News in brief

There has been an almost four-fold increase in the number of combined heat and power (CHP)schemes in the USsince 1990, according to electricity regulator Stephen Littlechild. The opening up of the supply market will create even more opportunities for CHP, he told a recent government seminar. Meanwhile, the government has approved two new CHPschemes at British Steel's Port Talbot works, and Esso's Fawley refinery.

Y2K not OK, says DTI

Companies are still not taking the 'Year 2000 Problem' seriously enough, and ought to start taking action immediately, says industry minister Barbara Roche. A recent survey found that 45 per cent of companies have not completed a systems audit, and 57 per cent are not allocating any money in 1997/8 to resolving the problem. 'All companies whatever their size must realise that there is still a considerable amount to be done,' Roche commented.

Laporte soaks up changes

Laporte has decided to reorganise its European adsorbents business, pulling out of commodity products which are putting pressure on company margins. The businesses on the block are pet litter, which is suffering from rising raw material costs, and activated earths for edible oil clarification, whose raw materials are becoming scarce in the UK.

Glaxo sells Scottish plant

ChiRex, an American fine chemicals contract manufacturing company, has bought Glaxo Wellcome's intermediates facility in Annan, Scotland, for £40 million. The facility will continue to supply Glaxo Wellcome for five years. All of the plant's employees have been transferred to ChiRex.

HSE sues over starch explosion

The Health and Safety Executive is suing National Starch and Chemical over an explosion at its dextrine plant in Goole, Humberside, last September. The explosion was caused by a build-up of dust in a humidifier at the plant; the HSE charges that the company should have taken steps to ensure this would not happen.