SSE’s head of asset management and innovation has urged the networks to “overcome the commercial challenge of innovation” and make sure it becomes business as usual. Speaking at Utility Week’s Future Networks Conference in Birmingham, Stewart Reid said: “I think [with] a lot of this innovation it’s not the technical challenge that’s the big issue. It’s the term ‘business as usual’ and the commercial challenge.” “The technical bit is the easy bit,” he said. “And I get a wee bit frustrated that we dwell too much on the technical bit.” Energy Networks Association (ENA) head of engineering Kieran Coughlin agreed, saying when it comes to new developments such as demand side response “a lot of the technical challenges, whilst significant, are probably being addressed”. He said the bigger issue was creating markets and putting the right regulatory frameworks in place. Energy storage was highlighted as a key area where regulation and business models aren’t keeping pace with new developments. “Battery prices have halved in six years,” said National Grid’s director of system operation Phil Sheppard. “There clearly are some regulatory and commercial barriers to overcome,” he said. “There’s some legal clarification, where a lack of a proper definition for storage is causing uncertainty for investors.” Director of the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) Tim Rotheray said district heating faces similar issues as well: “We think there is a future for a regulated market, which enables peoples to invest in district in the same way that people are able to see other infrastructure investments.” “If you invest in networks now, you need to be able to look at the different network opportunities … by being able to compare different options”, he continued. “That probably means you need a regulated environment to de-risk investment.” Source link

Irish Water has announced the completion of a €24 million project to deliver new wastewater treatment plants to seven towns and villages across County Waterford, benefiting over 22,000 households. The areas, which include seaside towns with busy tourist trades and popular fishing locations, are Ardmore, Ballyduff, Kilmeaden, Cappoquin, Dunmore East, Kilmacthomas, Stradbally and Tallow. The investment will protect and improve water quality at receiving waters as well as facilitating future growth and economic development, and enabling the beach at Ardmore to achieve blue flag status. The new wastewater treatment plants will serve a future population equivalent of 22,700, facilitating ongoing population growth and economic development. All the plants have been developed on new sites with a common treatment plant serving the villages of Ballyduff and Kilmeaden. Irish Water prioritised the construction of wastewater treatment plants at Ardmore and Dunmore East as there was inadequate treatment of sewage at both locations, and work was complete last year, three months ahead of schedule. Work on the remaining five facilities has been complete and they are now all operational, with final testing complete. The new treatment plants have replaced old facilities which had the potential to cause issues with water quality in local rivers and at seaside locations. Provision has been made for future population growth and an increase in holiday homes in the area. Speaking at the official opening of the plant, Senator Paudie Coffey, said: “I am delighted to mark the official opening of seven new plants benefitting all those living in Ardmore, Cappoquin, Dunmore East, Kilmacthomas, Stradbally, Tallow, Ballyduff and Kilmeaden. This investment of €24 million is vital in ensuring we protect the receiving rivers and beaches which are so important to the vibrant tourism and fishing industry in County Waterford. Communities right across Waterford are today the beneficiaries of modern, new wastewater treatment facilities as a result of this investment that will provide for future growth and economic development.” Irish Water regional operations manager Katherine Walshe added: “The new water collection systems and treatment plants at these seven locations across Waterford are replacing old and inadequate wastewater treatment facilities which can create issues around water quality in local rivers and can also have a negative impact on tourism potential in these areas. As a result of new treatment plants at Ardmore and Dunmore East, we have been able to end the practice of the discharge of raw sewage at these locations, which has resulted in marked improvements in bathing water quality.” Thanking all those involved in delivering on the project, Waterford City & County Mayor Adam Wyse said: “This is one of the many investments Irish Water is making to improve the water and wastewater infrastructure in Ireland that is in need of critical investment. I would like to thank Waterford City & County Council, and in particular the joint contractors EPS and Sorenson for their support in delivering this project ahead of time and within budget. This has allowed us to develop a modern wastewater network capable of meeting all current and future needs of the community across Waterford County.” The project has been delivered in partnership with Waterford City & County Council and the works have been procured under a Design Build Operate (DBO) contract with the construction carried out by a joint venture between EPS and Sorensen Civil Engineering Ltd with engineering services provided by Mott McDonald Ireland. This article first appeared on wwtonline Source link

