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108-470: The North Thames Gas Board was an autonomous state-owned utility area gas board providing gas for light and heat to industries, commercial premises and homes in south-east England. The board's area of supply, encompassing 1,059 square miles (2,740 km), included parts of the County of London , Berkshire , Buckinghamshire , Essex , Hertfordshire , Middlesex and Surrey . The North Thames Gas Board

216-614: A Dutch Haberdasher of Cheapside in London . An agreement reached in 1623 stipulated that in return for inning and recovering the island, the landowners would grant a third of the land as payment for the work. The presence of the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden , a relation of Croppenburg's, in England at the time of the project on a commission to drain the Fens and involved in repairing

324-461: A consultant lighthouse engineer at Trinity House at the time. This all-iron lighthouse replaced a lightship which had been moored in the area for the preceding four years. The lighthouse was demolished in 1957–1958 because of its poor condition. The Lobster Smack Inn saw many bare-knuckle fights in the 1850s. Sometimes the bouts were between local families, the best known being that between champion Ben Caunt and Nat Langham. The fight arose from

432-568: A decrease in the efficiency of monopolistic companies. To protect the interests of consumers from unjustified overpricing and substandard service, there are special regulatory bodies whose powers are regulated by the Law "On Natural Monopolies" and other regulatory acts. Main functions: Interaction at different levels: It is important to note that the powers to regulate the activities of natural monopolies are distributed between federal and local authorities.  Effective coordination of their actions

540-457: A family feud and Caunt took Langham to 60 rounds in September 1853. Langham was knocked down 59 times during the bout and because, it is said, of his sportsmanship Caunt agreed to settle their differences with a handshake. Historian Philip Benton reported about Canvey Chapel in 1867: "The seats are open and unappropriated, except one, which is set apart for the officer and the men under him of

648-526: A governmental body may attempt to improve its image or attract investment. Traditionally, public services have been provided by public legal entities, which operate much like corporations, but differ in that profit is not necessary for a functional business. A significant factor in government ownership has been to reduce the risk that an activity, if left to private initiative, may be considered not sufficiently profitable and neglected. Many utilities are essential for human life, national defense, or commerce, and

756-407: A mile), as well as a monorail system (initially horse-drawn then later electric). Hester marketed Canvey as "Ye Old Dutch Island", giving many of the new roads Dutch-sounding names and enticing potential buyers with free rail tickets. The project started well with thousands of plots sold, but by 1905 had fallen apart due to materials not being delivered and issues with land ownership with the laying of

864-535: A popular holiday and weekend destination until the cheap foreign package holiday became popular in the 1970s. During the Second World War the island was a part of the GHQ Line , a line of 11 concrete pillboxes constructed as a part of the defence against the expected German invasion . Only one of the old pillboxes still can be seen, just off Haven Road, with the others believed to have been buried in

972-532: A power and utilities industry outlook report by Deloitte identified a number of trends for the utilities industry: Issues faced by public utilities include: Alternative pricing methods include: Utility stocks are considered stable investments because they typically provide regular dividends to shareholders and have more stable demand. Even in periods of economic downturns characterized by low interest rates , such stocks are attractive because dividend yields are usually greater than those of other stocks, so

1080-421: A power plant will only disadvantage the consumer as prices could be increased. If the infrastructure already exists in a given area, minimal benefit is gained through competing. In other words, these industries are characterized by economies of scale in production. Though it can be mentioned that these natural monopolies are handled or watched by a public utilities commission, or an institution that represents

1188-491: A public utility is a question that was being discussed with the rise of internet usage. This is a question that was being asked due to the telephone service being considered a public utility. Since arguably broadband internet access has taken over telephone service, perhaps it should be a public utility. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States in 2015 made their stance on this issue clear. Due to

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1296-788: A region of the British Gas Corporation. The Gas Act 1986 privatised the British gas industry with the assets of the British Gas Corporation transferred to British Gas plc which started trading on 8 December 1986. North Thames Gas was restructured into eleven districts in 1986: The chairmen of the North Thames Gas Board/Region were: State-owned utility Public utilities are meant to supply goods and services that are considered essential; water , gas , electricity , telephone , waste disposal , and other communication systems represent much of

1404-582: A separate civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in 1881. These with separate remits replaced the 17 divisions of the land split largely into grazing meadowland since the Norman era by the neighbouring parishes of North Benfleet , South Benfleet , Bowers Gifford , Prittlewell , Southchurch , Hadleigh , Laindon , Pitsea and Vange . In 1926, the parish was converted to the Canvey Island Urban District , then dissolved along with

1512-611: A site to the north of the Occidental refinery site for the construction of another oil refinery. An exploratory public inquiry was held in February/March 1975 into the possible revocation of the planning permission for the United Refineries development. The report of 30 April 1975 recommended revocation and further expert evaluation of the totality of risks facing people who lived in and around Canvey. In March 1976

