BP has shut one of its platforms near the Shetland Islands after an oil spill that is sure to attract further unwelcome attention to the UK firm’s environmental record. The 95 tonne, 665 barrel spill was blamed on a “technical issue” at BP’s Clair platform on Sunday. Although the leak was limited in scale, it was halted within an hour of the problem arising. The timing could hardly have been worse for the group. The release last week of Deepwater Horizon, a big budget Hollywood dramatisation of BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has thrust the risks of offshore production and exploration back into the public eye. The latest spill was nowhere near the 3m barrels released after the deadly blast on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, however the environmental group said it highlighted “the dangers posed on a daily basis by oil and gas operations off the coast of Scotland”. BP said the oil “was released to the sea from the Clair platform as a result of a technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas”. The group added: “We are investigating the cause of the technical issue and the field will remain offline for the time being.” “At present, we believe the most appropriate response is to allow the oil to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action are being prepared. “Oil has been observed on the sea surface and we are monitoring its movement. Both direct observation and oil spill modelling indicate the oil to be moving in a northerly direction away from land.” The Clair platform, located 75km west of the Shetlands, is on the frontier between the North Sea and the Atlantic. The area has some of the biggest remaining reserves of oil and gas in the UK, though deeper water and hostile weather means that it is more difficult and expensive to extract in comparison with shallower parts of the North Sea.

First Utility has reported an 84% fall in pre-tax profits, despite growing its customer base by a quarter. The supplier’s annual financial report showed that profits fell to £1.7 million last year, from £10.8 million the previous year, though the number of customer accounts increased to 883,000. The accounts show that the additional energy customers drove a 51% annual revenue growth, however administrative expenses went up during the year by 62% as a result of “continued investment in acquiring and serving the significant growth in customer numbers”. First Utility blamed some of the profit loss on “abnormally warm weather in November and December 2015”. First Utility Chief Executive Ian McCaig commented: “We continued to make strong progress against our strategy in 2015, growing our customer base by 25 per cent to 883,000 and increasing our revenues by 51 per cent to £847 million. “A key focus of 2015 was investing for the next stage in our development. We increased the pace of investment in line with our ambitions to ensure we are well-positioned to capitalise on future growth opportunities and that customers remain at the heart of our proposition.” McCaig said that the acquisition of the firm’s billing platform assets from its third party provider marked an “acceleration of our plans to build our next generation billing platforms”. First Utility also grew overseas, launching in Germany last September in a partnership with Shell Energy Europe. McCaig added: “Having made these major strategic investments and navigated the volatility in markets generated by the warmest winter since records began, First Utility still continued to be the only of the new generation of independents to grow its track record of profitability and showed that low prices can be delivered to UK householders sustainably.”

Quality Plumber Week, now in its third year, is once again celebrating the dedicated and hard-working plumbing and heating engineers of the UK. Taking place from October 3-9, the week will build on the success of previous years to unite the whole industry in shining a spotlight on the key roles played by plumbers in our communities. The UK’s plumbers are a dedicated and highly skilled workforce that delivers safe water and heating to homes and workspaces throughout the country, though most of us take these services for granted. Plumbers do the jobs that most people would rather leave and often come to the rescue with burst pipes and broken boilers, while also providing consumers with up to date advice on heating technologies, energy saving tips and water safety. The week is organised by Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) and stresses the importance of using properly qualified, trained and accredited plumbers in an attempt to cut the numbers of rogue traders who operate within the industry. Homeowners are being encouraged to check if their tradesperson has professional qualifications and accreditation to a professional trade body in order to make sure they do not become victims of sub-standard work. By increasing the profile of plumbing as a respected profession, it is hoped that more young people will be encouraged to consider an apprenticeship in the industry. The latest research carried out by APHC has shown that attitudes towards apprenticeships seem to have shifted in the last few years, with 86% of those surveyed agreeing that school leavers should be encouraged to consider an apprenticeship instead of being pushed into the Higher Education route, with just 2% disagreeing. As apprenticeships once again become an accepted option post-16 education, the trade must promote the benefits and positives of becoming a plumber or heating engineer to create a new generation of professional tradespeople.

The full smart meter rollout has been hit with a further delay, as the smart meter network operator missed its deadline for go-live. The Data and Communications Company (DCC) was due to go live on September 30, after a number of delays since its initial date in December 2015. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have not yet confirmed a new date but the infrastructure is crucial to connect smart meters to business systems of energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users of the network. A spokesperson for the DCC commented: “The national data and communications infrastructure is in the final stages of testing and is making good progress. We are working hard to deliver the network at the earliest possible opportunity to the energy industry.” The government has set out deadlines for the use of the DCC and meter installation as part of its plans to ensure a “timely” rollout, and ensure both energy suppliers and distribution network operators are ready to commence the rollout from the DCC go-live date. All domestic suppliers are required to be using the DCC by August 1, 2017, while major suppliers will also have to install 1,500 SMETS2 meters by February 1, 2017. A BEIS spokesperson said: “Smart meters will enable suppliers to deliver innovative products and services and help consumers to bring down their energy bills. This new infrastructure will make it easier for consumers to switch and is in the final stages of testing.” The industry is already concerned about meeting the target of offering a smart meter to all UK householders by 2020. Consultancy business KPMG has warned that the current installation rate would have to rise five-fold in order to meet the target. KPMG power and utilities director Amy Marshall added: “The number of smart and advanced meters operating in UK homes and small businesses now stands at 4.2 million, as the race towards hitting the 2020 government target intensifies.

