Sphere No.43 (Oct 2017)

ETHICAL WATER NorthumbrianWaterGroup (NWG)was theonly companynamed in theWater and SewerageUtility category in theEthisphere Institute’sWorld’sMostEthical Company list. Itwas alsooneof only four fromthe UKinany category. The awardgoes to the companies that “recognise their role in society to influence anddrivepositive change, consider the impact of their actions on their employees, customers andcommunity, and use their values andculture…tounderpin the decisions theymake everyday.” SAVING THE COUNTRYSIDE Helpingminimisewaste fromNew Zealand’s farming communities, EnviroNZ’s recommissioning of a newplastics extrusion plant will see 800,000 plastic fertiliser bags a year kept out of landfill. Instead, theywill be recycled into plastic pellets to be used in local manufacturing. SPHERE #43 2017 07 Infrastructure CALMING CONTROL HKElectric has entered into a new 15-year Scheme of Control Agreement, in effect until December 2033. The agreement provides the certainty needed to support the Hong Kong government’s energy and environmental policy objectives, including its Climate Action Plan 2030+. WINNERS DIG DEEP UKPower Networks was named Britain’s Utility of the Year for the second year in a row at the prestigious UtilityWeek Awards, the first company ever to repeat a winning spot. That award became a double when it also won the same title at the National Skills Academy’s People in Power Awards, and clinched a Gold Award from Investors in People for the way it invests in and treats its employees. Now the company is drilling under the River Orwell to install new underground cabling to help supply Suffolk and north Essex. Digging new tunnels will beautify the area by reducing overhead lines, and boost power to communities including Felixstowe, Shotley andHarwich. GETTINGWET: A HUGE WAVE COMING! Amerger betweenNWGBusiness (NWGB) and AnglianWater Business (AWB) will result in a company called “Wave”, serving over 300,000 business customers. NWGB is expert at industrial wastemanagement while AWB is a water efficiency pro. Working together, this big wave will serve 19 per cent of all customers in the UK! TELECOMS HTHKH focuses onmobile future Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong Holdings (HTHKH) has sold its fixed-line business in Hong Kong and will invest part of the proceeds in the development of new mobile phone services to prepare for the coming 5G era. A 99.95 per cent vote in favour of the disposal by shareholders, in the opinion of Canning Fok, HTHKH Chairman, “crystallises value for the company and its shareholders”. COMPLETING THE COVERAGE HKElectric is expanding its coverage of multistandard quickEV (electric vehicle) charging stations so that drivers will never bemore than 15minutes away froma rejuvenating zap for their wheels. THE FUTURE OF GAS Australian Gas Infrastructure Group has partnered with AquaHydrex to develop a system to create hydrogen fromwater for injecting into their gas network. This novel electrolyser technology will store renewable energy in the gas grid to decarbonise Australia’s gas supply and support the nation’s aspirations of a near zero-carbon energy sector by 2050.