Austria challenges Hinkley Point

The long running saga, and much needed development of the first new build nuclear plant in a generation continues to roll on with little sign of a positive end. Whilst EDF Energy ‘expects’ to sign up their co-investors by the end of this quarter, Austria has announced an escalation in their objection to the new […]

Hissing in the wind

The political battlefield, increasingly centred on energy, is not confined to the Big 6 to be or not to be of passing through wholesale prices. Or to the various levels of state intervention now being promoted by the various political parties Indeed another front in the pre-general election posturing on energy is the future of […]

Ofgem announces strengthened code for Price Comparison Websites

Following the 2014 controversy over the behaviour of price comparison websites, the energy regulator Ofgem has acted. In early Autumn last year it was publicly revealed for the first time that price comparison websites, to varying degrees, ‘hide’ those deals that they cannot or do not wish to fulfil and which they cannot monetise. This came […]

nPower’s Massara hits back

Much maligned Big 6 energy supplier nPower, who are as yet to follow the herd in cutting domestic energy prices have hit back at the increasing populism of political attitudes to UK energy policy with Chief Executive Paul Massara’s letter to Energy Minister Matthew Hancock being leaked. Massara’s note said: “Political factors have…become increasingly significant […]

Scottish Power Announce Domestic Energy Price Cut

In the latest tediously predictable news from the domestic energy market, as forecast earlier today, Scottish Power have, as all the domestic Big 6 suppliers do, behaved like the proverbial sheep, followed the flock and reduced their prices by 4.8%. Have you ever herd anything so ridiculous? Well yes actually we have, cue Red Ed Miliband’s […]

British Gas cuts domestic prices (surprise)

If only everything was as predictable as the domestic energy market. For something that is so predictable an awful lot of fuss is made about the inevitable. The simple rule is, following pressure (or on the odd occasion the desire to be seen as a market leader) one of the Big 6 will move their […]

Sellafield debacle underlines UK energy policy failings

It had been on the cards for a while but now it is official. The scale of the problems within the Sellafield nuclear waste clean up operation has led to the contract being ripped up and existing providers Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) being relieved of their duties. The NMP consortium, comprising of the UK’s Amec, France’s Areva and […]

Energy – A key election battleground

For anyone in any doubt that energy is a key battleground for the 2015 General Election will have been left in no doubt that that is exactly what it is after last week’s myriad of claim, counterclaim, argument and disputation. Sadly, as one would expect from a modern day political process, much is based on […]

E.ON’s price cut – the reality for business energy

Amid all the excited chatter of E.ON being the “first of the Big 6” to reduce domestic gas prices, the economically illiterate call from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Energy & Climate Change Secretary and Opposition Leader to pass on the oil price falls to gas consumers appears to have been forgotten or indeed trumpeted […]

UCL study signals huge costs to tackle climate change

Ahead of December’s crunch climate meeting in Paris, the latest shuddering climate change survey has claimed that of the remaining coal reserves, the world can only take the chance to burn a fifth if we are to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. The magical 2C figure for temperature rises has become known as the “carbon […]