On the 31 March the Sunday Times, Independent on Sunday and Scotsman previewed the launch of a “deep pocketed” “cross industry” new industry and consumer lobby group, apparently set to take on the government’s energy reforms and apply “logic and focus to a low-cost/low-carbon economy debate” through a national advertising and social media campaign.
An “internal memo” passed to Danny Fortson at the Sunday Times and repeated in the two other papers said the group’s ambition was to stop Britain “sleepwalking into blackouts, soaring energy bills and a desert of lost jobs”.
A week later the group launched with a Wordpress blog featuring a ‘countdown til the lights go out’ and another story by Mr Fortson but this time restricted to a somewhat minimal five pars.
“Its membership,” he admitted “is unclear, but it is thought to be funded by a group of businessmen.” There was no further reference to the depth, or otherwise, of the businessmen's pockets.
So who are our elusive business and consumer heroes?
Naturally we tried calling Powerline - but they don’t provide a number. So we DM’ed them and are waiting to hear back.
The Sunday Times story claims they're backed by the Major Energy Users Council. That backing, so far as can be told, extends as far as a not-very-specific quote on their website that “concrete action is overdue”. We’re waiting to hear back from them - but they’ve confirmed they did not set up the group.
The Sunday Times piece also says Powerline are due to publish a report by consultants AT Kearny.
Powerline's website carries a quote from the consultants saying “We recently completed a study into the Economic impact of UK energy policy. This has been an extremely insightful study and could provide context for the Powerline debate”.
It’s not at all clear if Powerline had anything to do with the commissioning of the study. So what happened to the other business and consumer groups that were lining up to come on board?
A ring-round by the ever intrepid Business Green, however, turned up not a single big industry or consumer player (think Energy Intensive Users Group, Consumer Focus etc) who had heard of Powerline.
On Friday, just prior to their big launch, a second article appeared in Business Green. A spokesperson, Phil Stephens, had surfaced to deny the group were ‘anti-renewables’. He described himself to Business Green as an ‘industry veteran’.
In an apparent bid to show the group was serious, he claimed they were working with a PR company, Vivid PR. Vivid subsequently denied working for the group, saying there had only been ‘discussions’ and indeed it’s hard to see the hand of a PR agency in the web address www.the-power-line.com.
When we spoke to Vivid today they confirmed they were not working for Powerline.
Things were further confused on Friday by the launch, reported in Utility Week, of a spoof company, with its own website and twitter account.
Undeterred, Phil Stephens re-surfaced on Sunday to formally launch the group. This time he was a “former British Energy commercial director” according to the Sunday Times who “has been appointed as the face of Powerline”.
But the story gets hazier still.
To start with the PR firm. Based in Leatherhead, Vivid PR has a very colourful website but its accounts – at least for 2011 – are mostly relatively inconsequential.
Even if things have improved since (and they boast some good clients) a business-to-business PR agency specialising in the Salon and Hair sector isn’t exactly where you would expect to encounter the representatives of a “deep pocketed” industry group.
So why were they talking? Vivid PR turns out to be registered at serviced offices “The Chapel of Ideas” in Leatherhead, the same address as a brand new energy company – Wastetofuel Ltd.
The company – around for all of 21 days – has two directors including a certain Mr Phil Stephens who serves as a consultant.
And Phil Stephens isn’t the only enterprising green businessmen in Leatherhead who goes by the name of Phil Stephens.
Another (or indeed the self-same) – Phillip Leonard Stephens – with the same date of birth as our Phil has been a director on no less than 9 companies - often again as a consultant.
Two of the three active directorships are registered to a residential address in Leatherhead.
This ‘seasoned industry veteran’ has helped run such firms as Fuel Perfector Ltd, Water Perfector Ltd, Keystone Power ltd and ‘Small science’.
He is also listed as former partner of multi-national business strategy consultants OC&C services LLP - albeit his position only lasted nine months according to company house filings.
It seems very likely this is the same Philip Stephens apparently appointed to ‘front’ Powerline. On its website the lobby group boasts.
“Philip has been responsible for significant business results at major organisations in the UK, North America, Europe and Asia Pacific working at partner and Associate level for global consulting practices including Andersen Consulting, OC&C Strategy Consultants, BDO Consulting and PA Consulting.”
Needless to say – at this stage- nothing much else makes sense either.
The desolate virtual space that is its twitter handle “@The_Power_Line” (as given to Business Green) is hardly the stuff of a “national social media campaign”, described in the original Sunday Times article.
The link to the long defunct British Energy is also unclear. Powerline’s website only says, “He (Philip) has worked for British Energy in a commercial role in trading and sales and in the power, gas and water markets at advisory and operational management levels".
What to make of all this? Thanks to Powerline’s own refusal to divulge its supporters, funding or members, it’s hard to come to any firm conclusions.
The Times was recently duped into a back page splash about a new super league in Qatar.
Could our deep pocketed friends perhaps be another example of journalists believing the facts they want to believe, rather than the somewhat more drab reality?
