Nuclear plant group’s safety move

A French consortium hoping to build the first new nuclear power stations in Britain for 20 years has submitted a solution that will ‘in principle’ meet safety concerns about its reactor design, says the UK regulator

• French nuclear watchdog exposed
• Building hiatus eroded expertise

Water prices to remain flat

Water prices will remain broadly flat for the next five years, says the industry regulator in a move that cheered customers and tempered the pessimism of water companies, which had expected prices to fall, even as their costs rose

Building hiatus eroded expertise

France’s nuclear watchdog has sounded a warning on the erosion of skills in the atomic energy industry after a near 20-year hiatus in building reactors

BHP dismisses reports ore venture is in trouble

The mining group brushes aside reports its proposed $116bn Australian iron ore joint venture with Rio Tinto is in difficulty weeks ahead of a deadline to conclude a deal

Tight rein on prices expected from Ofwat

UK water companies brace themselves for a pricing ruling they say could undermine the investment case for the sector, which may struggle for years with high fixed costs and stagnant revenues

EnCana shareholders agree on split

Shareholders in EnCana voted to split the Canadian energy group into two publicly traded companies, one focused on natural gas, the other on the Alberta oilsands

United Utilities raises pay-out

The water company has maintained a 5% increase in its interim dividend, despite uncertainty over regulator Ofwat’s next ruling on prices

Coal mine crackdown ignites land grab fears

Officials in China’s Shanxi province face a battle with mine owners who are accusing the government of orchestrating a land grab of private assets for miserly compensation