covid19

  • Business supply and services

    Have we given up on competition in the retail market?

    “Q: How does 2pm on Wednesday sound? A: Assuming we still have a functioning energy market that'd be great”.  It’s not really what you expect to see in an email at 5pm on a Friday when trying to arrange a call. But then these are certainly not normal times. In this Energy Perspective, we will...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    A look back at 2020

    As we take our first steps into 2021, we look back at the biggest developments in the UK energy markets in 2020, setting us up for the significant year ahead. As 2019 turned into 2020, we were still waiting for the Energy White Paper (EWP), a document which had been...

  • Business supply and services

    Responses to COVID-19 boost energy suppliers’ reputations with customers

    2020 is, unfortunately, proving to be a year that we will never forget. It has been a year of change and adaptability for us all, including domestic energy suppliers, with many suppliers having had to adapt to increasing numbers of customers in distress while operating at reduced capacity and/or with...

  • Regulation and policy

    Finding best practice in Ofgem’s compliance engagement outcomes

    The past few months have involved a shake-up of the status quo for all of us, with the ramifications of COVID-19 having a disproportionate impact across society. Being an essential service, energy has been at the forefront of policy-makers minds as suppliers have sought to ensure that those most severely...

  • Low carbon generation

    Mutualisation? Oversupply? Banking? Latest developments in the ROC market

    We track the ROC markets closely through our within-year and long-term market forecasts of ROC values and supplier costs. In this blog we provide a view on the latest market developments and our current forecast levels. If you are interested in the Renewables Obligation, or our market forecasts for the...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    The future of power prices: Black swans and dragon kings

    Understanding the long-term trajectory of the wholesale market is critical to new generation assets and their investment viability. Here at Cornwall Insight, we support market participants in assessing the potential outlook for wholesale power markets through our long-term market Benchmark Power Curve service. We’ve just updated our latest curves out...

  • Regulation and policy

    Back to the Future: long term vulnerability outcomes

    100 days have passed since the UK was placed into lockdown and, as the government looks to continue easing of restrictions, it’s worth reflecting on where we’ve been and start looking ahead to where we’re going. Thanks to papers from Citizens Advice and National Energy Action (NEA) we now have...

  • Home supply and services

    COVID-19-driven changes to electricity Third Party Charges

    The impact of COVID-19 on the energy sector has been a hot topic for the last few months. As we progress further into the UK’s lockdown period we are now beginning to piece together the wider picture of effects across energy Third Party Charges (TPCs). These impacts are expected to...

  • Water

    Water sector adapts quickly to COVID-19 crisis

    The GB water sector, like almost every sector in the UK, has not escaped from the pressures posed by the COVID-19 crisis. In this article, we present the approaches taken by the respective regulators in England & Wales (Ofwat) and in Scotland (WICS), and MOSL (the market operator for England...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    FiT costs to reach all-time high amid COVID outbreak

    Energy Third Party Charges (TPCs) have certainly been in the limelight recently, and rightly so as less consumption from non-domestic sectors is resulting in a greater recovery of money from domestic households amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Several measures have been taken to date to protect domestic suppliers and consumers from...

  • Low carbon generation

    The Balancing Mechanism and BSUoS under lockdown

    The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions have severely impacted the GB energy market with demand and prices at record lows. As market conditions have drastically changed, National Grid Electricity System Operator (NG ESO) has been much in the spotlight, with the current low demand scenario providing new operational challenges....

  • Regulation and policy

    Industry codes flex for COVID-19

    In response to the growing impacts of the pandemic, which has seen electricity demand drop dramatically and industry participants unable to go about many of their usual activities, a series of temporary changes have been introduced across industry codes to mitigate some of the most severe effects. They have all...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    BSUoS in COVID-19

    This week National Grid Electricity System Operator (“the ESO”) released its latest forecast of Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges – levied on suppliers and large generators to recover costs incurred by the ESO in managing the system on a second by second basis. In this blog we look...

  • Business supply and services

    Three key themes taking place in the TPI sector

    While discussion continues around the impacts of COVID-19 on energy suppliers, the effects have reached into all parts of the energy value chain. Here, we take a look at the impacts on the TPI sector, alongside other key developments in the TPI market, highlighted in our second quarterly update of...

  • Regulation and policy

    How will suppliers be required to support their customers post COVID-19?

    On 1 May our latest update to the Energy Supplier Compliance Portal went live and included changes to the compliance landscape seen during February, March and April this year. A notable feature of the update was the regulatory response to COVID-19, which we will delve into a little deeper in...

  • Low carbon generation

    RESS-1 application closing date is further extended

    With a lot of uncertainty around the impacts of COVID-19 on global supply chains and renewable project delivery we are starting to see the effects in the Irish Energy market, notably the announcement that prequalification for the Renewable Energy Support Scheme in Ireland will be extended. In December 2019, the...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Tootsie slide: Demand drop

    Since both governments of Ireland have restricted movement in the light of COVID-19, we have observed changes to working patterns. This has subsequently resulted in a reduction and shift in demand profile for the island of Ireland. This week's blog looks at demand reduction since COVID-19 restrictions have been in...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Turn it up – responding rapidly to manage the system

    In balancing the system, we used to talk mostly about narrowing capacity margins and the need to ensure ‘headroom’. But suddenly there’s a greater need for greater consumption and the provision of ‘footroom’ during COVID-19, and potentially and also in the future. The ESO will need to procure more and...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    A new playbook for the GB wholesale markets

    With the effects of COVID-19 permeating all parts of the energy value chain, in this week’s Energy Perspective our Wholesale Manager, James Brabben, takes a look at how it is impacting wholesale pricing and the electricity generation fleet, both now and, potentially, in the long term. Order of play We...

  • Regulation and policy

    Building foundations: Improving outcomes for vulnerable customers now and in the future

    The standards of conduct in the electricity and gas supply licences set out that suppliers must ensure that “each Domestic Customer, including each Domestic Customer in a Vulnerable Situation, is treated Fairly”. This licence condition is principles-based and so exactly how each supplier interprets it is up to them. Although,...

  • Home supply and services

    From “what if?” to “what now?”

    As the UK begins its third week of lockdown, the nation’s energy sector continues to wait to see whether there will be any economic or financial support targeted specifically at end users, suppliers, network operators and fellow participants alike. Immediate issues for end users include their ability to pay their...

  • Announcement

    How we’re helping our local community during COVID-19

    Cornwall Insight recognises the importance of playing our part in supporting the wider effort to address COVID-19. That is why, aside from continuing our insights on COVID-19 to the energy market, we will be donating 5% of all revenues made from our webinar series over the coming three months to 'Norfolk Community...

  • Low carbon generation

    Lessons from a lock down

    We are all facing a new, simpler existence. For my part, I have been self-isolated for three weeks. My little flat in central London has become almost my entire existence, my days have settled into a simple routine, and I've had plenty of time to reflect. Although COVID-19 presents an...

  • Regulation and policy

    How are domestic suppliers expected to serve their customers during COVID-19?

    With the COVID-19 pandemic taking centre stage of late, here we consider how domestic suppliers are responding to the outbreak and how this could affect their day-to-day compliance. Amid the ever-mounting pressure on suppliers due to COVID-19, licensees have been promised pragmatism by the regulator in its approach to compliance....