1620-549: A slow return of capital ; last, technical difficulties can occur in the management of plurality of networks, example in the city subsoil . Public pressure for renewable energy as a replacement for legacy fossil fuel power has steadily increased since the 1980s. As the technology needed to source the necessary amount of energy from renewable sources is still under study, public energy policy has been focused on short term alternatives such as natural gas (which still produces substantial carbon dioxide ) or nuclear power . In 2021

1728-520: A system with an administrative nature of relations, where the authorities have the authority to issue mandatory instructions for these companies. Proponents of such a system emphasize that it allows the authorities to directly influence the commercial activities of public utilities, ensuring their compliance with state interests. This can be expressed in: However, such a system has its drawbacks. Excessive government intervention can lead to: Resource efficiency: Despite these limitations, utilities within

1836-530: A three-year agreement with the aim of working together to modernize the country's infrastructure. As part of this agreement, the EBRD will allocate funds for the implementation of a number of important projects aimed at: In addition to these two key areas, the EBRD will continue to support other initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of citizens of Kazakhstan. In the United Kingdom and Ireland ,

1944-471: A total of 1,746,200 consumers and 8,283 miles (13,330 km) of gas distribution mains. The board proposed to extend its gas grid to all gas-making stations and to shutdown and decommission the smallest, oldest and most uneconomic stations. The board concentrated production on those sites on the River Thames where coal could be delivered economically by its own fleet of colliers. As well as gas, coke

2052-569: Is 15 miles (24 km) long and surrounds 75% of the island's perimeter terminating with flood barriers spanning Benfleet Creek to the north and East Haven Creek in the west. The drainage system consists of sewers, culverts, natural and artificial dykes and lakes which feed seven pumping stations and gravity sluices that discharge the water into the Thames and creeks. Four of the discharge sites are "high flow" stations capable of discharging 600 litres of water per second at any tide level. The levels within

2160-536: Is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary , near Southend-on-Sea , in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex , England. It has an area of 7.12 square miles (18.44 km ) and a population of 38,170. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks. Lying only just above sea level, it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides and has been inhabited since

2268-499: Is also notable for its relationship to the petrochemical industry . The island was the site of the first delivery in the world of liquefied natural gas by container ship and later became the subject of an influential assessment on the risks to a population living within the vicinity of petrochemical shipping and storage facilities. In 2019, the Conservative Party won 76.7% of the vote in the Castle Point constituency,

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2376-463: Is necessary to ensure coordinated work and achieve common goals. As a result, the activities of the regulatory authorities of natural monopolies are aimed at ensuring a balance between the interests of consumers, utility companies and the state. 2017 was marked by a new round of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The parties signed

2484-628: Is separated from the mainland to the north and west by Benfleet , East Haven and Vange creeks, and faces the Thames Estuary to the east and south. Along with neighbouring Two Tree Island , Lower Horse and Upper Horse, Canvey is an alluvial island formed in the Holocene period from silt in the River Thames and material entering the estuary on the tides of the North Sea from the coast of Norfolk . An unsuccessful search for coal beneath

2592-642: The Eastern Interconnection , the Texas Interconnection , which is a single ISO, and the Western Interconnection . U.S. utilities historically operated with a high degree of financial leverage and low interest coverage ratios compared to industrial companies. Investors accepted these credit characteristics because of the regulation of the industry and the belief that there was minimal bankruptcy risk because of

2700-460: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) notes that additional investments are needed to improve the efficiency and reliability of these systems. The analysis conducted by the EBRD revealed a number of problems faced by heating, water supply and sewerage systems in Kazakhstan. The report also provides examples of cities where networks are being upgraded with the support of

2808-669: The GLCC . Its sports ground, now derelict, is located on Leigh Road in East Ham , next to the North Circular Road , and is also the location of a (now disused) gasometer. At one time, it also operated a sports ground in Acton . NTGB initials can still be seen on service covers across London dating from the era of its operation. Town gas had traditionally been produced by carbonising (roasting) coal. The majority of gas made by

2916-508: The IRA in January 1979 on a storage tank at the island's Texaco oil terminal. A bomb was detonated at a tank containing aviation fuel, but failed to ignite with the fuel escaping into a safety moat. The Occidental site was abandoned in 1975 leaving a half-built oil refinery, storage tanks, and an unused mile-long jetty that cost around £10 million of the approximate total of £60 million spent on

3024-502: The Isle of Sheppey ), so any similarity between the names is mere coincidence. Without any suitable island matching Ptolemy's Counus Island, 20th-century historians White and Yearsley posit the documented island to have been lost or reduced to an insignificant sandbank by subsidence and the constant effects of the sea. The settlement and agricultural development of Essex by the Saxons from

