United Utilities (UU) has announced in its latest trading statement that it is continuing to accelerate its AMP6 capital investment programme this year. The accelerated programme will allow the firm to deliver operational benefits early customer service, enhancing asset resilience and optimising performance under its outcome delivery incentives (ODIs). Total
An energy expert told delegates at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that any potential gains from domestic demand side response (DSR) are “limited.” Domestic consumers are not able to shift their demand in the same way as industrial energy users and therefore the savings on offer are relatively small.
Morgan Sindall has been contracted by Heathrow Airport to carry out £7.3 million of refurbishment and improvement work to its stands, runways and infrastructure. Pre-contract enabling works have been carried out to make sure that there is no damage to underground services and the project team has already finished the
The Science and Technology Committee says that the government is “not being clear” on the benefits of smart meters. The Committee said that there are “too many objectives” for the rollout, which could hinder its implementation. The report stated that the government should be clearer about the main purpose of
A joint venture of Swedish giant Skanska with local companies Forest Traffic Services and RK Bell, the Somerset Infrastructure Alliance, has started work on delivering site infrastructure services for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project. Somerset Infrastructure Alliance will carry out fencing, signage, landscaping and site road maintenance, and
The latest report by Water UK has found that there is a significant and growing risk of severe drought impacts arising from population growth and climate change. The group believes that concerted action is now required to build resilience of supply as the first of its kind research modelled the
The final rails have now been laid for the new Metrolink line through the heart of Manchester, with the main construction works due to be complete by Christmas. Despite Manchester’s Victorian infrastructure presenting unforeseen challenges – including a collapsed Victorian sewer, and double the amount of anticipated exhumations after discovering
Union for energy workers, GMB, says that Jeremy Corbyn’s energy and environmental policy will not generate the power needed to heat homes, keep the lights on and the economy functioning. The Union was commenting on Corbyn’s energy and environment manifesto which was launched on September 7, outlining his target of
Balfour Beatty and Equitix have sealed the deal for the £162.9 million Humber Gateway offshore transmission project (OFTO). The high voltage electricity transmission link will connect Eon’s 219MW offshore wind farm in the North Sea, 8km from the East Yorkshire coast, to the onshore transmission grid. The 73 turbines have
The leading water treatment company in the UK, Siltbuster, has created and installed a processing plant in just seven days to help remove dissolved iron from groundwater as part of the £1 billion project commissioned by the National Grid and Scottish Power Transmission. The scheme to build the Western Link
United Utilities (UU) has announced in its latest trading statement that it is continuing to accelerate its AMP6 capital investment programme this year. The accelerated programme will allow the firm to deliver operational benefits early customer service, enhancing asset resilience and optimising performance under its outcome delivery incentives (ODIs). Total regulatory capital investment for 2016/17, including infrastructure renewals expenditure, is anticipated to be around £800 million, which is similar to last year. This continued high investment level will help UU to improve and maintain customer services, deliver more environmental benefits and provide a major contribution to the regional economy. The firm said it has seen continued strong performance in the areas of pollution incidents and private sewers. It added that the modernisation programme at its Davyhulme wastewater treatment works is also progressing well. UU said in a statement that its current trading is in line with group expectations for the six months ending September 30, 2016.It continued to deliver improvements in operational performance and customer service. Earlier in the year, UU attained ‘industry leading company’ status, as measured through the annual assessment of the Environment Agency, and earlier in the month it retained its Dow Jones Sustainability Index ‘World Class’ rating for the ninth year in succession. The firm said it was also encouraged by Ofwat’s 2016/17 first wave service incentive mechanism (SIM) qualitative score, which highlights more improvement in customer satisfaction in comparison with the previous year. The company said it will also continue to invest in its ‘systems thinking’ approach, which integrates the use of its assets, leverages data intelligence and employs new work processes and technology to support operational performance enhancement. It will roll out additional new capability later in the year, supporting its drive for more improvement. Group revenue is expected to be slightly lower than the first half of last year, reflecting the accounting impact of UU’s Water Plus business retail joint venture, which completed on June 1, partly offset by its allowed regulatory revenue changes.
An energy expert told delegates at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that any potential gains from domestic demand side response (DSR) are “limited.” Domestic consumers are not able to shift their demand in the same way as industrial energy users and therefore the savings on offer are relatively small. Richard Howard, Policy Exchange Head of Energy and Environment, said that their ability to actually shift their demand is not that good as most of the time in a household when you need energy, you need energy. He added: “There are a few things that you could shift; you could set your dishwasher to run at a different time and things like that, but you can’t set your lights to run at a different time because actually you need them to see.” Even when domestic customers are offered time of use tariffs and do their best to play around with their energy usage “over the whole year they might save £50”. “That’s not a level of saving a lot of households would find attractive for that amount of effort.” He said the “big opportunities” could instead be found in managing the demand of large industrial energy users. Lucy Symons, Head of Policy at Open Energi, said that they started out in fridges, so they started making fridges demand responsive, but they were making three pounds per fridge per year which is not a business case. Nevertheless, she said the economics had “gotten better” and that domestic demand management is still worth pursuing in the long run: “I think we can stagger this. We don’t have to take on this challenge immediately.” Last week the Science and Technology Committee called on the government to be clearer on the benefits its hopes to secure from the smart meter rollout. The government lists 11 different objectives for the project, including saving customers’ money on energy bills.
