With Construction News revealing this week that work at Hinkley Point C will boost the South West construction market by £500m over the next two years, we are delighted to announce that David Sutton, Delivery Director at EDF, will be discussing the economic value of Hinkley Point C at the
Predicting the energy future Anyone who predicts the future risks winding up with egg on their face. This is as true in energy as anything else – just look at how the rapid roll-out of renewables caught everyone by surprise. As such, the best tactic is often to avoid predicting
Hartlepool-based Stadium Group plc, a supplier of wireless solutions, power supplies and electronic assemblies, has acquired Essex-based Cable Power Ltd for a fee of £750k. For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Colchester manufacturer and distributor of bespoke cable and power products recorded sales of circa £0.7m and profit
A £1.2bn Cardiff city region infrastructure improvements deal has been given a boost after local council leaders backed the plans. Ten local authorities backed a report outlining a future economic strategy for south-east Wales. Recommendations in the report included more collaboration between local councils to support public and private investment
With the completion of a green energy generating hydro screw in Sonning, Berkshire, Pridewater Estates Ltd will become the UK’s first completely carbon neutral marina and caravan site organisation. Pridewater Estates Ltd owns and operates four canal marinas and caravan sites which are spread across the UK from near to
Servelec, the Sheffield-based technology and software group, has won a contract by a UK gas supplier to provide a remote operations solution for a gas platform in the North Sea. The group will achieve this by deploying a specially developed Servelec Controls system. Work has now started on the project
Civil engineering business Moulding Contracts Limited is set to cut the jobs of 90 workers after being placed into administration by the High Court. A process to secure a buyer and additional funding for the £18m-turnover firm were unsuccessful. Diane Hill and Mark Getliffe of business advisory firm CLB Coopers
Romsey based consulting civil and structural engineering company WFBA is continuing to introduce additional members of staff to their expanding team. Harry Hunter graduated from Plymouth University in 2014 and since then has been working within the infrastructure team for a practice based in Exeter. Harry has relocated to Hampshire
Sellafield Ltd has awarded the Morgan Sindall and Arup joint venture an extension of the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA) contract for a further five years. The ISA is one of a number of long-term strategic supply agreements aligned to the Sellafield Ltd acquisition strategy. Awarded to Morgan Sindall and Arup
The preferred contractor teams have been named by London Underground for the £350 million Future Stations’ Civils and Tunnelling Works framework. Joint ventures between Taylor Woodrow/Bam Nuttall and Morgan Sindall/BeMo have secured places on all three lots covering tunnelling, civils and combines civils and tunnelling. Hochtief also won a contract
With Construction News revealing this week that work at Hinkley Point C will boost the South West construction market by £500m over the next two years, we are delighted to announce that David Sutton, Delivery Director at EDF, will be discussing the economic value of Hinkley Point C at the South West Construction Summit on the 09 June at Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol. The Somerset site will help the South West to become the UK’s fastest-growing region in terms of construction activity in 2018, with output set to grow by 2 per cent in 2017 and 1.3 per cent in 2018, according to forecasts. Hewes & Associates predicts that work at Hinkley will add between £400m and £500m to industry activity in the region during 2017 and 2018. The predictions indicate that the South West will make up 7.4 per cent of the UK’s total construction output by 2018 – up from 6.9 per cent in 2016 and therefore the South West Construction Summit is your opportunity to hear from a representative of EDF who is directly involved with the Hinkley Point C project and the Q&A session will provide answers to your questions about the development. The South West Construction Summit will explore ways to address the obstacles that potentially impact the future success of the UK construction industry, whilst focusing on three intrinsically linked key themes: Skills and Image, Productivity and Sustainability – delivered by 12 leading construction exponents in the region. The Summit will highlight how the industry can approach and resolve these pressing issues through the experience and learnings from the prominent speaker line-up. Speakers include: Mike Borkowski – Southern Construction Framework Alexis Field – Highways England Nathan Waller – Natwest Bank John Boughton – Willmott Dixon Emma Osmundsen – Exeter City Council David Sutton – EDF Energy Councillor Paul Smith – Bristol City Council Leif Tarry – CITB A full Speaker Programme is available to download from: www.constructingexcellencesw.org.uk/summit By facilitating knowledge exchange and networking with influential regional construction leaders, the Summit provides a platform to identify improvements throughout the South West construction industry, whilst also creating an opportunity to acquire crucial information from industry experts on how they have overcome key issues, through process, product innovation and enhancing perceptions. Entry into the South West Construction Summit costs just £95+VAT and includes; parking, lunch and refreshments throughout. For more information, or to book your place, visit: www.constructionsummitsw.co.uk The South West Construction Summit is followed on the same day by the South West Built Environment Awards – celebrating the best projects, people and products in the South West region. Submitting an awards entry is FREE and can be done online via: www.constructingexcellencesw.org.uk/presentations/awards For help in getting involved in either event please call 01743 290001
