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19 March 2009
While the last two days of the annual bout of navel gazing that is the Adam Smith Institute Future of Utilities conference was generally a pretty serious (and by and large gloomy) affair, there were a few lighter moments.
One came when Scottish & Southern's Ron McDonald flashed a huge cartoon flying pig on screen to graphically illustrate his view on the likelihood of competition ever taking off in water - right over the head of the supposed champion of water competition, Ofwat boss Regina Finn. Nice one, Rob.
McDonald also caused a ripple of mirth when he called on Ofwat to crack down on the "villains" among the incumbent water companies who were blocking new entrants like SSE with such devious tactics as excessive access pricing. "I have one company in particular in mind," he quipped, "but I can't pronounce it."
Well, Rob, if you can't pronouce Dyr Cymru, just call it Welsh Water!
Another regulator feeling the heat was Ofgem chief Alistair Buchanan. He had to get on stage to be interviewed alongside the uber-cool Regina - sporting a pair of killer heels for added impact - by none other than regulation guru Dieter Helm. That would have been fine, but Ofgem had just been on the receiving end of one of the professor's famously blistering critiques of its failures, shortcomings and general uselessness. Buchanan reluctantly took the stage carrying his jacket and a National Trust shopping bag looking like he would rather be anywhere but sharing a platform with his nemesis. To be fair to Helm, who clearly feels he could do a much better job as regulator than Buchanan, he took it fairly easy on the Ofgem chief, focusing his early probing on Finn and allowing Buchanan a long unchallenged diatribe on the recently announced Project Discovery. Great stuff!
Tags: pan-utility, people
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