EDF Energy has announced life extensions for four of its nuclear power stations, claiming the highest nuclear output for ten years in 2015 at 60.5TWh. Scheduled closure dates for Heysham 1 (1155MW) and Hartlepool (1180MW) have been extended by five…
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European utilities’ credit ratings may fall, warns Moody’s
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Rating agency Moody’s has warned it may downgrade ten European energy utilities, mostly because of their exposure to falling commodity and power prices. Among those on review for downgrade are ratings related to Centrica, Dong Energy, EDF, E.On, Engie, RWE…
The hydropower industry has been hit by a double whammy from Westminster and Holyrood
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Simon Hamlyn, chief executive of the British Hydropower Association (BHA), says Scottish politicians are undermining its hydro industry Scottish Government first minister Nicola Sturgeon is guilty of blatant hypocrisy. She launched a ferocious attack on the cuts being made by…
Flexitricity to provide ‘Demand turn-up’ to National Grid
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Demand response specialists Flexitricity has agreed a contract to provide ‘Demand Turn-Up’ services to National Grid that will see users paid to increase their demand when there is excess energy on the system. Flexitricity said it had been providing “headroom”…
Demand response products get mixed customer response
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National Grid has attracted just a fraction of its target in a new demand response product that would help manage system stresses. Rebecca Yang, commercial manager at National Grid, told New Power that the new product (enhanced Stor) was a…
Dong Energy seeks to cut balancing exposure by using large-customer flexibility
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Dong Energy is acting to reduce its imbalance costs by inviting business customers to reduce their demand at times when wind generation is low and increase when it is high – and share the savings. In the so-called Renewable Balancing…
Eggborough signs SBR contract for 2016/17 capacity
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Eggborough has signed a contract to supply 775MW of power in National Grid’s Supplemental Balancing Reserve for the winter of 2016/17 following a December auction (see table below). As reported in New Power (January 2016 issue, subscribers login to read),…
Will the European Energy Union transform the sector?
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The introduction of a European Energy Union in late 2014 by incoming Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič grabbed the headlines for much of 2015, heralding a positive step change in the functioning of the energy sector. However, the actual substance of the…
Government dismisses fears over Green Investment Bank sell-off
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The Green Investment Bank (GIB) was designed with a view to transferring it to the private sector and “We see no benefit in trying to restructure and redirect GIB so that it remains in the public sector and operates on…
Gearing up for the licensing of code administration – Gemserv’s view on what to watch for
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Tony Thornton says competition will provide a more cost-effective code administration service than top-down regulation