3132-604: The RSPB in 2007, and the Canvey Wick nature reserve. Canvey Wick is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the site of the abandoned and incomplete oil refinery. The foundations of the 100-hectare (0.4 sq mile) site were prepared in the 1970s by laying thousands of tonnes of silt dredged from the Thames; the abandoned and undisturbed area has flourished as a haven for around 1,300 species of wildlife, some of which are endangered or were thought to be extinct in

3240-557: The Roman conquest of Britain . The island was mainly agricultural land until the 20th century, when it became the fastest-growing seaside resort in Britain between 1911 and 1951. The North Sea flood of 1953 devastated the island, killing 58 islanders and leading to the temporary evacuation of the 13,000 residents. Canvey is consequently protected by modern sea defences comprising 2 miles (3.2 km) of concrete sea walls. Canvey Island

3348-770: The Water Industry Commission for Scotland and the Utility Regulator in the United Kingdom, and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and the Commission for Communications Regulation in the Republic of Ireland. Disabled community transport services may occasionally be included within the definition. They were mostly privatised in the UK during the 1980s. The first public utility in

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3456-451: The red hills of the Roman saltmaking industry, or the early makeshift sea defences constructed by some of the landowners around their farms. In 1622, Sir Henry Appleton (a descendant of John de Apeton) and Canvey's other landowners instigated a project to reclaim the land and wall the island from the Thames . The scheme was managed by an acquaintance of Appleton's – Joas Croppenburg ,

3564-502: The ' Isle ' of Grain rather than a Latinised "Sheppey insula" to the southeast, is a close eastern division which is perhaps the part that later almost wholly merged into the present island, with a ditch being the current boundary, having the same far eastern points as the Canvey Point and Leighbeck Point marshes. Two Tree Island to the north is also recognisable, if halved in length. The third eastern island or mudflat could well be

3672-465: The 12th century, Essex and subsequently Canvey were in the possession of Henry de Essex who inherited the land from his grandfather, Swein, son of Robert fitz Wymarch. During the reign of Henry II (1154–1189) the land was confiscated from de Essex and redistributed among the King's favoured nobles. Shown on John Norden's 1594 map with the second word insula (with the traditional medial "ſ" ), facing

3780-404: The 1966 pilot scheme on Canvey to convert all domestic, commercial and industrial to natural gas. The conversion programme was extended across Britain over the period 1967–77. The technical transformation of gas manufacture and processing resulted in a significant reduction in the number of board employees, from about 25,000 in the 1950s to 8,000 in 1988. The financial turnover (in £ million) of

3888-417: The 20th century have produced a marked contrast between the environments in the east and west of the island. The eastern half of the island is allocated to residential areas, the main public amenities and a small holiday camp and seafront, while the western half of the island is mainly farmland, marshes and industrial areas. The marshes in the west include the 30 hectares known as West Canvey marshes, acquired by

3996-550: The 5th century saw the introduction of sheep farming, which would dominate the island's industry until the 20th century. After the Norman conquest the area of Canvey was recorded in the Domesday Book as a sheep-farming pasture under the control of nine parishes across south inland and coastal Essex; some of these parishes were on the adjacent mainland, but others were as far afield as Laindon and Prittlewell . Apart from

4104-549: The Black Monday floods, when an entrepreneur called Frederick Hester bought Leigh Beck Farm, and started what was to be called Southview Park estate. The properties sold very quickly so Frederick bought more plots of land, selling them as dream homes for London's Eastenders. Hester wanted to create Canvey as a great seaside resort for Londoners, and so built the first promenade, a pier and a magnificent winter garden and palace, which he planned to cover six miles (but only covered

4212-758: The Counus (i.e. " council ") Island, where the Trinovantes, Cantiaci and the Catuvellauni counselled with the Iceni, shortly before staging Boudicca 's rebellion against the Romans. If so, Counus occupied an area from the Canvey Point Sand Bank until just before Shoeburyness , the eastern point of the relatively straight estuary stretched the whole length of Southend on Sea , giving a reason for

4320-550: The EBRD. These projects demonstrate how the introduction of modern technologies can improve the efficiency, reliability and environmental friendliness of heating, water supply and sewerage systems. Upgrading infrastructure is not just a matter of convenience. It is of vital importance for public health, environmental protection and ensuring the sustainable development of the economy of Kazakhstan. In most cases, public utilities in Kazakhstan are state-owned, which means that their activities are directly regulated by akimats. This creates

4428-514: The Gas Act 1948 established consultative councils for each area board. They were charged with considering any matter affecting the supply of gas in the area; and of considering and reporting to the area board any such matter. Each council had between 20 and 30 members. Some members were appointed as representatives of local authorities and some as representatives of commerce, industry, labour and other interests. The North Thames Gas Consultative Council

