Belarus threatens to cut off Europe’s gas supplies November 11, 2021 The energy supply crisis has moved from crisis to crisis and tyrant to tyrant after Alexander Lukashenko threatened to cut gas into Europe via Belarus, if the EU imposes further sanctions on his country for its treatment of migrants. The threat was enough for prices to rise again following a brief reprieve earlier this week [...]
Zebra Power enters administration November 10, 2021 Zebra Power (Zebra) has entered administration, appointing PwC to guide the process. The energy retailer supplied gas and electricity to approximately 15,000 domestic consumers before it ceased trading earlier this month. Its stranded customers have been designated by Ofgem to British Gas through its supplier of last resort process. The company is headquartered in Manchester [...]
Utility Warehouse pays £1.5m to Ofgem fund after failing customers in debt November 10, 2021 Utility Warehouse has agreed to pay £1.5m for treating some of its customers unfairly, and increasing their financial distress. The money will go into Ofgem’s voluntary redress fund, which supports vulnerable customers and finances innovation in the sector. The energy supplier has accepted it failed to consistently provide debt repayment plans to struggling customers from [...]
Rolls-Royce gets £195m funding for reactor plan November 9, 2021 Rolls-Royce’s share price rocketed by as much as five per cent on Tuesday after the engineering company secured £195m in private funding for a small-scale nuclear reactor project in the UK. Shares in the jet engine maker closed up 3.6 per cent at 146p by close of play, also buoyed by the return of leisure [...]
Weir Group snaps up mining tech firm November 5, 2021 Glasgow-based Weir Group has boosted its technological capabilities with the expected acquisition of Motion Metrics for an initial £89m. The deal is likely to go through in the fourth quarter of this year, and it could increase by a further £59m by the end of 2024 depending on revenue and profit performance. Integration costs are [...]
Energy trust IPO raises £186.5m for Tesla powered battery plan November 5, 2021 Harmony Energy Income Trust has raised £186.5m through an initial public offering (IPO) to develop large-scale battery energy storage systems across the UK. The systems will be powered by Tesla technology. It has issued 210 million ordinary shares at a price of £1 each, alongside 23.5 million ordinary shares for the acquisition of its seed [...]
BEIS committee calls for sector deal to protect steel industry November 5, 2021 The government must establish a new steel sector deal to ensure the UK industry remains competitive, says the business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee. In its latest report, the committee argues it could resolve long-running issues in the sector such as high energy prices and barriers to supplying steel for major public projects. The deal could [...]
Number of UK gas suppliers almost cut in half by energy price crisis November 4, 2021 UK energy suppliers have nearly halved in number this year, as soaring wholesale prices wreak havoc with the struggling sector. New research from Cornwall Insights has revealed that the market has sharply decreased from 47 suppliers at the start of 2021 to 24 currently left operating in the country. The number of departures from the [...]
Three million households to be in debt to energy supplier this winter November 3, 2021 More than three million UK households are facing a troubled winter in debt to their energy supplier – half a million more than last year – according to comparison service USwitch.com Its latest research reveals that 59 per cent of households say they are either worried, or very worried, about how they are going to [...]
Climate change tech: What heat pumps could do for your home, and your wallet October 29, 2021 As the energy crisis rages on amid rising gas prices, UK householders are facing a change in the way we heat our homes to tackle climate change. Here are some answers to the key questions about one of the main technologies we could use instead of gas boilers. First, what is a heat pump? In [...]