David Blair, Energy Correspondent for the Financial Times, reports today that the moment that Npower and all of the UK’s “big six” utilities have been waiting for will finally arrive next Tuesday, when the government announces the most radical reform of Britain’s electricity market for two decades.

Chris Huhne, the energy secretary, will publish a white paper designed to give the utilities the incentives they need to invest £200bn on renewing Britain’s entire energy infrastructure over the next 10 years. This immense sum will be needed to replace lost generating capacity and reduce the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.