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Following a 12-month review, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued its final decision in the appeal lodged by four water companies against water regulator Ofwat’s decisions on the money they can charge customers and the service standards they need to deliver in the period to 2025. In December 2019, Ofwat published its price controls setting out the total...

429 projects across England have been confirmed to receive funding from Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, while Phase 2 has been announced by the Government. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures, funding low carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, and energy efficiency measures...

A blueprint to deliver the world’s first low-carbon industrial sector and over £1 billion to cut emissions from industry, schools and hospitals has been announced by the Business and Energy Secretary. Building on the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan, the new Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy sets out the government’s vision for building 'a competitive, greener future' for the manufacturing and construction sector. Part...

The Government has launched a consultation proposing ending the sales of new diesel buses in England. Transport is currently the largest contributor to UK domestic greenhouse gas emissions, 27% in 2019. UK bus operators have invested over £1.3 billion in cleaner and greener buses over the last five years. However, most of these vehicles are hybrid or gas-powered and only around...

Water UK has launched a public consultation on building a long-term vision for the water sector in England.  According to the industry body representing water and wastewater companies, the ‘Developing a 2050 Vision for the Water Sector’ discussion paper is the first step towards agreeing ways of accelerating and broadening the sector’s role in the face of unprecedented challenges.  Christine McGourty, Water...

Customer behaviour and choices, rather than socioeconomics and weather, are key in understanding household water use to help meet ambitious reductions in water abstraction, an UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) 'Big Questions project1' has revealed. Household water use makes up over half of the total demand for water, which comes from a natural environment already under increasing pressure from climate...

The second round of the Green Recovery Challenge fund will award up to £40 million in grants up to £2 million each to environmental charities and their partners across England to create and retain jobs while restoring nature and tackling climate change. All projects must contribute to at least one of the following themes of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund: ...

A new funding initiative to increase tree planting and natural regeneration in local communities has been announced by the government, with £2.7m available this year. The Local Authority Treescapes Fund is aimed at establishing more trees in riverbanks, hedgerows, parklands, urban areas, beside roads and footpaths, in copses and shelterbelts, including neglected, disused and vacant community spaces. Trees in these settings...

Ofgem has confirmed its plans to boost investment in local electricity grids needed to support the growth in electric cars, small scale renewables, storage and cleaner forms of heating. The regulator set out today its working assumptions on the financial package that will be applied for the next round of price controls for local Electricity Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) starting...

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) seeks views on ten areas of incremental and technical improvement to the Capacity Market, which have arisen over the last year through discussions with stakeholders and dealing with live issues. Since its introduction in 2014, the Capacity Market has sought to ensure maintaining and bringing forward sufficient capacity to ensure secure supplies of...