Low investor confidence in the UK energy sector is more due to “staggering volatility” of energy prices than government policy on low-carbon, the Treasury has said. Speaking at the launch of the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-2021, commercial secretary to the Treasury, Lord O’Neill of Gatley, said
Yorkshire Water has handed Morrison Utility Services a three-year extension to its water services agreement contract. Morrison Utility Services (MUS) thus retains sole operational responsibility for all water networks repair and maintenance (R&M) activities, as well as developer and metering services, across Yorkshire Water’s area. The contract extension has an
Property Reporter’s sister site, Financial Reporter has announced the launch of the Buy-to-Let Roadshow, following the huge success of last week’s Specialist Lending Roadshow. The Buy-to-Let Roadshow will aim to give intermediaries a better understanding of the lucrative buy-to-let sector at venues across the UK over 4 days featuring roundtable
Low investor confidence in the UK energy sector is more due to “staggering volatility” of energy prices than government policy on low-carbon, the Treasury has said. Speaking at the launch of the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-2021, commercial secretary to the Treasury, Lord O’Neill of Gatley, said there are “a lot of forces that are making life tricky in the energy business, of which government commitment to various parts of it are one.” In the summer of 2015 Decc withdrew subsidies for some forms of renewable generation following the revelation it had overspent the £7.6bn budget for the Levy Control Framework (LCF) by £1.5 billion. Last month investors called on the government to help them understand how the LCF is calculated to provide more stability and clarity. In response to a question on the government’s commitment to low-carbon in the context of low investor confidence in the sector, O’Neill highlighted the impact of prices, saying: “Oil prices have actually recovered back to the levels at the start of December while most of the media are still focussed on the supposed collapse.” The National Infrastructure Delivery Plan lays out all of the government’s infrastructure priorities over the next five years. The energy sector is projected to spend £117.4 billion over the period – the highest of all sectors – including at least £18 billion to build Hinkley Point C new nuclear power station. O’Neill added that: “While it seems to be a bit of a sport to knock the government on marginal shifts in some other things, the main underlying rational in the commitment to nuclear is of course because of the external obligations involving climate change.” Today EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz has said “categorically” that the Hinkley Point C new nuclear project will go ahead, but has refused to confirm when a final investment decision will be made on the £18 billion project. The government also last week announced in the budget a £30 million small modular reactor-enabling advanced manufacturing research and development programme to develop nuclear skills capacity. O’Neill said: “Something I am increasingly intrigued by is the potential role of so-called SMRs. It is something that I think needs to be given a lot more explanation, not least because it could be something we can produce in the UK, in the Northern powerhouse in particular, for the rest of the world.” Source link
Yorkshire Water has handed Morrison Utility Services a three-year extension to its water services agreement contract. Morrison Utility Services (MUS) thus retains sole operational responsibility for all water networks repair and maintenance (R&M) activities, as well as developer and metering services, across Yorkshire Water’s area. The contract extension has an estimated value of £250m and has been awarded to MUS two years ahead of schedule, bringing the total remaining duration to five years. David Stevenson, head of water distribution at Yorkshire Water, said: “This is testament to the strength of our relationship with MUS and our trust in their ability to deliver the best possible service for our customers at the best price with the highest levels of safety.” Morrison Utility Services chief executive Charles Morrison said: “We look forward to building upon the collaborative working relationship that we share with our client and our aim now is to continue to develop safe, cost-efficient and innovative ways of working that will deliver a positive customer experience across Yorkshire Water’s operational territory.” This article was published on 21 Jul 2016 (last updated on 21 Jul 2016). Source link
Property Reporter’s sister site, Financial Reporter has announced the launch of the Buy-to-Let Roadshow, following the huge success of last week’s Specialist Lending Roadshow. The Buy-to-Let Roadshow will aim to give intermediaries a better understanding of the lucrative buy-to-let sector at venues across the UK over 4 days featuring roundtable sessions with key industry speakers and covering a range of topics related to buy-to-let, including available products, regulatory issues and more. This will enable advisers to offer a comprehensive and informed service to their clients as well as gaining valuable CII and CPD points. Specialists already confirmed include Together, Aldermore, Connect Mortgage Club, Foundation Home Loans, IFA Conveyancing, Kensington, and Skipton Intermediaries. The Buy-to-Let Roadshow will take place across the following dates and venues: – Newcastle – 7th June – Leeds – 8th June – Northampton – 9th June – Reading – 10th June For more information on the Buy-to-Let Roadshow, click here. The inaugural Specialist Lending Roadshow saw over 400 intermediaries signed up to attend the four-day line-up and feedback shows that brokers are already booking appointments based off the valuable information given by the lender line-up. Discussing the success of the Specialist Lending Roadshow, Jim Baker from Masthaven Finance, said: “The Roadshow was very well-organised – there were clear objectives and a great collection of relevant introducers. An incredible use of our resources and time!” James Anderson from MT Finance, added: “We really enjoyed the experience – with a wide variety of high quality financial professionals in the room, we had some very good, productive conversations in great surroundings.” Source link
