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Ofwat has confirmed in its final decisions that four strategic regional water resource solutions designed to serve Hampshire and proposed by Bristol Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water and Portsmouth Water (the solution sponsors) have passed through accelerated gate one – its first checkpoint. This follows representations received from solution sponsors and other interested parties in response to the water regulator's...

Energy regulator Ofgem proposes to fine Symbio Energy £100,000, reduced to £85,000 if the company agrees to settle, for making four late payments into Government renewables schemes, including Feed-in Tariff (FIT) payments and the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme. According to Ofgem, Symbio Energy missed obligatory deadlines to pay into the RO scheme buy-out fund or present a required number of...

Water regulator Ofwat is seeking views on their forward programme of work for 2021-22. The forward programme draft presents three central goals of Ofwat's strategy: Transforming company performance: The regulator acknowledges the contribution of water companies during the COVID-19 pandemic as well 'significant improvements' some of the companies have made. Nevertheless, examples of 'very poor performance', particularly with a number...

MORhomes, a borrowing vehicle for the UK social housing sector, has announced that environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of all borrowers will now be examined as part of the application process. ESG refers to the measuring and reporting of environmental, social and governance performance to provide insight into the organisation’s stewardship of economic, environmental, human, and social capital. The sustainability-focused...

A new consultation launched jointly by the UK and devolved administrations seeks views on developing measures to reduce industrial emissions. The consultation sets out a possible process for developing new “Best Available Techniques” (BAT) to limit the environmental impact of polluting industries, such as paper production, waste incineration and ceramic manufacturers, to safeguard and build on the high levels of...

Energy regulator Ofgem has recommended creating an independent body fully separated from National Grid to run the electricity system and help lead the path to net zero. Last month, the government consulted on reviewing the management of the energy system, acknowledging that any additional responsibilities may require greater independence from National Grid, which has managed the energy system since privatisation. Ofgem, which...

Tesco has announced to have launched its first bond that is linked to the company’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The €750m bond with a 0.375% coupon offers an 8.5-year maturity and is reported to have been issued specifically to repurchase existing bonds. The bond is reported to be aligned to an agreed Sustainability Performance Target of reducing Scope 1...

A joint industry-government group established last year to tackle river pollution has agreed a new objective to prevent damage from storm overflows. The Storm Overflows Taskforce, made up of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Consumer Council for Water, Blueprint for Water and Water UK, has agreed to set a long term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows. Emma Clancy, Chief...

The default tariff price cap will increase by approximately £66 from April 2021 to £1,108 per year for a typical dual fuel direct debit customer from its current level of £1,042, latest forecasts from Cornwall Insight indicate. Robert Buckley, Cornwall Insight's Head of Relationship Development, explained the findings:  “Cornwall Insight modelling suggests it now looks likely that we will see...

A new consultation seeking views on a Welsh Government-commissioned ‘Hydrogen in Wales’-report, which sets out a proposed pathway and next steps for developing the hydrogen energy sector in Wales, has been launched. The report sets out several proposals, including: Deploying 200 fuel cell buses in a town/city/ region in Wales Establish Wales as an early market for commercial fuel cell...