Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 23/06/23.
Consultation: Funding the transition to a Future System Operator Consultation – Ofgem
21 June 2023. Views sought on Ofgem’s set of funding proposals for cost recovery mechanisms that will allow National Grid (NG) and National Gas Transmission to recover efficient and economic costs incurred as part of their separation activities up to Day 1, the point at which ownership of the Electricity System Operator (ESO) is transferred from NG to government. Ofgem are also seeking views on their proposals for a reporting framework to ensure ongoing transparency over ESO and NG’s delivery of separation plans and actual spend. Responses to FSO@ofgem.gov.uk. The consultation is open until 02/08/2023:
Link: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/funding-transition-future-system-operator
Report of Session: Decarbonising the power sector – Committee of Public Accounts
21 June 2023. Fifty-Ninth Report of Session 2022–23. Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report:
Link: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40495/documents/197590/default/
News: Eden Geothermal is UK’s first operational deep geothermal project to come online in 37 years – Energy-pedia
20 June 2023. A landmark moment for renewable energy took place at the Eden Project in Cornwall on June 19, 2023, as the UK’s first operating deep geothermal heating plant since 1986 was opened and is now generating heat:
News: Keir Starmer pledges to end North Sea exploration and let areas profit from clean power – BBC News Online
20 June 2023. Labour will end new North Sea oil and gas exploration, but help communities profit from clean power projects, Sir Keir Starmer has pledged. Speaking in Edinburgh, the Labour leader vowed to “cut bills, create jobs and provide energy security”:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65945214
Local area data: fuel poverty – House of Commons Library
19 June 2023. Find estimates of households in fuel poverty for constituencies in England, and local authorities across the rest of the UK:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/local-area-data-fuel-poverty/
News: Creating a hydrogen market from scratch – Energy Voice
16 June 2023, Ed Reed. “Price is price is price. The only way to produce hydrogen very cheaply is if you have baseload power 24/7,” Mussat said:
Report: Wasted wind power costing Britain £1.5bn – Edie.net
15 June 2023, Matt Mace. Britain wasted enough wind energy last year to power more than one million homes, according to new research that claims that approvals for grid upgrades are not matching the pace of wind power development:
Link: https://www.edie.net/report-wasted-wind-power-costing-britain-1-5bn/
News: SSEN Transmission to invest £10 bn to support offshore wind in Scotland – Energy Voice
14 June 2023, Ryan Duff. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission has announced £10 billion of investment to support offshore wind in Scotland. The investment will see the firm connecting 11 GW of ScotWind offshore wind projects to the mainland:
Report: Update on the rollout of smart meters – National Audit Office
14 June 2023. This report assesses the progress of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and its predecessor department in leading the smart meter rollout since NAO’s last report in 2018 and the extent to which some issues they identified in that report have been addressed:
Link: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/update-on-the-rollout-of-smart-meters/
Press release: Cancel Coal-ture: Octopus Energy calls on National Grid to “pay customers not coal” – Octopus Energy
13 June 2023. Octopus Energy calls on National Grid ESO to stop burning coal to support the grid and instead use consumer flexibility as a permanent, low carbon and cost-effective backup source of energy:
Article: Energy regulator Ofgem could be required to factor in net zero – ENDS Report
12 June 2023, Shosha Adie. A government amendment to the Energy Bill may see energy watchdog Ofgem required to consider the government’s legally binding net zero targets in its decisions:
Link: https://www.endsreport.com/article/1825971/energy-regulator-ofgem-required-factor-net-zero
News: FSB: Small firms need flexible payment options to ease energy bills burden – City AM
12 June 2023, Nicholas Earl. Thousands of small businesses are at risk of closure, if suppliers fail to offer firms more flexible options for paying off their energy bills, warns a leading business group:
Link: https://www.cityam.com/fsb-small-firms-need-flexible-payment-options-to-ease-energy-bills-burden/
Research and analysis: Impacts of smart metering roll-out on household energy use – Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
9 June 2023. An independent review of energy supplier evidence on the impacts of the smart metering roll-out on household energy use:
News: ‘UK’s largest’ green hydrogen facility planned for Humber – Future Net Zero
7 June 2023, Dimitris Mavrokefalidis. Developer Meld Energy has announced its proposal to construct what is described as the UK’s largest green hydrogen production facility:
Link: https://www.futurenetzero.com/2023/06/07/uks-largest-green-hydrogen-facility-planned-for-humber/
Government response: Capacity Market 2023 Consultation – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
June 2023. Strengthening security of supply and alignment with net zero:
Consultation: Connections Reform – National Grid ESO
June 2023. ESO recognises the challenges currently facing their connections customers and the need to update the connections application process. As a result, they have launched the Connections Reform project to address these challenges. The consultation is now live – share your feedback by 28 July:
Link: https://www.nationalgrideso.com/industry-information/connections/connections-reform