Barratt Developments, the UK’s largest housebuilder by output, has decided to put land-buying commitments on hold where possible and evaluate recent purchases following the Brexit vote. David Thomas, chief executive, said the group was reviewing decisions on land acquisitions made during April to June and would “defer land contracts where we can” until conditions become clearer. “The biggest decisions we make are about land expenditure and we expect to be very, very focused about every land decision,” he said. Barratt has doubled the number of homes it builds each year in the past five years, but the land review points to the potential for a more conservative approach after the EU referendum — although Mr Thomas said market conditions would become clearer in September, when it and rival housebuilders report results. The group said on Wednesday it was set to make record profits for the full year but saw its shares sink as investors received no guidance on post-referendum trading. Barratt expects to announce a 20 per cent jump in pre-tax profit to £680m for the year to the end of June, but declined to comment on trading levels since the June 23 vote to leave the EU, saying it was too soon to assess the market. The FTSE 100 group’s shares sank by more than 4 per cent in early trading before recovering to close down 1 per cent. They have shed more than 29 per cent of their value since the referendum. Analysts at Deutsche Bank said: “With uncertainty over the outlook for the UK and housebuilding post-Brexit we believe the market will be blinkered, focusing only on trading in the ‘new world’.” Brandon Lewis, housing minister, and Greg Clark, communities secretary, met with housebuilders on June 30 in the wake of the landmark vote to discuss any risks to construction in the light of the housing shortage. The sector has received extensive support through the government’s Help to Buy programme, which provides government-backed loans for first-time homebuyers so they can buy with smaller deposits. Mr Thomas said this would help to support housebuilders even if sentiment turns negative in the market for second-hand homes. Surveyors pointed to signs of a slowdown in the market for existing homes even before the vote. “[Help to Buy is] an incredible consumer offer that doesn’t exist in the second-hand market,” he said. Barratt increased forward sales by 18.7 per cent to £1.6bn during the 12 months to the end of June, and completed 5.3 per cent more homes, bringing the total to 17,319. Its average selling price rose 10.6 per cent to £260,000 during the year, while reservations per outlet per week were up 7.8 per cent to 0.69. Barratt would also keep a tight rein on capital expenditure, Mr Thomas added. The group ended the financial year with higher-than-expected net cash of £590m. Source link

A spokesperson for site owner RWE confirmed that Coleman & Company will be carrying out the recovery. Equipment and workers began arriving on site yesterday, amid criticism of the slow progress of the operation so far. Coleman & Company has previously said on its Facebook page that it is “ready to start once we are allowed to” and that the “decision is not down to us”. A joint statement from the Health and Safety Executive and Thames Valley Police said: “RWE has today presented a plan to the Health and Safety Executive and Thames Valley Police (TVP) to commence work on the collapsed debris, ready to recover the missing men. “Starting today, large equipment and people will be arriving on site to start work to enable the recovery operation to resume at the weekend, sooner if possible. “Progress with the plan over the coming days will be closely monitored by HSE and TVP. “Our priority remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families and to understand what caused this incident. “Specialist officers from Thames Valley Police continue to support the families and are providing them with regular updates on the progress of this work.” Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, were last week identified as the three missing men. The families of the men held a protest at the site on Sunday, criticising the rescue operation so far. Jade Ali, the partner of Mr Huxtable, said: ““All these meetings that they’re having, nothing’s coming out of them. We’re just getting kept in the dark. “It’s just disgusting, we need them out. They’ve given up hope on our men and we’re not going to give up hope.” Michael Collings, 53, from Cleveland, was found dead following the collapse. His funeral was held on Tuesday. Source link