| October 2007 |
Sustainable energy technology business ENER-G has acquired utility services company CMR Group Greater Manchester-based ENER-G is a sustainable energy technology business with a turnover of some £45 million. The company provides renewable and energy efficient power generation and management to customers across the globe. ENER-G’s acquisition of CMR represents a major milestone in the expansion of its energy management division, which now includes CMR alongside Utility Auditing Limited, ENER-G Efficiency and ENER-G Controls. Worcestershire-based CMR provides services to commercial, industrial and public sector customers, enabling them to reduce their energy and other utility costs. Commenting on the acquisition, ENER-G chairman Tim Scott said: “CMR is a great addition to our growing businesses in this rapidly developing sector. Bringing together the skills, strengths and experience of our enlarged team will enable us to accelerate the growth of this division and confirm ENER-G as a leader in providing cost saving and environmentally preferential solutions. “CMR has strong synergy with our existing energy management businesses including some of the services currently offered by ENER-G group companies, plus complementary strengths, experience and customer base”. Tim Scott added: “We are confident that the acquisition will provide critical mass to our energy management division and enhance the services we offer. It will also provide a further opportunity to sell a broader range of ENER-G group products and services to an enlarged group of existing customers.” Founded by Dr Cedric Rodrigues ten years ago, CMR has built a profitable business providing utility services consultancy as well as procurement of energy, smart-metering and the supply of telecoms services to a range of blue chip customers. The company is based in Redditch, Worcestershire and employs 50 staff. Cedric Rodrigues will remain with the company and join ENER-G’s management team. |
| August 2007 |
A chance for shoppers to start counting the carbon - 14 August Pick up a packet of Walkers potato crisps in the UK and you might notice something unusual on the back. Alongside the normal information on how much fat, salt and calories they contain, there is another label. It informs the consumer that the bag contains only 34.5g of crisps, but 75g of carbon dioxide. Water company escapes fine for missing leakage targets - 10 August Severn Trent Water escaped a fine yesterday for missing targets on leakage but agreed to spend an extra £45m to fix leaks and cut bills by £12m. Smart meters could save £40m on energy - 4 August Businesses could save more than £40m a year in energy bills if plans to install "smart meters" in all except the smallest companies go ahead, according to government proposals. Ceramic could cut gas emissions - 3 August Severn Trent Water is under scrutiny over its operations as thousands of Gloucestershire residents rely on bowsers in the street for their drinking water as they wait for supplies to be restored to their homes. |
| July 2007 |
Severn Trent Water in spotlight - 27 July Severn Trent Water is under scrutiny over its operations as thousands of Gloucestershire residents rely on bowsers in the street for their drinking water as they wait for supplies to be restored to their homes. Oil rebounds after stocks meet forecasts - 26 July Crude oil prices rebounded yesterday after the latest US inventories data broadly matched market expectations. However, prices were volatile as futures trading for some energy contracts was shut on Globex, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's electronic trading platform. Carbon Trust calls on EU to set minimum price for permits - 21 July The European Union's emissions trading scheme should set a minimum price for permits to pollute in order to create an incentive for industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the UK government- backed Carbon Trust said on Wednesday. Six companies vie to build nuclear plants - 20 July Six companies have signaled interest in building new nuclear power stations in Britain including a newcomer to the UK electricity industry, showing the strength of enthusiasm for the potential of nuclear power in spite of the problems it has faced. Electricity generators gain from emissions trading - 17 July Britain 's electricity generators could make windfall profits of about £1.5bn a year from the European Union's emissions trading scheme, industry estimates suggest, raising further questions about the operation of the programme intended to combat global warming. Oil demand growth forecast to rise - 14 July World oil demand growth will accelerate in 2008 to 2.5 per cent from this year's 1.8 per cent despite high oil prices, the industrialised countries' energy watchdog said yesterday. Energy break-up backed - 11 July France and Germany yesterday suffered a blow to their efforts to block a radical overhaul of Europe's energy markets when European -parliamentarians backed a forced split of some big power companies. |
| June 2007 |
Oil demand ‘rising faster than expected’ - 12 June World oil demand is rising faster than previously expected while non-Opec supply is growing more slowly, the International Energy Agency has said in its latest monthly assessment of the market. Gas industry fears threat to supplies - 11 June Britain 's gas supplies are threatened by shortages in the next decade, as electricity companies build more gas-fired power stations and domestic gas production declines, according to a report commissioned by the industry. UK gas supply threatened by shortages - 10 June Britain ’s natural gas supplies are threatened by shortages in the next decade, as electricity companies build more gas-fired power stations and domestic gas production declines, according to a report commissioned by the industry. Northumbrian Water stems tide of price rises - 7 June Northumbrian Water will take the unusual step of not raising its water bills as much as planned over the next three years, which will result in its customers being charged £22m less than expected. Southern Water for sale at £4bn - 4 June Private equity houses and pension funds are likely to be among the bidders for Southern Water, the utility supplier to Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, which has been put up for sale at £4bn. British Energy stake sale raises £2.1bn - 1 June The UK government on Friday sold a 25 per cent stake in British Energy, raising £2.1bn to help pay decommissioning costs for nuclear reactors. |
