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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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United Utilities United Utilities has sold its Norweb electricity distribution business to a consortium of Colonial First State Global Asset Management and JP Morgan Asset Management for £1.8bn. 26-Nov-2007 United Utilities is looking to sell its electricity distribution assets in the North West for up to £1.4bn, in order to focus on water. 06-Jun-2007 United Utilities is to sell its Vertex Data Science business outsourcing division to a private equity consortium led by Oak Hill Capital Partners for £217m. 16-Jan-2007 United Utilities is considering the future of 258 staff at its Vertex outsourcing call centre in Knowsley, as energy company PowerGen is said to be planning to take its work back in-house. 08-Sep-2006 United Utilities has appointed Merrill Lynch to review the strategic options for its Vertex outsourcing business, having received a number of takeover approaches. 14-Jun-2006 United Utilities is to acquire 1st Software Group, the financial planning software company, for an initial £25m, in order to expand its Vertex Financial Services division. 10-Feb-2006 Thus is to acquire Your Communications from United Utilities for at least £59m, and most of Your's network is expected to be closed down with the loss of 300 jobs. 02-Feb-2006 United Utilities is creating up to 24 new jobs for engineers in its gas emergency service in the north-east, Yorkshire and northern Cumbria. 09-Dec-2005 United Utilities has awarded a £50m contract to a consortium of Amec and Lurgi UK to expand the Mersey Valley sludge processing plant near Widnes by 2008. 01-Sep-2005 United Utilities has warned of job losses among the 1,600-strong workforce at its recently-acquired Marlborough Stirling financial services business. 03-Jun-2005 United Utilities has acquired Marlborough Stirling, the financial software company, for £95m, in order to expand its Vertex Data Science division. 09-Mar-2005 United Utilities has sold 40 green energy projects to Novera Energy and Macquarie Bank for £63m, including 29 landfill gas sites, 10 small hydropower sites and one mine gas site. 22-Dec-2004 United Utilities is to shed 200 jobs in its electricity and water operations over the next three years, as part of a cost reduction programme. 15-Dec-2004 United Utilities is looking to sell its green energy operations for about £80m, including some small hydroelectric plants and windfarms currently under construction. 29-Nov-2004 United Utilities, the water and power supplier, has won a £427m outsourcing contract to deliver services to Thurrock council in Essex. 15-Nov-2004 Dwr Cymru, the Welsh Water company, has awarded a £1.5bn a year water and sewerage services contract to United Utilities. 13-Sep-2004 United Utilities has won approval from the Welsh Assembly to build a £120m wind farm with 30 turbines off the coast of Porthcawl. 09-Jul-2004 United Utilities is seeking contractors to build a £30m bio-fuel plant at an undisclosed location in South Wales. 20-May-2004 United Utilities has acquired Eurocall, the Manchester-based telecoms company with 137 staff, for £42m, in order to expand its Your Communications business. 02-Mar-2004 East Surrey Holdings has acquired two local gas network operations from United Utilities for £3.1m, including United Utilities Gas Networks and United Utilities Gas Pipelines. 30-Oct-2003 United Utilities has announced a £1bn rights issue to fund a water quality and environmental improvement programme. 29-Jul-2003 United Utilities and Peel Holdings are to submit plans for a £50m 26-turbine wind farm on moor land between Rawtenstall and Rochdale. 10-Jun-2003 United Utilities has unveiled proposals to build 12 wind turbines at Clowbridge near Burnley. 02-Jan-2003 United Utilities and Abbey National Treasury Services have won a £225m contract from British Gas to install and maintain about 5m gas meters in northern England and North Wales. 22-May-2002 United Utilities has announced a £245m project to rejuvenate the water industry infrastructure throughout west Lancashire and north Manchester, and has awarded a three-year contract to KMI Water. 28-Feb-2002 United Utilities is planning to invest £200m in renewable energy schemes, including wind farms, landfill gas, biomass and hydroelectric plants. 19-Nov-2001 United Utilities is considering plans to build wind farms and grow green energy crops in Cumbria, in an attempt to find alternative uses for former sheep grazing land. 06-Aug-2001 United Utilities is to shed 185 jobs as it reduces the volume of contracting work carried out for Welsh water company Glas Cymru. 05-Jun-2001 United Utilities is looking to outsource more activities to reduce the impact of regulatory price cuts on its water and electricity businesses, and is also considering plans to float part of its Vertex call centre division. 25-May-2001 United Utilities is to change the name of its Norweb Telecom subsidiary to Your Communications at a cost of £1m, in order to shed its regional identity. 