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4536-612: The Gas Council, then designed and built a full-scale methane terminal on Canvey capable of processing 700,000 tons per year of natural gas from Algeria, commissioned in 1964. The national transportation and distribution pipeline from Canvey formed the backbone of the National Transmission System for transporting North Sea gas after it was first landed in Yorkshire in 1967. The board was also responsible for

4644-459: The Gunny by locals, was designated a scheduled monument in January 2001. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records four civilian residents of Canvey Island Urban District died as a result of enemy action during the war. On 1 February 1953, the infamous North Sea Flood hit the island during the night and caused the deaths of 58 people. Many of the victims were in the holiday bungalows of

4752-534: The HSE concluded that the residents of the island faced a risk more than five times higher than those in neighbouring South Benfleet. On 27 July 1978 Castle Point District Council asked the Secretary of State "to revoke the planning permission granted to United Refineries Ltd in accordance with his Inspector's recommendation at the exploratory inquiry in 1975". The issue of risk was again highlighted in an attack by

4860-541: The Island Yacht Club, who have since demolished it as it was considered dangerous. Along with the Coalhouse Fort at nearby East Tilbury , Thorney Bay on the southern coast of the island was the site of a degaussing station built to monitor the effectiveness of the equipment on board the allied ships passing along the Thames . The structure is the last intact degaussing station on the north side of

4968-535: The North Thames Gas Board in 1949 still used this method. In addition water gas was produced by passing steam through white-hot coke. During the 1950s the price of coal, a major feed-stock for gas-making, rose considerably doubling from 64s.3 d . (£3.21) per ton in 1950 to 123s.11 d . (£6.20) per ton in 1959. The board had to increase its domestic gas price from 1s 4 d . per therm in 1951 to 2s 1.85 d . per therm in 1957, an increase of 62%. In contrast

5076-553: The Preventive Service; there being a station on the island for nine men, an officer and a chief boatman." The Preventive Men had their own special row of cottages close to the seafront near the old Lobster Smack Inn. That ancient pub was itself described by Charles Dickens in Great Expectations . So out of the way (and therefore the haunt of smugglers) was the inn behind the sea wall, in the 18th century it

5184-648: The Secretaries of State for the Environment and Employment asked the Health and Safety Commission to investigate the risks to health and safety of various installations on Canvey and the neighbouring part of Thurrock. The Commission invited the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to carry out an investigation. From the Canvey Report (1978) the following hazardous installations were identified: In 1978

5292-497: The U.S. holds that rates paid by a utility's customers should be set at a level which assures that the utility can provide reliable service at reasonable cost. Over the years, various changes have dramatically re-shaped the mission and focus of many public utility commissions. Their focus has typically shifted from the up-front regulation of rates and services to the oversight of competitive marketplaces and enforcement of regulatory compliance. Canvey Island Canvey Island

5400-634: The UK, including the Shrill carder bee , the Beewolf wasp and the Bombardier beetle . It has been said that the site may have one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Western Europe . Other areas of natural interest include the 20 acres (8 ha) of Canvey Lake Local Nature Reserve owned by Castle Point Borough Council. The lake was used for salt-making during the Roman settlement of

5508-524: The United States was a grist mill erected on Mother Brook in Dedham, Massachusetts , in 1640. In the U.S., public utilities provide services at the consumer level, be it residential, commercial, or industrial consumer. Utilities, merchant power producers and very large consumers buy and sell bulk electricity at the wholesale level through a network of regional transmission organizations (RTO) and independent system operators (ISO) within one of three grids,

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5616-442: The arrival of natural gas enabled the board to offer attractive rates to industrial consumers. The growth in gas consumption and the number of customers over the period 1950-1971 is shown in the following tables. In 1972 with the programme of natural gas conversion 58% complete, the board operated only six gas works: Beckton, Bromley, Fulham, Romford, Slough and Southall, and 34 gas holders (gasometers). The total send-out of gas for

5724-577: The board between 1962 and 1971 was: In 1967 the board experienced the worst deficit in its history (£3.35 million). The war in the Middle East resulted in the closure of the Suez Canal , a 50 per cent increase in oil prices, and stoppage of gas import from Algeria. The board's revenue account was in deficit by £4.3 million and there was a drive to cut costs and improve efficiency. Central heating boilers and space heaters were promoted vigorously, and

5832-521: The board took over twelve local authority and privately owned gas production and supply utilities: These organisations operated 26 gas-making stations ranging in capacity from the large Beckton Gas Works (119.12 million cubic feet or 3.373 million cubic metres of gas per day) to the smallest at Amersham (90,000 cubic feet or 2,500 cubic metres of gas per day). The works had a total annual output capacity of 69.731 billion cubic feet (1.9746 billion cubic metres) of gas. The board inherited

5940-936: The commercial activities related to associated electric, natural gas , telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and/or passenger transportation companies. For example, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas regulate the utility companies in California and Texas, respectively, on behalf of their citizens and ratepayers (customers). These public utility commissions (PUCs) are typically composed of commissioners, who are appointed by their respective governors, and dedicated staff that implement and enforce rules and regulations, approve or deny rate increases, and monitor/report on relevant activities. Ratemaking practice in