| May 2007 |
Nuclear persuasion - 27 May The cloud of radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster dissipated fairly quickly, but the cloud of public mistrust that hangs over the nuclear industry has yet to disappear. The British government wants to build new nuclear power stations. That is the right choice but, unless public policy goes hand in hand with some public persuasion, it will not get very far. UK’s energy policy has too much micromanagement - 23 May “The British government is proud to announce the creation of Green plan. As our energy policy paper, published yesterday [Wednesday], makes clear, the only way to tackle climate change is central schemes and targets for everything from light bulbs to biomass. We need a Low Carbon Transport Innovation Strategy. We need a succession of five-year plans. We need Green plan, modeled on the old Soviet economic planners at Gosplan, to take control.” UK review to address energy insecurity - 23 May Ofgem, the energy regulator, is to be given a new role analysing the long-term energy outlook, to address concerns about security of supply. Small companies fear extra burden - 22 May Small companies have been warned that they could find themselves caught up in a new emissions trading scheme that is supposed to be aimed at big business. Brent crude eases back after hitting peaks - 19 May Brent crude futures fell back under $70 a barrel yesterday, down from an eight-month high reached on Thursday. Generators to cash in on new emissions trading - 19 May Power generators will make tens of billions of euros in profit from the second phase of the European Union's emissions trading scheme, according to predictions in an analysis of the market released yesterday. BT beats C&W to key contracts - 19 May Cable and Wireless has lost out to BT, its arch rival, in the fight for two flagship contracts. Both were the type of deals that C&W is staking the revival of its UK telecommunications business on. Planning pledge to secure green belts - 19 May A pledge to preserve the green belts that protect the countryside from urban sprawl will be made when the government publishes its long-awaited white paper on streamlining the planning system on Monday. Tiscali pondering takeover move for Pipex - 18 May Tiscali, the Italian telecommunications group, yesterday said it was considering whether to make a bid for Pipex, the UK's sixth-largest broadband provider. Buy-out talk makes Kelda a top London gainer - 18 May Kelda , the owner of Yorkshire Water, was among the top performers as the FTSE 100 surged to a six and half year high. Oil & gas: Crowning of the undisputed frontier king - 18 May Lot Ten, a bunch of assets owned by the bankrupt Russian oil major Yukos that was sold at an auction in early May, was a ready-made east Siberian oil empire. Urals Energy joins Russian targets - 16 May Urals Energy has become the latest oil company to face accusations of environmental offences by a Russian government watchdog. Centrica rises on British Gas - 15 May Centrica, the owner of British Gas, predicted yesterday that its annual profits would beat expectations, barring big moves in the wholesale gas market, following a strong performance in the first few months of this year. Moscow eyes tighter grip on energy routes - 14 May Russia , Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have called for a new pipeline to be built along the coast of the Caspian Sea to carry additional Central Asian natural gas exports north into Russia in a move that would tighten Moscow's control over energy routes out of the region. Brussels to probe Eni and RWE - 11 May Concerns over the regulatory threat to Europe’s large integrated energy groups were heightened on Friday, after the European Commission said it had launched a formal antitrust investigation against RWE and Eni. Russian president fends off gas competition - 9 May Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has embarked on a seven-day trip to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan armed with a raft of proposals to broaden energy co-operation and beat off competition for central Asian natural gas supplies. Inquiry into Tesco Telecoms - 4 May Regulators have announced an investigation into alleged mis-selling by Tesco Telecoms, the supermarket chain's fixed-line phone and mobile arm. |
| April 2007 |
| Lib Dems propose energy rationing - 16 April Millions of households would face energy rationing under radical proposals to combat...Utilities would face annual limits on how much energy they could sell to the domestic sector...believe that only radical measures to boost energy efficiency will help the UK meet its long-term... UK ‘must increase broadband investment’ - 15 April ...building the necessary infrastructure are "particularly weak" in the UK, according to BSG, a government advisory group composed of telecoms companies, content providers and regulators. "If steps are not taken [by 2009] to prepare for next-generation broadband, then... Coal-fired power station has become a hot property - 11 April Back when British Energy was going through its £5bn government-backed...considered a prime asset. The nuclear energy company had bought the 2,000MW power...electricity prices. As part of British Energy's restructuring, the banks that lent... Gas exporters launch pricing study - 10 April ...ministers from some of the world's leading gas producers agreed yesterday to set up a high-level...pricing policies and other issues facing the gas sector. Some delegates suggested it was a...others sought to play down the idea of a gas pricing cartel. The decision to set up the... Solar energy demand soars - 4 April Higher demand for solar energy, triggered by concerns about global warming, will drive a fourfold...helping the sector's expansion," Mr Rogol said. Many companies in solar energy feel that, although overheads have come down, they can still charge... |