Aarsleff Ground Engineering has started its biggest ever UK project, installing piles for homeware retailer The Range’s new distribution centre in Avonmouth, Bristol. The £100 million big shed is being constructed by McLaren Construction for developer Stoford Properties. Work commenced on the site in July this year and Aarsleff is installing more than 15,000 precast piles to support both the main slab and roof stanchions of the finished structure as well as several peripheral buildings, such as sprinkler tank bases. Most piles for the project will be 250mm section DPC, with the rest being 300mm piles, with ground conditions anticipated to be a significant depth of tidal flat deposits. The piles will be bearing onto Mercian Mudstone, which is typical of the strata suitable for a DPC approach. Aarsleff General Manager, Kevin Hague, commented: “This is the largest piling project that Aarsleff UK has ever undertaken in its 25-year history and is a tremendous vote of confidence in our precast piling solutions. “It is also our first project for McLaren Construction and given the scope of works it highlights the high degree of trust they have put in us, the result of our previous dealings with them and our industry reputation.” Aarsleff supported McLaren’s bid for the scheme to assess the potential cost implications of several loading scenarios for the formerly unconfirmed roof loadings. Aarsleff also highlighted the twin issues of both negative skin friction and the cost implications of using various joint types, to inform client-contractor negotiations. Earlier in the month, Aarsleff Ground Engineering took over A&J Geotechnical Services. Aarsleff managing director Chris Primett said: “The acquisition of A&J Geotechnical Services is a strategic move, which now allows Aarsleff to provide more diverse and comprehensive ground package solutions. He added: “A&J is a perfect fit for Aarsleff. Both companies have a vision of providing clients with a multidisciplinary offer where the best service, techniques and commercial offering is delivered by vastly experienced teams.”

A joint venture between First Bus and Weston-Super-Mare based Crosville Motor Services, Somerset Passenger Solutions, has been confirmed as the contractor for services to the new Hinkley Point nuclear station. The 10 year deal with EDF Energy will operate high frequency services for employees to Hinkley Point C from dedicated park-and-ride sites, staff campus accommodation and from surrounding towns and villages for employees living throughout the region. The joint venture will also provide internal site shuttles and transport for visitors from airports, railway stations and hotels. EDF Energy has estimated that around 25,000 jobs will be created through the construction of the new power station and around 5,600 people will be employed on site during its peak. Somerset Passenger Solutions is starting a recruitment campaign for the 300 staff it will need and is planning to order up to 160 new buses. Jonathan Jones Pratt, chairman, Crosville Motor Services, said: “This is great news for our company and this region of the UK, especially given the local training legacy that we will bring to the table.” “Our joint venture brings together unique skills and experiences. I’m delighted that our partnership and the good work we’ve been doing in providing bus services to the site under the current interim contract has been recognised.” Alex Carter, managing director, First Bus in the South West, added: “This contract is great news for our business and the wider community, and will help to secure and create jobs. We look forward to providing EDF Energy’s employees with simple, seamless, frequent and reliable bus services during the construction period.” Crosville was awarded the interim contract status two years ago and has invited First Bus to form the joint venture, Somerset Passenger Solutions in June 2014 to meet the scale of the main contract.

Construction work has got under way on a £5.5 million operations and maintenance facility in the Wirral for major renewable energy firm DONG Energy. Robertson North West, which is part of the £300 million turnover infrastructure group Robertson, has begun work on-site on the project at Kings Wharf in Seacombe. The facility is situated at the entrance to the Birkenhead dock system. Once complete, it is anticipated that the facility will be home to 45 full-time staff serving the Burbo Bank offshore wind farm along with the new Burbo Bank Extension which is due to be complete next year. Office space, and changing, welfare and ancillary facilities, will be arranged across two floors with an accompanying warehouse. Regional managing director of Robertson North West, Carl Wilde, commented: “We are delighted to start construction on this exciting development that will regenerate a site in an important docklands location. “We look forward to working closely with DONG Energy to deliver this project, and providing them with a quality base from which they can operate and maintain their wind farms.” Senior construction engineer at DONG Energy, Brian McMorrow, added: “It was important for us to use a regionally based construction company so we’re really pleased to be working with Robertson North West. DONG Energy is committed to investing in the UK and we are very proud to be playing an important role in the redevelopment of this part of Kings Wharf.” The project is due to be complete in mid-2017. DONG Energy has also announced plans to build what it claims will be the biggest offshore wind operations and maintenance hub in the UK in Grimsby to support its work in the area. The Danish energy firm announced on Friday that subject to planning approval, the new multi-million pound hub is set to be developed in the town’s Royal Dock and will initially support DONG’s Westermost Rough, Race Bank and Hornsea Project One offshore wind farms.