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The Department of Finance (DoF) has launched a consultation proposing increased energy efficiency standards for new buildings. According to the DoF, their proposals are the first step in an ambitious programme of improvements over the coming years, which will include further uplifts to energy efficiency requirements, as well as steps to address standards on ventilation and overheating. Launching the consultation, Finance...

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) seeks views on proposed updates to guidance for operators in the energy sector on compliance with the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018. The NIS Regulations provide legal measures aimed at improving the protection of the network and information systems that are critical for the delivery of the UK’s essential services,...

A project to slash greenhouse gas emission and energy demand of used water processing and create a new source of hydrogen energy, and a project in partnership with the Rivers Trust and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to clean up the country’s rivers are two of the nine winners of Ofwat’s first Water Breakthrough Challenge. The Water Breakthrough Challenge...

An open letter by Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) seeks to identify emerging generating technologies that may be eligible to participate in capacity market auctions. The Capacity Market seeks to ensure security of electricity supply by providing a payment for reliable sources of capacity, alongside their electricity revenues, to ensure they deliver energy when needed. This is set...

Glencore-backed U.K. gas shipper CNG Group Ltd. will stop providing gas to its utility clients, a move that further endangers the British energy market. As a gas shipper, CNG Group supplies wholesale natural gas to retail gas suppliers who then in turn serve domestic and business end-user customers. The firm has around 18 utility companies on its books, including...

Making Northern Ireland 'a world-class food region, that provides safe, healthy and environmentally friendly food for the future' is the central ambition of a recent Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)-led consultation. The Framework focuses on six strategic priorities and will be a living document that is dynamic and responsive to changing circumstances. The six strategic priorities include: Building...

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) seeks views on further clarificatory and technical drafting changes to the Contracts for Difference Standard Terms and Conditions ahead of the fourth allocation round. The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting new, low carbon electricity generation projects in Great Britain. Contracts for Difference are 15-year private law contracts...

The Environment Agency has launched a project to standardise metrics for environmental performance of food and drink sector. Working in partnership with the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Waste and Resources Action Programme and the British Standards Institute, the Environment Agency is aiming to make it simpler for businesses...

The Environment Agency has issued the first-ever licences to abstract water on the Isles of Scilly off the southwestern tip of Cornwall. Water supplies on the Isles of Scilly are 60% from groundwater and the remainder from their desalination plant. South West Water (SWW) is responsible for water and sewerage provision to the majority of households and businesses on the islands. Prior...

Environment Minister Edwin Poots has announced changes to his Department’s High Air Pollution Alert Protocol to improve how the public are informed when periods of high air pollution are forecast or being experienced in Northern Ireland. Officials from DAERA and Department of Health (DoH) have worked in collaboration to update the system to make better use of social media platforms...