6048-498: The company must offer higher yields to attract bond investors , driving up the utility's interest expenses. If the company's debt load and interest expense becomes too large, its credit rating will deteriorate, further increasing the cost of capital and potentially limiting access to the capital markets. Public utilities in Kazakhstan include heating, water supply, sewerage, electricity and communications systems. A report by

6156-704: The cost of adding another customer is small, and duplication of facilities would be wasteful. As a result, utilities were either government monopolies, or if investor-owned, regulated by a public utilities commission . In the electric utility industry, the monopoly approach began to change in the 1990s. In 1996, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued its Order No. 888 , which mandated that electric utilities open access to their transmission systems to enhance competition and "functionally unbundle" their transmission service from their other operations. The order also promoted

6264-656: The discovery of oil and gas in North Sea limited further British development. Canvey continued to receive 50 shipments of LNG per year from Arzew Algeria in the Methane Princess and the Methane Progress , until about 1982, British Gas closed the site in 1994. In 1964 the Italian company Agip Ltd were given an industrial development certificate to build a £15 million oil refinery in the north west of

6372-624: The domestic price for electricity rose by only 22% in the 1950s and domestic oil prices increased by only 12%. The board found it difficult to further penetrate the domestic and commercial space heating, central heating and other markets. The board instigated new more efficient and cost-effective processes for gas-making including a ‘Gas Integrale’ plant at Kensal Green in 1955, and a plant using low-grade coal at Bromley in 1960. The board also developed process for reforming oil to produce gas including plants at Southall and Romford and butane/air plants at Beckton, Bromley and Fulham. These new processes shifted

6480-560: The eastern Newlands estate and perished as the water reached ceiling level. The small village area of the island is approximately two feet (60 cm) above sea level and consequently escaped the effects of the flood. This included the Red Cow pub, which was later renamed the King Canute in reference to the legend of the 11th-century Danish king of England commanding the tide to halt with the sea lapping at his feet. The King Canute pub

6588-418: The entire city. Cooperative utilities are owned by the customers they serve. They are usually found in rural areas. Publicly owned utilities are non-profit. Private utilities, also called investor-owned utilities , are owned by investors , and operate for profit, often referred to as a rate of return . A public utilities commission is a governmental agency in a particular jurisdiction that regulates

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6696-416: The essential services they provide. In recent decades several high-profile utility company bankruptcies have challenged this perception. Public utilities were historically regarded as natural monopolies because the infrastructure required to produce and deliver a product such as electricity or water is very expensive to build and maintain. Once assets such as power plants or transmission lines are in place,

6804-479: The first attempts were made at managing the effects of the sea with rudimentary defences, but periodical flooding continued to blight the small population of mostly shepherds and their fat-tailed variety of sheep for a further 300 years. William Camden wrote of the island in 1607 that it was so low that it was often quite flooded, except the hills, upon which the sheep had a place of safe refuge. The uniform flatness of Canvey suggests that these hills are likely to be

6912-477: The first construction of an oil terminal there in 1936. In 1959, as part of a pioneering Anglo-American project designed to assess the viability of transporting liquefied natural gas overseas, a gas terminal with two 1000-tonne storage tanks was constructed at the site alongside the oil terminal. The gas terminal built by the British Gas Council was designed to store and distribute imported gas to

7020-428: The first settlement of Canvey occurred between AD 50 and 250. The remains point to a community existing with a farmstead, a garrison, a burial ground, and the operation of a large salt-making industry (revealed by the existence of several red hills ). The discovery of a Roman road found to terminate 109 yards (100 m) across the creek in neighbouring Benfleet suggests a means may have existed to facilitate

7128-443: The former British Gas site. The site imports, stores, bottles and exports liquified petroleum gases (LPG), propane and butane. There were plans in 2005–7 to convert the plant back to the import of liquified natural gas (LNG) but the planning application was rejected. Oikos Storage Limited now operate the former London & Coastal Wharves Ltd. The site offers a bulk liquid storage facility for refined petroleum products. Neither of

7236-522: The framework of this system can demonstrate high efficiency in the use of labor resources and management costs. Residents of Kazakhstan receive water, sewerage and heating from companies recognized by the state as natural monopolies. This means that there is no competition in these areas, and tariffs are set by a special state body – the Committee for Regulation of Natural Monopolies, Competition and Consumer Protection (CRNM and CP). In order to ensure

7344-507: The government. There are many different types of public utilities. Some, especially large companies , offer multiple products, such as electricity and natural gas. Other companies specialize in one specific product, such as water. Modern public utilities may also be partially (or completely) sourced from clean and renewable energy in order to produce sustainable electricity. Of these, wind turbines and solar panels are those used most frequently. Whether broadband internet access should be