Predicting the energy future Anyone who predicts the future risks winding up with egg on their face. This is as true in energy as anything else – just look at how the rapid roll-out of renewables caught everyone by surprise. As such, the best tactic is often to avoid predicting at all, or take a conservatively pessimist line. For medium sized UK businesses, that’s often grim resignation to ever-increasing energy prices eating away at the bottom line. I’ll stick my neck out though and say this: the energy future for UK business could actually be very bright indeed. Medium sized UK business – vital to the economy but more exposed than the big multinationals – can vastly reduce the impact of energy costs and insulate themselves against the risks inherent in energy price shocks. All it takes is to take three words to heart: reduce, generate, store. Reduce Reducing energy use should be the first priority for any business. No Kw is greener or cheaper than the one unused. Investments such as LED lighting, efficient boilers and variable speed drives can save huge amounts of money and energy. Back when it was known as DECC, the department estimated 18-25% energy savings were possible for SMEs with an average payback period of less than 1.5 years. Generate But efficiency only takes you so far. Companies can take matters into their own hands by using on-site generation to partially cover their energy needs, reducing the amount needed to be purchased. This could be diesel generators, but is increasingly including clean power sources such as solar, wind or combined heat and power biomass systems. For now, this is the domain of the most forward-thinking companies, but solar PV costs have declined so rapidly in recent years that it will be a feasible and attractive option for many businesses. Some might protest that the roll-back of subsidies such as the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme undermine this. But that’s a setback that should quickly be overcome as panels get cheaper and finance gets smarter. Store The real game changer though, has been the advent of storage. In 2016, we’ve seen commercial and domestic storage make huge strides. Look at Tesla’s Powerwall or AES Storage’s commercial-scale project in Kilroot. As with solar, battery prices are falling and companies are scrambling to develop and commercialise different business models. Storage is the missing piece of the puzzle for UK businesses. You can reduce energy usage and create your own but there will be excess energy because of the intermittency of renewables. Storage can hold that otherwise wasted energy and discharge it when required. The energy future for medium sized UK businesses is one that includes energy reduction, generation and storage. By diligently taking advantage of available tax incentives such as Enhanced Capital Allowances and Annual Investment Allowances, combined with intelligent financing designed to deliver savings greater than repayments, it’s possible for UK businesses to begin that transition now. Doing so means lower costs, greater resiliency and a future-proofed business. That’s my prediction.
Hartlepool-based Stadium Group plc, a supplier of wireless solutions, power supplies and electronic assemblies, has acquired Essex-based Cable Power Ltd for a fee of £750k. For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Colchester manufacturer and distributor of bespoke cable and power products recorded sales of circa £0.7m and profit before interest and tax of circa £0.1m. Cable Power’s customers include RS Components, Rapid Electronics, Farnell, CPC and Raspberry Pi, with whom it has exclusivity for several accessories, including HDMI cables, power connectors and other accessory bundles. The business will join Stadium’s Power division, Stadium Stontronics, which announced in March 2016 that it had become the only approved external power supply manufacturer for the Raspberry Pi 3. Charlie Peppiatt, Chief Executive Officer, explained: “The acquisition of Cable Power brings complementary bolt-on products to our portfolio that enhance our overall offering, primarily in the power products space. “There is a great deal of synergy between the product ranges of our power division, Stadium Stontronics, and Cable Power, and we already work closely with many of the same customers. “Bringing together the expertise of Cable Power and Stontronics places Stadium in a unique position to offer a highly compelling exclusively approved ‘one-stop-shop’ solution for the Single Board Computer sector.“ Stadium Group preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2016 will be announced on Tuesday, 14 March 2017. Interested in this topic? Read more at BDaily.
