Utility Boost in the Midlands
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has confirmed that it is planning to create 1,100 new jobs nationwide as part of its new insulation business – approximately 190 of those positions will be created in the Midlands, as the electricity and gas supplier aims to capitalise on the anticipated surge in demand for energy efficiency measures. British Gas already offers loft and cavity wall insulation but only through external contractors therefore, it wants to bring the work in-house ensuring ... More
Outsourcery Acquisition
Outsourcery, the UK's leading independent provider of communications and hosted IT services, has boosted its customer base and turnover after completing a strategic acquisition of the IP PBX division of Reality Telecom, which traded as Call Navigator IP™. With a turnover of £43 million, Bury-based Outsourcery, previously known as Genesis Communications, has not released any financial information regarding the purchase. Outsourcery’s joint chief executive said the deal will bring the company “additional customers, expertise and state-of-the-art functionality" that will compliment its ... More
Total Back to Work
Leading multinational energy company Total SA is resuming operations at five French refineries following a union strike which started on 17 February, slowing production rates and forcing the refineries to shut down two days later. The strikes happened at Total’s Donges, Feyzin, Gonfreville, Grandpuit and Provence refineries when a 48-hour union strike commenced in support of employees at Total's Flandres refinery – Total is threatening to close the refinery which has been shut down since September 12, 2009, as a result ... More
‘Robin Hood Tax’ to tackle Energy Efficiency
As reported by Electric, a brand new Robin Hood Tax on all transactions between financial intuitions has been proposed by various charities, aid agencies and unions including The Salvation Army and ActionAid, in an attempt to help make homes more energy efficient. Basically, it is believed that such a tax could raise up to £250 billion a year which could be used to help tackle issues surrounding climate change, to help fight poverty as well as protect public services. The UK’s ... More
Scottish & Southern Energy Battle To Restore Electricity
Snow has left thousands of people in Scotland without electricity overnight, reports BBC News Online. Heavy snow brought down electricity lines and parts of the A9 were closed. According to Scottish & Southern Energy about 5,000 homes in Perthshire and part of the Highlands were still without electricity this morning. They said that around 45,000 homes had been affected by the loss of electricity on Thursday but the majority had their services restored. However, there could be further disruptions because severe ... More
Electricity Cable Warning For Derbyshire Residents
People across Derbyshire are being warned to be careful after electrical engineers discovered cables had been tampered with, reports The Derby Telegraph. Engineers from Central Networks were investigating a power cut on lines near Ambaston in South Derbyshire. They found a shovel and lamp next to an electricity pole and discovered stretches of underground cable had been uncovered and tampered with. It’s thought the thieves were attempting to steel the copper. A customer services manager at Central Networks said the cable concerned ... More
Areva interested in Egyptian Electricity
As the world’s biggest builder of nuclear reactors, Areva SA is showing an interest for the participation in plans to build Egypt’s first nuclear-power plant, according to the country’s Electricity and Energy Ministry. As advised in a statement on the ministry’s website, Electricity and Energy Minister Hassan Younes confirms that Egypt is planning to select the company that will build the nuclear power station by the end of this year and goes on to cite Areva’s chief executive officer, Anne Lauvergeon, ... More
Electric Car Grants Available Soon
Derbyshire workers are hoping that Toyota will benefit from a new scheme backed by the Government which will offer motorists £5,000 if they buy a hi-tech electric car, reports The Derby Telegraph. Available from 2011 onwards, the Plug-In Car Grant will be offered when people buy one of the electric cars. The scheme will be funded by £230m of public money to try to encourage people to buy environmentally friendly cars. But if the Government wants more motorists to buy electric cars ... More
Derby Council’s Rubbish Waste Plant Decision
Utility Exchange has reported previously on the battle raging in Derby over the construction of a waste incinerator in the suburbs – see: http://bit.ly/d18tlT and http://bit.ly/a6Xjcz. There were concerns that a planning decision by the council wouldn’t be fair because the city council had already signed a deal with the waste management company Resource Recovery Solutions (RRS) to handle the city’s waste for the next 27 years. However, the planning department at the council turned down the application ... More
Decade of Oil and Gas Left
Experts are suggesting that offshore oil and gas fields could provide energy suppliers with energy for ten more years. According to Oil and Gas Industry Association Oil & Gas UK, North Sea oil and gas could still deliver up to 1.5 million barrels a day by 2020 - which would be enough to satisfy over a third of the UK's cheap energy demand. However, it is pointed out that without any additional investment, production from mature fields will drop to half ... More