7452-618: The highest vote share of the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election tied with Boston and Skegness . Canvey Island has been dubbed the "most Tory place in Britain" by The Economist . Excavations on Canvey have unearthed a collection of early man-made objects comprising axes from the Neolithic era, a bracelet dating from the Bronze Age , and Iron Age pottery. However, the remains of Roman structures and objects suggests

7560-523: The influence of the early Saxon culture. Historian Ian Yearsley states that the name of the island is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Caningaege , meaning "the Island of Cana's People". Developments in the English language yielded the more familiar form Caneveye found in manorial records of 1254. The period of transition from Old to Early Middle English often give rise to confusions of orthography , leading, in this instance, to such variant spellings as Canefe , Kaneweye , Kaneveye and Koneveye . By

7668-445: The infrastructure, e.g. power plants, telephone lines and water treatment facilities. However, over the past several decades, traditional public utilities' monopoly position has eroded. For instance, wholesale electricity generation markets, electric transmission networks, electricity retailing and customer choice, telecommunications , some types of public transit and postal services have become competitive in some countries and

7776-417: The island in 1953 revealed that the alluvium rests upon layers of London Clay , Lower London Tertiaries, Chalk, Lower Greensand and Gault Clay , with the basement rocks at a depth of 1,300 feet (400 m) consisting of hard Old Red Sandstone of Devonian age. The island is extremely flat, lying 10 feet (3 m) below mean high water level and consequently is at risk of flooding. Before reclamation,

7884-578: The island, and is also thought to have functioned as an oyster bed. At the eastern point of the island is the 36-acre (150,000 m ) Canvey Heights Country Park which was reclaimed from the Newlands landfill site that operated there between 1954 and 1989. The park is the highest land on the island and thus has wide views across the creeks and marshes and along the Thames. The environment supports an array of birds including skylarks , dark-bellied brent geese and grey plover . Canvey Island coalesced into

7992-579: The island. The Chapman Lighthouse, briefly described in Joseph Conrad 's novel Heart of Darkness , was on the coast of Canvey Island. It is believed that the peril of the mudflats below such shallow waters off the Canvey Island coast prompted the Romans to devise some form of beacon as a warning in the area. In 1851 a hexagonal lighthouse was constructed by the engineer James Walker ,

8100-436: The island. The refinery was never built. In 1972 Occidental Petroleum began construction of an oil refinery . Access roads, about 20 oil-storage tanks, a river jetty and a concrete chimney were constructed, but work was halted in 1975 pending a major design study review following the oil crisis of 1973–4 and OPEC 's increase of oil prices. On 28 March 1973 planning permission was granted to United Refineries Ltd to develop

8208-476: The main length along the Thames faced with Kentish ragstone . A broad drainage ditch was dug inland off the area facing the river while smaller inlets were filled in. Excess water would have collected in the broad ditch and then been discharged into the river by the means of seven sluices (later known as Commissioners Dykes). The completion of the work saw a considerable number of the Dutch engineers take land as payment for their work, and consequently settle on

8316-453: The meat and wool produced from the sheep, the milk from the ewes was used for cheese-making. The abundance in later centuries would see the cheeses become a commodity taken for sale at the London markets, and at one stage exported via Calais to the continent. The existence of several place names on modern Canvey using the wick suffix (denoting the sheds in which the cheese was made) shows

8424-546: The monorail. Hester was declared bankrupt and everything was sold off at an auction held at Chimney's Farm. A new seafront was developed in the 1930s, with Canvey Casino – an amusement arcade and park – opening as the first building on what would become Eastern Esplanade. Since then further amusements, a cinema, the pioneering Labworth Cafe , the Monico pub and nightclubs such as the Goldmine were built. Canvey Island remained

8532-468: The previous day whilst Dibnah and his team were making the final preparations for the controlled demolition, fortunately without injury. The incident is described in detail in various biographies and by Dibnah himself in his public speaking events afterwards. Dibnah later presented Safeway head office staff with brass paperweights (made from material salvaged from the chimney) stamped "The Great Canvey Island Chimney Disaster 1997". Calor Gas Ltd now operate

8640-468: The production of gas away from coal carbonisation to gas/oil reforming. The board was also instrumental in the pioneering import of liquefied natural gas , which was first landed at a pilot plant built by North Thames Gas Board on Canvey Island in February 1959. The scheme was successful in supplying natural gas to other gas boards for use as a reformer feed-stock. The North Thames Gas Board, acting for

8748-427: The project. However, in the following years the disused and undisturbed site flourished as a haven for wildlife, and in 2003, the final storage tanks were removed in a clean-up operation, and the site was renamed as Canvey Wick and opened as a nature reserve. In September 1997, the celebrity steeplejack Fred Dibnah was hired by Safeway supermarkets to demolish the unused 450-foot (140 m) concrete chimney that