A £1.2bn Cardiff city region infrastructure improvements deal has been given a boost after local council leaders backed the plans. Ten local authorities backed a report outlining a future economic strategy for south-east Wales. Recommendations in the report included more collaboration between local councils to support public and private investment in infrastructure and to develop housebuilding and regeneration plans around the region. The £1.2bn investment fund includes £325m committed to the Valley Lines Electrification programme and more than £400m allocated to the south-east Wales Metro scheme. Some £50m will be invested in constructing a new technology centre and the Welsh Government will work in partnership with local authorities in the region to regenerate the area. The Cardiff city region deal is expected to create a further £4bn of private investment in the region. City of Cardiff Council leader Phil Bale said: “The leaders welcome the commission’s report, and work has now begun to include recommendations […] within the CCR city deal implementation plan, which will be considered by all the councils concerned in the near future.” Both the UK and Welsh Government will contribute £500m to the city region deal, with the 10 local authorities in the Cardiff Capital Region contributing a minimum of £120m over the 20-year period of the fund. The government recommitted to implementing the Cardiff city region deal in last year’s Autumn Statement. Chancellor Philip Hammond said the agreement “remains at the heart” of the government’s strategy to develop local regions. Interested in this article? Read more at Construction News.
With the completion of a green energy generating hydro screw in Sonning, Berkshire, Pridewater Estates Ltd will become the UK’s first completely carbon neutral marina and caravan site organisation. Pridewater Estates Ltd owns and operates four canal marinas and caravan sites which are spread across the UK from near to Leighton Buzzard in the south, to New Mills in Derbyshire’s High Peak, with another near Lichfield, and one on the outskirts of Tamworth. The combined berthing capability of these marinas sits currently at over 300 boats and such facilities has meant the energy required to run all four marinas each year was significant – an output to the environment which Pridewater Estates has always worked to minimise. Ever aware of their carbon footprint, Pridewater Estates already make use of solar panels where possible at their marina locations however were looking to see how far they could go to cancel out their environmental impact completely. The answer came in the form of a highly efficient hydroelectric scheme – an Archimedes screw. An Archimedes screw is an energy generator which works by water falling naturally over a cascade, rotating the screw, which moves a turbine and generates electricity. While not feasible to install a hydro screw at each marina location, the idea came to build one screw which would produce enough energy to not only offset all four marinas at once but also provide a surplus which could be fed back into the National Grid. To this end, Pridewater Estates acquired a site to construct the green energy hydro screw in the beautiful Thames-side town of Sonning, Berkshire. The design and build was conducted by experienced civil engineering contractors Greenford Ltd who have been responsible for several other notable Archimedes screw projects including Blenheim Palace and the listed Mapledurham Watermill. THE STATS; The Sonning hydro site houses a 99kw generator driven by a 25 tonne Archimedes screw The screw is 4.2 metres in diameter, with a flow rate of 8,000 litres per second – sufficient to fill approximately 275 Olympic sized swimming pools every day! This site now has the capacity to generate enough power to supply approx. 2,000kwh every 24 hours – this is equivalent to offsetting approximately 150 average sized UK houses a year* The screw is set to produce approximately 730,000kwh per year – almost double the 440,000kwh per annum used by all four Pridewater Estate marina and caravan sites combined! The site also provides other ecological benefits including a fish pass which allows the continued safe passage of fish and other native fauna Robert Hutton, co-owner of Pridewater Estates Ltd, said, “Reviewing the ever increasing electricity running costs at our four marinas, coupled with an unexpected opportunity to acquire a suitable site on the Thames, led us to the decision to make this significant investment. We believe Pridewater Estates will be the first carbon neutral canal marina and caravan site operator in Great Britain and we will be able to play our own small part in tackling global warming and promoting green solutions to power generation. Thrilled to be an industry sustainability pioneer Another benefit of this initiative is to be able to provide marina and caravan sites for our customers to enjoy knowing we are a part of Britain’s incredible environmental landscape while minimising the mark made on it. Pridewater Estates are thrilled to be an industry sustainability pioneer and to operate 100% carbon neutral marinas.” To find out more about this green energy sustainability initiative and to view their marina locations please visit the Pridewater Estates Ltd website www.canalmarinas.com
