Plans to offer grid ‘amnesty’ for up to 8GW of projects
Ofgem and National Grid have set out plans to free up to 8GW of grid connection capacity from slow-moving developers, without incurring penalties.
Grid & Retail
Germany’s TenneT purchase delayed due to Dutch political turmoil
Germany’s buyout of its biggest power grid operator from the Dutch state is likely to be postponed until next year following the collapse last month of the Netherlands government and with little prospect of a new administration anytime soon.
Winser report calls for overhaul of Scottish consenting system
A major report into the UK’s electricity infrastructure calls for ‘vital’ reforms to consenting in Scotland to ensure enough transmission can be built to accommodate new wind generation.
Eskom slaps conditions on emergency bidders to stop grid hogging
Eskom has imposed conditions to access the national grid on 1,850 megawatts worth of projects in South Africa that developers including Karpowership and Electricite de France have struggled to complete since they were awarded in March 2021.
Eastern Green Link 2: Hitachi wins work on major Scotland-England grid link
Japanese conglomerate Hitachi has won work on Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2); a major project to boost grid connection between Scotland and England.
Asia’s industry calls for renewables, despite challenges
“The issue these days with banking is not so much that there isn’t interest, but it’s more about how it’s structured. Smaller developers don’t know how to access these frameworks.”
JV formed for UK’s ‘largest ever’ transmission project linking Peterhead and Drax
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and SSEN Transmission have agreed the terms of a joint venture to build a subsea power “superhighway” linking northeast Scotland and England.
Shell Capital Markets Day: Shareholder payout as oil giant cuts spending elsewhere
Shell (LON: SHEL) will increase its dividend per share by 15% in the second quarter of the year and reduce spending elsewhere as part of CEO Wael Sawan’s Capital Markets Day pitch in New York.
Ofgem handed net-zero mandate – What will change?
It's hoped the policy will see a greater focus on value and investment - rather than lower costs - for crucial grid connections.
Energy bills predicted to fall from July by nearly £450
Ofgem is expected to lower household energy bills to an average of £2,053 a year from July to reflect tumbling wholesale prices, according to analysts.
New Highland community forum will address controversial power lines plans
A forum of Highland community councils is being created to unite a campaign over a controversial planned new power line.
UK’s big energy short pays off with £1.2 billion windfall
The UK government is set to make £1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) from a short position it took in power and natural gas markets after seizing control of collapsed supplier Bulb Energy last year.
Ofgem lowers energy price cap but bills still expected to rise for households
Ofgem is lowering its energy price cap - the amount suppliers are able to charge - from the current £4,279 per year to £3,280 for the average household, effective from April 1, it has announced.
UK will speed up grid connections to boost clean power capacity
The UK’s grid operator will reform the way power generators apply to connect to the system to make it easier and faster to ramp up renewable capacity.
Shell said to work with Lazard on home energy retail unit sale
Shell is working with US investment bank Lazard Ltd. to evaluate options including a sale of its European retail gas and power business, according to people familiar with the matter.
NatWest boss to steer government plans to cut UK energy consumption
The Government has charged a new taskforce, chaired by the boss of NatWest, with working out how to significantly cut UK energy consumption over the next seven years.
Tories accused of north Scotland energy subsidy review ‘whitewash’
The Westminster government is facing fresh demands to overhaul an electricity subsidy for northern Scotland after its latest review was branded an “insult” and a “whitewash”.
British Gas under pressure to outline compensation for ‘mistreated’ customers
British Gas is under pressure to explain how it will compensate "vulnerable" customers who faced debt collectors forcibly installing prepayment meters in their homes.
Shell plans strategic review of energy supply business which employs 2,000 in UK
Oil giant Shell has raised questions about the future of its energy supply business which employs thousands of people in the UK as companies continue to struggle in a tough market.
Cold snap forces UK to fire up three coal plants
Three UK coal plants have been ordered to begin warming up in case they are needed for the country's energy supply as the cold snap bites.
UK needs £5.8bn boost for energy efficiency to cut soaring bills – report
The average home could save £500 a year on bills under the new price cap from April with good insulation and heat pumps, a report has said.
EU’s power market overhaul talks to focus on shielding consumers
European Union government officials will discuss key elements of a planned overhaul of the bloc’s power market this week, setting the scene for difficult negotiations on how to shield the economy from an energy crisis.
Drax fined £6.1m for charging extreme energy prices
UK power firm Drax Group agreed to pay a £6.1 million ($7.5 million) fine for breaching its license, after charging the grid operator excessive prices to reduce its generation.
Gas plunge means cash for Sunak, but no relief yet for consumers
UK government subsidies for household energy bills are expected to plunge to a sliver of their current levels with a slump in wholesale prices.
Billionaire says South African grid too weak for green energy
South Africa needs to upgrade its coal-fired power plants rather than focus on renewable energy, according to a sanctioned Russian billionaire who made his fortune in part from generating electricity using the fuel.