8856-416: The public utility market. The transmission lines used in the transportation of electricity , or natural gas pipelines , have natural monopoly characteristics. A monopoly can occur when it finds the best way to minimize its costs through economies of scale to the point where other companies cannot compete with it. For example, if many companies are already offering electricity, the additional installation of

8964-478: The refineries proposed in the 1970s were completed or commissioned. The Occidental site was demolished and the tanks removed, though the former river jetty is still extant, and was nominated for the Design Museum's "Lesser Known Architecture" display in 2013. Canvey Island lies off the south coast of Essex 30 miles (48 km) east of London , and 15 miles (24 km) west of Southend-on-Sea . The island

9072-502: The risk of public harm with mismanagement is considerably greater than with other goods. The principle of universality of utilities maintains that these services are best owned by, and operating for, the public. The government and the society itself would like to see these services being economically accessible to all or most of the population. Furthermore, other economic reasons based the idea: public services need huge investments in infrastructures , crucial for competitiveness but with

9180-590: The river, and was still operating in 1974. Known as the Canvey loop, the building was occupied by the Women's Royal Naval Service and used for monitoring merchant ships. The building has since been re-opened as a museum dubbed the "Bay Museum" and has First World War exhibits on the ground floor and Second World War exhibits on the first floor. An anti-aircraft battery was located at Little Gypps, called "TN7 Furtherwick" with had six gun emplacements. The site, known as

9288-417: The role of an independent system operator to manage power flow on the electric grid. Later, FERC Order No. 889 established an electronic information system called OASIS (open access same-time information system) which would give new users of transmission lines access to the same information available to the owner of the network. The result of these and other regulatory rulings was the eventual restructuring of

9396-560: The salt's distribution to Chelmsford and Colchester , and the recovery of rich items of pottery and glassware of a variety only matched elsewhere by excavations of port facilities suggests the Romans may also have exploited Canvey's location in the Thames for shipping. In 1607 the Elizabethan antiquarian William Camden noted in his work Britannia (a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland ) that Canvey Island (which he called Island Convennon )

9504-464: The sea wall development of the 1970s. Also, concrete barges were used extensively just off the south coast of the island, partly as a sea-barrier and also as a mounting point for anti-aircraft guns. A concrete barge which had been beached on the east end of the island, remaining for many years as a point of interest for visitors and a play area for many generations of the island's children, was however not part of these defences and had been brought there by

9612-405: The seawall at Dagenham , has led to speculation that Vermuyden oversaw the project, but proof appears to be vague; nevertheless, the work was completed by around 300 Dutch workers skilled in the construction of dykes and other sea defences. The engineers successfully reclaimed 3,600 acres (15 km ) by walling the island with local chalk , limestone and the heavy clay of the marshes, with

9720-411: The smooth operation of public utilities, the state also controls the investment programs of monopolistic companies. This is handled by the Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services. Such a system allows you to regulate prices for utilities and direct investments to infrastructure development. However, this system also has its disadvantages. For example, the lack of competition can lead to

9828-736: The state, private firms, and charities ran the traditional public utilities. For instance, the Sanitary Districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The term can refer to the set of services provided by various organizations that are used in everyday life by the public, such as: electricity generation , electricity retailing , electricity supplies, natural gas supplies, water supplies, sewage works , sewage systems and broadband internet services. They are regulated by Ofgem , Ofwat , Ofcom ,

9936-559: The surrounding area contained a number of islands separated by tidal creeks. Flood defences have been constructed since the Middle Ages, and the first sea wall to completely surround the island was built as part of the island's reclamation in 1622. The island suffered extensive flooding in 1731, 1736, 1791, 1881 and 1897, and substantial loss of life in the North Sea Flood of 1953 . The extensive sea wall, completed in 1982,

10044-429: The system are managed by a further five "low flow" pumping stations. The Environment Agency 's Thames Estuary 2100 flood defence plan includes Canvey Island as one site for alleviating the flood risks to London and the Thames estuary area. It is proposed that the western side of Canvey is developed as a site which is either temporarily flooded at times of risk, or transformed into a permanent wetland . Developments in

10152-523: The telephone service having been considered a public utility, the FCC made broadband internet access a public utility in the United States. Public utilities have historically been considered to be a natural monopoly . This school of thought holds that the most cost-efficient way of doing business is through a single firm because these are capital-intensive businesses with unusually large economies of scale and high fixed costs associated with building and operating

10260-456: The tidal flats along this shore being so shallow . Cana's People were descendants of both Cantiaci and the Catuvellauni. A boundary point, Counus, would then in tribal terms be placed at the southern border of the Trinovantes on the eastern extent of the loose tribes also seen as the Tames (Thames). During Edward II's reign (1307–1327) the land was under the possession of John de Apeton and

