A Scottish legal decision that quashed the permits for four major offshore windfarms, including one – Neart na Gaoithe (NNG) – that had a Contract for Difference (CfD), is an immense problem for wind, infrastructure in general and the Scottish…
Author Archive for New Power
Is it Brexit for Hinkley Point C?
by New Power • • 1 Comment
This blog was written for Nuclear Engineering International in early July. I thought delays would come from the French side … The UK has voted to leave the European Union. Where does that leave the country’s flagship nuclear new-build…
Beware an embedded benefits review ‘by stealth’
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Colin Prestwich, head of regulatory affairs at Smartest Energy, warns that taking a step-by-step approach to updating embedded benefits could have unintended consequences
Drax winds down coal plant spend
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Drax saw pre-tax profit fall by £50 million in the six months to 30 June, compared to 2015. The removal of Levy Exemption Certificates and deteriorating commodity markets were to blame, the company said. The effect had been mitigated by…
Hinkley Point C decision ‘next week’
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EDF has called its board members to a meeting on 28 July to take a final investment decision on Hinkley Point C. The meeting follows a 4 July meeting with EDF’s works council, after which EDF said it reconfirmed its…
Does your DNO live up to its promises on connections? Ofgem seeks answers
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Distribution network operators (DNOs) could face fines if they have not provided a good service to companies who want to connect to the network and now Ofgem has asked customers to give their views on DNOs’ performance. Ofgem explains that…
SSE sells street lighting PFIs
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SSE has sold its interest in three public financing initiative (PFI) street lighting entities to a DIF Infrastructure fund. The sale is expected to make £130 million and will conclude SSE’s two-year £1.1 billion programme to reduce debt and raise…
MPs oppose CMA remedy: lifting curbs on switching sites could hit new energy suppliers
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MPs have written to Greg Clark, the new secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, to urge him not to go ahead with plans to make it easier for switching websites to hide some deals from users. The…
France’s nuclear bailout faces Commission probe
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The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to determine whether France broke State Aid rules when it brokered a €4 billion bailout for Areva, the company due to supply the reactor for EDF’s Hinkley Point C project. Areva is…
Consents quashed for 2.3GW of Scottish offshore wind after RSPB challenge
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Wind farms off the Scottish shore totalling 2.3GW have had their planning consents quashed by the Edinburgh Court of Session. RSPB Scotland took the consents to judicial review, arguing that the effects of the wind farms on bird life had…