Servelec, the Sheffield-based technology and software group, has won a contract by a UK gas supplier to provide a remote operations solution for a gas platform in the North Sea. The group will achieve this by deploying a specially developed Servelec Controls system. Work has now started on the project and is expected to contribute towards revenues in the current financial year. Following installation on the first platform by May 2017, there are options to extend the system to cover additional platforms. Alan Stubbs, chief executive officer of Servelec Group, said: “As a business focused on helping our customers to reduce their Opex whilst extending the life of ageing assets, we are proud to be working with our customer on this game-changing project. “The remote operations and monitoring system provided by Servelec will extend the operational life and viability of the platform for years to come. “This project marks a significant achievement for Servelec and further strengthens the Group’s position with regards to winning additional contracts on this customer’s other assets as well as with other OEMs; many of whom we are already in discussion with about future opportunities.” Article taken from https://bdaily.co.uk/industrials/21-12-2016/sheffield-tech-group-servelec-wins-contract-with-major-uk-gas-supplier/
Civil engineering business Moulding Contracts Limited is set to cut the jobs of 90 workers after being placed into administration by the High Court. A process to secure a buyer and additional funding for the £18m-turnover firm were unsuccessful. Diane Hill and Mark Getliffe of business advisory firm CLB Coopers in Manchester have been appointed as joint administrators for Moulding Contracts, which operated from from bases in Greater Manchester, Oxfordshire and County Durham. Mark said: “Moulding Contracts will complete some specific contracts but there is no prospect of it continuing to trade as a going concern. “The workforce was already in a redundancy consultation.“ Speaking further, he said there is “every prospect of creditors being paid a distribution”, adding: “The expectation is that we will be able to distribute funds back to creditors in 2017. “A plan has been agreed to effect this and creditors will be consulted early in the New Year.“ Founded in 1950 as a family-run plant hire company in the North West, Moulding Contracts went on to become a major service provider for both the quarrying and brick making industries across the North and Midlands. In 1996, after a string of successful joint venture projects, Moulding Contracts merged with a North East-based regional landfill engineering business. Employees affected include site agents, site engineers, plant operators and groundworkers. CLB Coopers’ Mark Getliffe continued: “It’s unwelcome to see people lose their jobs at any time of year but there is a chronic shortage of these skills across civil engineering and construction, so it’s our hope and belief that the workforce will be able to find alternative employment.“ Article taken from https://bdaily.co.uk/industrials/21-12-2016/90-jobs-lost-as-civil-engineering-firm-moulding-contracts-enters-administration/
Romsey based consulting civil and structural engineering company WFBA is continuing to introduce additional members of staff to their expanding team. Harry Hunter graduated from Plymouth University in 2014 and since then has been working within the infrastructure team for a practice based in Exeter. Harry has relocated to Hampshire and to WFBA and is now working towards Chartered Accreditation with the Institute of Civil Engineering. His appointment at WFBA will strengthen our civil engineering team and our offering to existing and new clients. Two new team members are from the Hampshire region. After 8 years with Southampton based AKS Ward, Graham Machin joins as a Senior Structural Engineer engaged on a variety of projects including a new eleven storey hotel scheme design for Portsmouth. His ambition is to gain his Chartership within the next few years. Romsey’s Tom Marshall started with WFBA as a summer intern in 2015. Now having gained his Master of Science in Civil Engineering at Cardiff University, he has been appointed as a Graduate Structural Engineer and supports the established team that problem solves on a range of intricate and sometimes frustrating projects! Ongoing demand for our consultancy services. WFBA Director Nick Groves, who founded the company in 1995 with Managing Director Bill Brown said; “We are fortunate to be recommended by existing clients across a diverse range of market sectors which has contributed to the strong ongoing demand for our consultancy services. The scale of projects can vary from a £15,000 private home extension to a £30 million commercial development.” Anyone who joins the £1,000,000 turnover company will not only work with architects and developers within Hampshire, but on construction projects throughout the UK. These range from new Travelodge Hotels, retirement homes across the south for McCarthy and Stone, housing developments, complex refurbishments and one off prestige projects. Visit www.wfba.co.uk for information.
