Hyder negotiations go on

The battle for control of the troubled Welsh utility company Hyder PLC is continuing.

Executives of the American-owned group Western Power will appear before the National Assembly in an effort to allay fears that their bid will mean susbstantial job losses.

Western Power is fighting it out with the Japanese Bank Nomura for control of Hyder.

Nomura are promising not to break up the company - which employs 9,000 people worldwide - and are ruling out any significant redundancies.

That bid has already been cleared by both the Assembly and the UK governmment.

Rhodri Morgan wants reassurances over jobs

Western Power - whose bid is significantly higher than Nomura's - is now seeking the same clearance.

But the US company is understood to be proposing that Welsh Water should be run by Warrington-based United Utilities.

It has led to some concern that that could mean jobs being exported across the border.

There are also signs that the official regulators may block the Western bid.

Nomura is believed to be biding its time before increasing its original offer.