Industry News Roundup April 2020
Thursday 30/04 – Business Secretary Alok Sharma thanks energy workers for their work during the lockdown in a letter. National Grid Electricity System Operator raises mod to allow it to instruct DNOs to disconnect embedded generation as an emergency last resort measure in the face of low electricity demand during the lockdown.
Wednesday 29/04 – Ofgem anticipates a short-term delay to the work on its joint energy codes review with BEIS in light of the current national emergency. The BBC reports that oil and gas operator EnQuest expects to make about 530 redundancies in its North Sea operation.
Tuesday 28/04 – BEIS launches a consultation on future support for low carbon heat, setting out proposals for a Green Gas Support Scheme and a Clean Heat Grant. GB breaks its record for the longest period of coal-free electricity generation in the country, National Grid Electricity System Operator announces.
Monday 27/04 – COP26 President and BEIS Secretary Alok Sharma speaks on the first day of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. Vattenfall announces that it will be constructing the 240MW South Kyle onshore wind farm in the south west of Scotland.
Friday 24/04 – BEIS announces temporary loan to ensure Low Carbon Contracts Company can continue to pay Contracts for Difference generators in Q2.
Thursday 23/04 – Ofgem conditionally approve approves Shetland transmission link. 589,297 electricity switches took place in March, according to Energy UK statistics.
Wednesday 22/04 – BEIS statistics show that the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 9.5mn tonnes between 2017 and 2018. The election to replace Rachel Reeves as BEIS Committee Chair will take place on 6 May via an online ballot.
Tuesday 21/04 – Ofgem announces it is to publish consultations next month on its proposed changes to how it calculates the default tariff cap. Four UNC proposals are raised that seek to address some of the impacts of COVID-19 on the gas industry.
Monday 20/04 – Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a new £1.25bn coronavirus package to protect firms driving innovation in UK. The price of US oil turns negative for the first time in history, with the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate falling as low as nearly minus $40 a barrel.
Friday 03/04 –BEIS extends its Heat networks market framework consultation deadline Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) announces that UK based software development company, Systems Mechanics Limited (SysMech) has been selected to help deliver a cloud-based Digital Integration Platform for Living Lab 2.0.
Thursday 02/04 – Industry associations including Energy UK and RenewableUK respond to the postponement of COP26. EDF CEO Simone Rossi sets out the supplier’s response to help customers during the COVID-19 outbreak in a statement.
Wednesday 01/04 – The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November is postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis, BEIS confirms. The Scottish government announces it will not be publishing its Climate Change Plan update at the end of April as intended, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Written By Graham Paul
