News & Articles December 2023 Boost for rooftop solar Businesses will be able to install rooftop solar panels more easily under new rules announced by the UK Government. Current rules that require businesses to apply for planning permission if solar panels will generate more than one megawatt of electricity will be scrapped, meaning organisations will be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the delay and cost of applying for planning permission. Other changes will mean homeowners with flat roofs will be able to install panels without planning permission, bringing rules in line with those for businesses. Currently those who have to go through the planning system are having to wait over eight weeks and face extra costs. Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart MP said: “Removing the 1MW restriction for industrial rooftop solar will help us meet our target of 70GW of solar power by 2035 while supporting hundreds of long-term skilled British jobs, bolstering our world-leading renewables sector and reducing bills for consumers with panels.” Read more COP28...green energy pledge More than 110 countries have pledged to play their part in tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030 in one of the headline agreements of the COP28 climate summit. The commitment made at the Dubai summit also includes a doubling in the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements. There has also been a landmark deal to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries pay for the impacts of climate change. The loss and damage fund aims to meet some of the costs caused by extreme weather and sea level rise. Earlier, King Charles III warned humans are carrying out a "vast, frightening experiment" on the planet, taking the natural world "outside balanced norms and limits". UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said climate change could only be tackled "if we take people with us". Read more Nuclear’s key role The UK grid has relied on nuclear reactors that would have retired years ago without extra investment to keep the lights on during the current cold snap, according to new analysis. The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) said during one recent evening, margins on the grid were projected to be less than 2.5 GW with more than 3.3 GW of generation being supplied by EDF’s sites at Heysham, Hartlepool and Torness. National Grid has estimated the margins on the grid this winter would be 4.4 GW compared to the 4.7 GW of generating capacity provided by the UK’s four nuclear AGR stations. The association pointed out EDF has invested £7 billion in the UK’s existing nuclear fleet since it acquired them and obtained 30% higher output than anticipated at acquisition. Chief Executive of the NIA Tom Greatrex said: ‘When margins are tight, it is nuclear that keeps the grid running. With demand high and the temperature low, nuclear keeps generating when we need it, cutting carbon, cutting gas, and cutting bills.” Read more Octopus Energy completes purchase of Shell Energy Retail Octopus Energy has announced it has completed the acquisition of Shell Energy Retail, purchasing its operations in the UK and Germany. This will grow Octopus to 6.6 million household customers in the UK, whilst its customer base will increase to almost 300,000 in Germany. The deal has also seen the firm acquire almost 500,000 Shell broadband customers. https://www.creditstrategy.co.uk/latest-news/octopus- energy-completes-purchase-of-shell- energy-retail Sellafield nuclear site hacked by groups linked to Russia and China The UK’s most hazardous nuclear site, Sellafield, has been hacked into by cyber groups closely linked to Russia and China, the Guardian can reveal. The astonishing disclosure and its potential effects have been consistently covered up by senior staff at the vast nuclear waste and decommissioning site, the investigation has found. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/04/sellaf ield-nuclear-site-hacked-groups-russia-china British Gas to gift half price energy this Christmas British Gas will be gifting customers with half price electricity on Christmas Day as part of its PeakSave scheme. The extra day of savings comes in addition to the extension of its PeakSave Sundays offering customers half price electricity every Sunday this winter – including Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve. https://www.centrica.com/media- centre/news/2023/british-gas-to-gift-half-price-energy- this-christmas/ Metro mayors back Ofgem’s regional energy planning reform Metro mayors representing nearly a third of the UK’s population have expressed support for Ofgem‘s proposed regional energy planning reform at a policy summit. The initiative aims to streamline local planning processes, reduce red tape and assist regions in developing roadmaps to achieve net zero targets https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/12/01/metro- mayors-back-ofgems-regional-energy-planning-reform ‘They’re regulating themselves’: Water firm reportedly downgrades pollution incidents A water firm operating in the north-west of England may have wrongly downplayed numerous pollution incidents last year. United Utilities is reportedly controlling evidence on pollution incidents while the agency is failing to conduct independent checks, according to a recent BBC Panorama investigation. That allows the firm to report their own incidents as being less significant as they actually are, according to the report. https://www.cityam.com/theyre- regulating-themselves-water-firm-reportedly-downgrades- pollution-incidents/ Smart meters in Great Britain, quarterly update September 2023 At the end of September 2023, there were 33.9 million smart and advanced meters in Great Britain in homes and small businesses (59% of all meters). As at 14 November 2023 there were 11.6 million SMETS1 meters connected to the DCC network. Collectively, across both large and small energy suppliers, at the end of Q3 2023 there were 1.74 million smart meters in smart mode and advanced meters across small non-domestic sites in Great Britain; 53% of all meters in smaller non- domestic sites (55% when including smart meters in traditional mode) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/smart-meters-in- great-britain-quarterly-update-september-2023

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