02-May-2001 United Utilities has won a £450m outsourcing contract to manage water services in Wales, which will involve the transfer of 1,400 staff from Welsh Water. 30-Mar-2001 United Utilities is linking up with International Water to acquire a 50% stake in Tallinna Vesi, the Estonian water company, for about £50m. 17-Jan-2001 United Utilities is to buy the non-regulated water supply and waste water operations of Hyder from Western Power Distribution for £75m, allowing WPD to focus on Hyder's power business. 22-Dec-2000 TXU Europe is to acquire Norweb's electricity supply business from United Utilities for £310m, and will subcontract customer services to United's Vertex division. 04-Aug-2000 United Utilities is to reorganise its business into five separate divisions - water and electricity infrastructure in the north-west, retail water supply, water asset management, Vertex IT management and Norweb Telecom. 26-May-2000 Scottish Power is linking up with United Utilities and Northern Electric to create an internet-based procurement operation, in order to combine their purchasing power and achieve savings of at least 10%. 06-Apr-2000 United Utilities has put its Norweb Energi electricity and gas supply business up for sale, and is expected to raise up to £400m. 02-Mar-2000 United Utilities has acquired Intercell, the Sheffield-based telecoms company, for undisclosed terms, and it will be merged into its Norweb Telecom operation. 04-Feb-2000 United Utilities is considering plans to sell its Norweb electricity supply business, due to the tough price controls in the sector. 02-Feb-2000 United Utilities is to invest £100m over the next 12 months in the creation of a broad-band national network for its Norweb Telecom business, including a new sales and marketing support division in Liverpool. 20-Jan-2000 United Utilities has confirmed plans to float Norweb Telecom over the next 18 months, which could raise up to £1bn. 11-Dec-1999 United Utilities has dropped plans to develop high-speed data services using power cables, due to insufficient demand. 08-Sep-1999 United Utilities is to recruit a further 30 sales and marketing staff in order to expand its Norweb Telecom business throughout the country. 12-Aug-1999 United Utilities has renamed its Norweb Communications business to Norweb Telecom, and will invest £40m expanding its network throughout the country and opening a sales office in Birmingham. 24-Jun-1999 United Utilities is seeking a merger for its Norweb power supply business, as it believes it needs to more than double its customer base to gain the necessary economies of scale. 28-May-1999 United Utilities is planning to launch a high speed internet access service via the electricity network by late summer, using technology developed jointly by its Norweb business and Nortel. 16-Mar-1999 National Power and United Utilities have ended merger talks that could have led to the creation of a £10bn electricity business. 11-Feb-1999 United Utilities has licensed its Digital PowerLine technology for the use of electricity cables to transmit data to 10 international utility companies, and plans to undercut current internet service providers on price. 26-Mar-1998 Northern Ireland Electricity and United Utilities' Vertex Data Science subsidiary have failed to agree terms on the creation of a joint venture which was intended to offer billing, data management and training services in Ireland. 17-Oct-1997 United Utilities has sold its US generation activities to Calpine, the Californian power company, for £25m. 14-Oct-1997 United Utilities is linking up with Nortel of Canada to trial a new technology which will enable people to access the internet via their electricity supply. 09-Oct-1997 United Utilities has announced its strategy for the liberalised domestic energy market, which involves setting up a new brand name - Energi, and linking up with an unnamed generator. 19-Jun-1997 United Utilities has announced the disposal of Norweb's US generation interests to Indeck North American Power Fund for £25m. 08-Apr-1997 Scottish Hydro-Electric has acquired the remaining 50% of the Keadby power station from United Utilities for £253m. 01-Mar-1997 United Utilities plans to benefit from next year's liberalisation of the domestic electricity market by forming a strategic alliance with one of the US-owned regional electricity companies. 24-Feb-1997 Scottish Hydro-Electric is expected to acquire the remaining 50% of the Keadby power station on the River Humber from United Utilities in early 1997. 23-Dec-1996 United Utilities is in discussions with gas and electricity suppliers about setting up a new company early next year to compete in the deregulated energy market. 29-Nov-1996 Lombard Tricity Finance has acquired the loan portfolio of United Utilities' Norweb retail business for £113m. 05-Nov-1996 US Filter has acquired the process equipment division of United Utilities for £125m. 08-Oct-1996 The information above comes from the UK Activity Report Copyright UK Business Park 1995-2007