is an important part of a reorganisation announced this week [...]

by Roger Milne Regulator Ofgem has strongly denied industry claims that allowing it to intervene directly in the way the sector sets its technical and commercial rules would give it [...]

Collectively, electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) would be allowed revenues of £21.5 billion over the next five years, according to Ofgem's initial proposals for the upcoming price control period. This [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has put domestic energy suppliers on notice over their debt practices after the latest figures compiled by the regulator showed significant increases in weekly debt repayments, [...]

by Roger Milne Energy suppliers have clashed with a consumer champion over the benefits of smart meters. The row, between the Energy Retail Association (ERA) and Which? surfaced as the [...]

The silly season is on hold as Vestas, offshore energy tax, fuel poverty and water all make waves Parliament has now started its long summer recess but political life has [...]

The aim of Ofgem's Consumer First initiative was to find ways of putting the consumer at the heart of policy. Roger Milne examines the solutions that it has come up [...]

Wales & West Utilities chief Graham Edwards tells Roger Milne the company's success is down to honest hard work Wales & West Utilities Wales & West Utilities (WWU) - formerly [...]

Water customer watchdog the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has criticised the sector's plans to combat sewer flooding and has called on Ofwat to take a tougher stance in the [...]

Communities and Local Government, the Whitehall department in charge of planning in England, has a relatively new section called the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Division. It is responsible for the Infrastructure [...]

by Roger Milne The government has started consulting on its proposed levy on electricity suppliers to fund up to four projects demonstrating carbon capture and storage (CCS). The levy would [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has softened its plans to ban automatic contract rollovers for small business customers, after opposition from the big six energy suppliers and a number of smaller, [...]

by Roger Milne The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is considering challenging the government's decision to allow redevelopment of the Oval cricket ground despite the safety regulator's concern over the [...]

Ofgem wants to force energy suppliers to end 'unfair pricing' by making tariffs cost-reflective, but will the change result in lower prices or will it take away the companies' ability [...]

These are dark times for the government, and the Labour Party's authority is on the wane For the Prime Minister, the old saw about a week in politics probably needs [...]

by Roger Milne Consumer Focus this week backed Ofgem's decision to crack down on unfair pricing. The initiative has been heavily criticised by former regulators and competition academics, and the [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem is facing a barrage of criticism from the regulation and competition establishment over the centrepiece of its price-probe remedies, which has prompted George Yarrow to take [...]

The expenses scandal has claimed a high-profile casualty in the guise of a former environment minister Former environment minister Elliot Morley's political career and parliamentary authority has been holed below [...]

Parliamentary expenses are not the only talking point in Westminster: energy still looms large Energy minister Mike O'Brien has revealed that the government's long-promised renewable energy strategy is proving a [...]

A report commissioned by the government has shown that the UK has the world's sixth largest low-carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) sector. Only the US, China, Japan, India [...]

Amid the flurry of welcome from industry and consumer groups to the government's latest announcement on smart metering, let's not forget that all we actually have is yet another consultation. [...]

by Roger Milne National Grid's metering arm has commissioned an independent safety assessment after the discovery of a serious safety problem potentially affecting thousands of meters and the properties where [...]

by Roger Milne Electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) could play a key role in the government's proposed renewable heat and energy efficiency strategy, ministers have confirmed. Last week, the administration [...]

by Roger Milne Energy and climate change minister Joan Ruddock has signalled that urgent action is required to address some of the concerns highlighted in last week's critical report by [...]

by Roger Milne Domestic energy suppliers should focus on existing customers more than on acquiring new ones, and reward loyal customers with bonuses or help them save energy, Ofgem's consumer [...]

by Roger Milne Barring more eleventh-hour problems, Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were due to resume on Tuesday, after Utility Week went to press, after a deal was [...]

by Roger Milne Energy suppliers are not best placed to persuade more customers to switch to paying by direct debit because they are not trusted to provide impartial advice, government [...]

A new parliamentary session starts this week, with water and marine policies in the spotlight This week, the new parliamentary session dawns with slightly less legislation affecting utilities than the [...]

Planning: we are not out of the woods yet Understandably, ministers and the utilities heaved a collective sigh of relief last week as the Planning Bill became the law of [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem chief executive Alistair Buchanan has voiced serious concerns about the financial position of some energy companies in the wake of the credit crunch. He made it [...]

by Roger Milne Community level distributed heat and power generation - supported by feed-in tariffs and renewable heat incentives - could cut nearly two-thirds of UK household carbon dioxide emissions [...]

by Roger Milne The government this week stepped up pressure on the big six energy suppliers to reduce domestic bills as soon as possible and to end unfair tariffs. Energy [...]

by Roger Milne New watchdog Consumer Focus this week launched a campaign to pressurise gas and electricity companies to bring down household bills in line with the fall in wholesale [...]