News
Power
UKPN line removal rejuvenates Norfolk marsh
UK Power Networks has removed twin tracks of overhead power lines and 24 poles that have been standing in marshland in the Norfolk Broads area since 1966, in a project it says has been a "spectacular success".
Power
Kaluza and WPD deliver first domestic battery flex service
Intelligent energy platform Kaluza has delivered the first service to offer flexibility to a distribution network operator (DNO) from a portfolio of domestic properties, in a contract with Western Power Distribution (WPD) in Lincolnshire.
People & Skills
Network Awards 2020 finalists!
The Network Awards 2020 Finalists have been announced! Now in its third year, the Network Awards are back with 12 categories, recognising network operators, the supply chain, contractors and local authorities who are involved in shaping the energy system.
Power
SSEN turns to Just Eat for power cut customers
Households in the southern England licence area operated by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will be able to order meals on the Just Eat app and website if they experience a blackout, after the network operator signed up to a new partnership.
Power
Germany to switch on more coal-fired power despite 2038 exit
Climate activists in Germany are calling on power plant operator Uniper to abandon plans to add a new coal-fired power station to the German grid in July - a move that comes despite a political agreement finalised this week to phase out all coal and lignite generation by 2038.
Power
Low carbon jobs and revenue in growth, says ONS
New figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirm that the UK's low carbon and renewable energy sector grew steadily and created new jobs in the period from 2015 to 2018, although the comparison with 2014 looks less positive.
Power
Honda and Moixa convert Islington to smart EVs
Islington Council, Honda and smart battery electric vehicle charging specialist Moixa are collaborating on a smart EV charging project to switch the council's fleet to electric vehicles and create "vehicle to grid" (V2G) flexibility capacity.
Power
Campaign to accelerate EVs and ‘smart’ charging urged
Drivers and consumers will need more support, advice and protection from government and Ofgem to be confident that driving an electric vehicle will be a positive experience, according to recommendations in the government's Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (EVET) report.
Policy & Regulation
Expert team to advise Citizens’ Assembly on climate change
Three groups of experts have been appointed to advise the soon-to-be-established Citizens Assembly on climate change, an initiative that has been jointly commissioned by cross-party MPs on six parliamentary committees.
Gas
Cadent launches Norfolk solar farm to power its own sites
Gas distribution network Cadent is generating renewable electricity with its first solar farm, sited on one of its installations in Brisley, north Norfolk.
Power
Electricity North West signs £400m maintenance deal
Electricity North West has awarded contracts for an eight year, £400m deal to maintain and upgrade its underground power network to Network Plus Services and O'Connor Utilities.
Power
WPD launches largest ever flex auction for 334MW
Western Power Distribution (WPD) is to procure 334MW of flexibility across its network through channels including the Piclo platform, the Cornwall Local Energy Market and WPD's own Flexible Power brand.
Gas
First live hydrogen trials on campus ‘living lab’
Keele University campus has become the site of the UK's first live trial to inject hydrogen into a gas network, in the first of a series of demonstrations by the HyDeploy consortium.
Gas
Power companies pay £10.5m for 9 August black out
Ofgem's investigation into the 9 August power outages has led to £4.5m pay outs by the owners of two generators - Hornsea One and Little Barford - that lost connection to the grid, as well as £1.5m from UK Power Networks for reconnecting customers too soon.
Gas
Queen’s Speech promises net-zero policies in 2020 budget
The Queen's Speech from the new Conservative government this week reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net-zero and investing in renewable energy, but contained little in the way of detail, promising instead that the first budget will prioritise a range of net-zero enablers.
Gas
Ofgem sets ‘tough but fair’ ground rules for RIIO-ED2
Ofgem has laid out the underlying framework for the RIIO-ED2 price control period for electricity, ahead of further consultation from the regulator next year to define the specific methodologies.
Power
Contract signed on 32.5km London Power Tunnel Phase 2
National Grid is pressing ahead with phase two of its London Power Tunnels project, by awarding a six-year, £400m contract to construct new tunnels and shaft work in south London.
Power
Council’s ‘pioneer’ subsidy free solar farm goes live
Renewable energy company Gridserve has completed and handed over a subsidy free 34.7 MW solar farm in York to Warrington Borough Council, a project that it says is the UK's most advanced solar farm to date.
Technology & Operations
Lithium-ion batteries in spotlight over cobalt claim
A lawsuit brought by the families of 14 child miners killed or injured in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo has put the spotlight on the sustainability and ethics of mining cobalt, a mineral widely used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries.
Heat
Take in a lodger to save the planet, research says
New research by a team from the University of St Andrews argues that energy policy must factor in increases in domestic square meterage per person in order to achieve climate change targets.
Gas
New Johnson mandate to shape post-Brexit trade and net-zero
The Conservatives' decisive victory in the General Election sets the country on the path to Brexit and EU trade deal negotiations, including talks on the future trading arrangements for the gas and electricity flowing through interconnectors to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Ireland and Denmark.
Heat
WPD sets out digital strategy for zero carbon
Western Power Distribution (WPD) has published a new digitalisation commitment describing how it will make innovative use of new technologies and an "open data" policy to deliver lower carbon energy solutions for customers.
Power
National Grid ESO pledges £2bn savings under RIIO-T2
The National Grid ESO is anticipating the creation of savings and benefits worth £2bn in the RIIO-T2 price control period, according to the finalised business plan it submitted to Ofgem this week.
Gas
SSEN projects £2.4bn investment in RIIO-T2 plan
SSEN Transmission, responsible for the north of Scotland electricity transmission system, has submitted its RIIO-T2 business plan to energy regulator Ofgem, with a plan to invest £2.4bn.
Heat
Ofgem seeks views on ‘key enabler’ in DSO transition
Ofgem has launched a consultation on what it says will be a "key enabler" in networks' ongoing evolution into distribution system operators: the format and content of electricity networks' long term development statements (LTDS).
Power
National Grid backs PowerPaired community energy platform
Sustainability charity Forum for the Future has launched a new online "matchmaking" platform to pair up community energy groups and the businesses or public sector organisations that own sites or buildings that could be at the heart of community-owned schemes.
Gas
AMT transformers to cut power losses in Northern Powergrid trial
Northern Powergrid is trialling a new type of transformer that can dramatically reduce power losses, becoming the UK's first distribution network operator (DNO) to trial the equipment.
Heat
Consumers warm to ‘smart’ energy but fear complexity
The majority of energy consumers like the idea of being part of a "smart local energy system" where homes and businesses generate and sell their own clean power as well as being consumers, according to a new survey.
Heat
Vehicle-to-grid tech in homes could shrink bills by £300
The final report from a research project that looked at how much UK households could save if they stored and shared electricity in EV batteries has calculated that a figure of £300 a year is possible.
Gas
SSEN wins £9.5m for low-carbon emergency power study
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has secured over £9.5m of funding from Ofgem's Network Innovation Competition (NIC), for a project examining new solutions for network resilience in a low carbon world.
Power
UKPN and Innovate UK map 66 routes to ‘V2G’ future
A project led by UK Power Networks and Innovate UK has mapped 66 "vehicle-to-grid" energy storage trials around the world, including the UK, the US, Japan, Korea and Namibia.