Ofgem has alleged that three companies - energy suppliers Economy Energy and E (Gas and Electricity) and consultancy Dyball Associates – have broken competition law. In a ‘statement of objections’, the regulator alleges that: Between at least January and September 2016,…
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Sembcorp acquires UK Power Reserve, plans ‘major expansion’
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Sembcorp is to acquire distributed power specialist UK Power Reserve (UKPR) for £216 million. UKPR’s generating and storage fleet is spread across 32 locations in England and Wales. It has 533MW in operation with a further 480MW in construction and…
Drax applies for planning consent to convert remaining coal units to gas
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Drax has submitted an application to National Infrastructure Planning for its Repower gas generation and battery storage project. The company plans to repurpose Drax’s two remaining coal generating units (units 5 and 6) with up to 3.6GW of gas-fired power generation and…
Vattenfall plans EV charging network across GB
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Vattenfall is to begin installing ‘pay-as-you-go’ electric vehicle (EV) charging points in Great Britain that will be open to all EV drivers. From June, the company plans to partner with commercial developers, real-estate companies, industries, fleet owners and public bodies such as…
Can Elexon crack open the energy ‘supplier hub’ model? Sign up to hear its proposals
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Industry settlements company Elexon has suggested customers need no longer rely on a single electricity supplier to provide all their power (the so-called ‘supplier hub’ model). It has published proposals that could quickly allow customers to use several suppliers, for…
Think tank calls for zero emissions target
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Conservative think tank Bright Blue has called on the government to mark ten years since the Climate Change Act by announcing this year a new legal net zero emissions target In a new report, Hotting up, the think tank says there…
RBS strengthens low-carbon funding policies
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Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has decided to halt financing for power companies that generate more than 40% of their electricity from coal (down from a 65% limit) – one of a suite of changes in its financing policy that…
BEIS committee to probe government’s carbon capture strategy
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The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has launched an inquiry on carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and efforts to kickstart this technology in the UK. It has invited written submissions (max 1500 words) to be submitted by 22 June. Committee chair Rachel…
South Somerset District Council invests in grid-scale battery storage
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South Somerset District Council has announced plans to build a 25MW battery storage facility with a one-hour discharge period. The aim is for it to be operational by the end of 2018. The council said this was, “Only phase one of the…
EnergyUK sets out proposals to make EMR fit for purpose for the future
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EnergyUK has set out proposals to revisit Electricity Market Reform measures ahead of a planned review in 2019. The lobby group says the Contracts for Difference framework should be maintained as it has been a “successful tool for delivering investment…