Sellafield Ltd has awarded the Morgan Sindall and Arup joint venture an extension of the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA) contract for a further five years. The ISA is one of a number of long-term strategic supply agreements aligned to the Sellafield Ltd acquisition strategy. Awarded to Morgan Sindall and Arup in a joint venture in 2012, the ISA is responsible for a £1.1 billion contract to provide essential infrastructure assets to the Sellafield site. This is the first renewal of a contract that has the potential for further extension periods, subject to performance, up to a total life of 15 years. The ISA contract provides Sellafield Ltd with the capability and capacity to deliver a growing programme of infrastructure projects required for an aging asset portfolio. The contract is primarily aimed at utility assets, such as the on-site provision and distribution of steam, electricity, water supply and compressed air, bulk chemical storage and distribution, civil infrastructure, the site’s drainage networks and other facilities including roads, bridges, car parks and general buildings (such as canteens and laundry facilities). It also includes some non-utility assets such as analytical services facilities, transport systems, flask maintenance plant and emergency management systems. Alongside the delivery of key infrastructure projects to the Sellafield site, the ISA contract has placed a great emphasis on socio-economic contributions across Cumbria. Throughout the duration of the contract, the ISA delivery partners have invested in local employment, skills development and apprenticeships. Currently over 12% of the ISA workforce are graduates, apprentices or trainees. Through the Creating Careers in Cumbria programme, the ISA delivery partners have given twenty previously unemployed local people the chance to gain full time employment. The programme focuses on providing work experience and employment skills for long-term unemployed local people. The scheme has an 80.5% success rate, which reflects the ISA delivery partners’ commitment to the people of Cumbria. Simon Smith, Morgan Sindall Arup joint venture board member said: “The extension of the ISA contract builds on our commitment to deliver the most complex and challenging infrastructure projects for our customer. The alliance is not only a key vehicle for delivering infrastructure improvements on site at Sellafield; it is also driving wider socio-economic benefit across Cumbria. Through a combination of our leading construction and innovative design knowledge, we will continue to develop a strong programme of work to tackle the unique challenges at Sellafield.”
The preferred contractor teams have been named by London Underground for the £350 million Future Stations’ Civils and Tunnelling Works framework. Joint ventures between Taylor Woodrow/Bam Nuttall and Morgan Sindall/BeMo have secured places on all three lots covering tunnelling, civils and combines civils and tunnelling. Hochtief also won a contract but only secured a place on the third combined civils and tunnelling lot with the other joint ventures. The eight year framework is part of the plan from London Underground to upgrade its stations, including Paddington, Elephant and Castle and Camden. Included in the work packages will be the construction of new ticket halls, station entrances and platforms including associated shaft works and tunnelling. Manging Director of Major Projects at Morgan Sindall, Paul Gott, commented: “Our joint venture has a strong working relationship having already worked together on a number of complex projects in the capital and we are looking forward to deploying this expertise on this framework.” The joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Taylor Woodrow Construction has a long track record having previously worked on the massive Tottenham Court Road and Victoria Tube station revamp revamps. Morgan Sindall and Austrian tunnelling specialist BeMo previously worked together with Balfour Beatty during the Whitechapel and London Liverpool Station phases of Crossrail. Last month, Morgan Sindall secured a £24 million contract to work on Southampton Ports. Port owner Associated British Ports commissioned two five-deck car storage facilities to enable the port to handle greater numbers of cars, which are shipped to meet overseas demand. Morgan Sindall’s appointment is a key element in ABP’s £50m investment to transform and expand vehicle handling facilities at Southampton. The scheme at Southampton’s Eastern and Western Docks will see the Morgan Sindall construct multi-level storage facilities, Deck 6 and Deck 7, with capacity for 8,670 car parking spaces for the port.