10368-518: The traditional monopoly-regulated regime to one in which all bulk power sellers could compete. A further step in industry restructuring, "customer choice", followed in some 19 states, giving retail electric customers the option to be served by non-utility retail power marketers. Public utilities can be privately owned or publicly owned . Publicly owned utilities include cooperative and municipal utilities. Municipal utilities may actually include territories outside of city limits or may not even serve

10476-557: The trend towards liberalization , deregulation and privatization of public utilities is growing. However, the infrastructure used to distribute most utility products and services has remained largely monopolistic. Key players in the public utility sector include: Public utilities must pursue the following objective given the social responsibility their services attribute to them: The management of public utilities continues to be important for local and general governments . By creating, expanding, and improving upon public utilities,

10584-443: The utility sector is often part of a long-term buy-and-hold strategy. Utilities require expensive critical infrastructure which needs regular maintenance and replacement. Consequently, the industry is capital intensive , requiring regular access to the capital markets for external financing. A utility's capital structure may have a significant debt component, which exposes the company to interest rate risk . Should rates rise,

10692-569: The whole of Britain via the facilities at Thames Haven and the local refinery at Shellhaven in Coryton . The first delivery of 2,020 tonnes arrived on 20 February 1959 from Lake Charles, Louisiana , by a specially modified liberty ship Normarti renamed the Methane Pioneer . The success of seven further deliveries over the following 14 months established the international industry for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) by sea, but

10800-427: The year was 1.028 billion therms (UK) (30,100 GWh) and the intake of natural gas was 939 million therms (UK) (27,500 GWh). Upon nationalisation the North Thames Gas Board's area was organised into the following districts and divisions: The North Thames Gas Board headquarters was located at 30 Kensington Church Street, London from 1949 until 1977. In 1977 the then regional North Thames headquarters

10908-639: Was a significant by-product of the gas-making process and sales of coke accounted for a fifth to a quarter of total revenue. In addition the board sold a range of other gas-making by-products such as tar, pitch, benzole, ammonia and other refined chemicals Although named North Thames, the gas board supplied gas to several areas south of the river Thames, including the Richmond, Morden, Chertsey, Ascot, Bracknell and Maidenhead areas. The North Thames Gas Board operated staff sports clubs, welfare and other leisure activities for employees, inherited from its predecessor

11016-480: Was based at 28 Charing Cross Road. It comprised a chairman, a deputy chairman, a secretary, 16 members representing local authorities, and 11 members representatives of commerce, industry, labour and other interests. The council met six times a year. There were four district committees which met quarterly: The Gas Act 1972 created a single statutory authority the British Gas Corporation from 1 January 1973. The North Thames Gas Board ceased to exist and North Thames became

11124-612: Was closed in May 2014. In 2016 a scheme to convert the building into retail space and apartments was proposed. After the flooding of 1953, a new seawall was built, which was then replaced with a significantly larger construction in the 1970s and 1980s, which was formerly opened by Princess Margaret in April 1984. The southern area of the Canvey Island West ward at Hole Haven has predominantly existed as petrochemical site since

11232-741: Was documented in the 2nd century by the Alexandrian geographer Ptolemy . In his work Geographia , Ptolemy mentions a headland in the mouth of the Thames to the east of the Trinovantes region called Counus Island . However, the difficulties faced in determining the location of land areas in Ptolemy's ancient work have led modern researchers to question the correlation between Ptolemy's island and contemporary Canvey. MacBean and Johnson, 18th-century historians, contend that Counus Island would have existed much further out to sea (or may even have been

11340-653: Was established on 1 May 1949 under the Gas Act 1948 which nationalised the gas industry. The board was responsible to the Minister of Fuel and Power , later the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, for its operation and finances. The board was dissolved on 31 December 1972 when the North Thames area became a region of the British Gas Corporation under the Gas Act 1972 . Upon nationalisation

11448-459: Was known as 'The World's End'. In the 19th century, the isolation made it an ideal point for the meetings of pugilists. The row of Preventive Men's Cottages has survived against the odds. Today they are surrounded by a small housing estate. During the Victorian era Canvey became a very fashionable place to visit, and its air was promoted as having healing properties. This started in 1899, after

11556-423: Was part of the abandoned oil refinery. Safeway had planned for the 2,500-ton chimney to be demolished on 18 September in front of a large crowd of invited guests. This would have been the first time Dibnah's demolition technique of pit props and fire (without explosives) had been attempted on a concrete chimney and it was also the tallest chimney he had ever attempted to fell. However the chimney unexpectedly collapsed

11664-491: Was relocated to London Road, Staines-upon-Thames , where the overall control room for the pipe network was located, with sub-control rooms located in Slough and Romford . The nine storey headquarters building, North Thames House, had originally been built for Ready Mixed Concrete for their headquarters but the company had been hit by the recession of the mid-1970s and sold the building. It has since been demolished. Section 9 of

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