Morgan Sindall has been contracted by Heathrow Airport to carry out £7.3 million of refurbishment and improvement work to its stands, runways and infrastructure. Pre-contract enabling works have been carried out to make sure that there is no damage to underground services and the project team has already finished the first phase of the scheme, which involved resurfacing the T5 end of the southern runway. The runway was resurfaced with a new polymer modified bitumen (PMB) asphalt, designed to use specifically in airports because of its high levels of strength and crack resistance. The next stage of the project will involve working directly in front of the British Airways Engineering line maintenance base to replace underground stone water-drainage pipes. The site team will work through the night and has constructed a purpose-built route to allow aircraft to reach the base, therefore minimising disruption to one of the busiest areas of the airport. Morgan Sindall is one of four contractors on the Q6 framework, appointed to deliver a £1.5 billion upgrade and improvement framework at Heathrow Airport by 2019. Keith Cannin, managing director of aviation at Morgan Sindall, said: “We have a long standing relationship with Heathrow Airport and a track record of successfully delivering this kind of work. Our site team understand the pressures and considerations involved working in a live airside environment and always take the necessary measures to mitigate interruptions at the airport.” The work is due to be finished by the end of next year and comes after the refurbishment and resurfacing of the airport’s Sierra Taxiway as part of a £16 million contract completed last year. Last month, Heathrow has suffered its worst August for four years, with traffic growth practically coming to a standstill at Britain’s biggest airport last month. The west London hub handled 7,338,852 travellers during the peak summer month, which although a fresh record was just 5,752 more than August last year, a rise of less than 0.1pc.
The Science and Technology Committee says that the government is “not being clear” on the benefits of smart meters. The Committee said that there are “too many objectives” for the rollout, which could hinder its implementation. The report stated that the government should be clearer about the main purpose of smart metering and use this to drive evaluation of the project. It added: “Smart meters need to be clearly understood by the consumer and provide information in a format that the customer finds helpful. In order for consumers to benefit directly from smart metering there will need to be appropriate investment in customer engagement, given that this is being introduced in an era of low public trust in utility providers.” The government has listed 11 different objectives for the scheme, including saving money for customers’ energy bills, despite the amount of money saved by individual consumers set to be small. The report says that the major benefits will be in paving the way for a smarter energy system where to enhance energy security and reduce pollution. However, the report supports the use of in-home displays are part of the rollout as they provide a “necessary feedback mechanism” on energy consumption, despite some stakeholders criticising this. They also discussed smart meter security and members met with the government’s security experts from GCHQ which have the Committee “confidence that security is being taken seriously.” Tania Mathias, Interim Chair of the Committee, commented: “It would be easy to dismiss the smart meter project as an inefficient way of saving a small amount of money on energy bills, but the evidence suggests there are major national benefits, including establishing a smarter, more energy secure grid. “The smart meter mass rollout has been delayed, but the government and suppliers must not skimp on engaging with customers in the rush to fit 50 million more meters by 2020. The evidence shows that homeowners and businesses need to receive tailored advice about how they can benefit from smart metering.”
A joint venture of Swedish giant Skanska with local companies Forest Traffic Services and RK Bell, the Somerset Infrastructure Alliance, has started work on delivering site infrastructure services for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project. Somerset Infrastructure Alliance will carry out fencing, signage, landscaping and site road maintenance, and will also deliver a number of logistical services to help move vehicles around the site, including minor civil works, winter maintenance, traffic management, site cleaning and footway and carriageway maintenance. The alliance will also be responsible to the co-ordination of all work carried out away from the main construction areas. Simon White, Operations Director at Skanska, commented: “We are proud to be contributing to this project. The unique alliance arrangement that has been created with our local partners is aimed at delivering the project in a highly collaborative way whilst building a local legacy of skills and employment.” Meanwhile, Forest Traffic Services Managing Director, Ross Williams, said they are pleased to be part of the alliance which will deliver site infrastructure services for such an important scheme, adding: “We are looking forward to working in this innovative and collaborative way with our alliance partners to provide a best quality and highly responsive service. “This major opportunity gives us the confidence to make a major investment in recruiting and training additional local staff.” RK Bell managing director Nick Bell added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to move into the new nuclear build sector in a collaborative way, sharing skills and knowledge along the journey. “It has given us an opportunity to continually raise the bar across the business whilst enabling us to invest in higher levels of training and apprentice schemes. Choosing the right partners, who can work well together to deliver on the client’s requirements, has been a clear priority.”
The latest report by Water UK has found that there is a significant and growing risk of severe drought impacts arising from population growth and climate change. The group believes that concerted action is now required to build resilience of supply as the first of its kind research modelled the possible effects of climate change, population growth, environmental protection measures and trends in water use to produce a wide range of future scenarios. It deployed new modelling techniques to look 50 years ahead across the whole of England and Wales. The results suggest that, in some situations, we are facing more frequent, and longer lasting acute droughts than previously thought. The South and East of England are the driest areas of the country and face a greater risk of more severe droughts than those previously experienced, while North and West regions of England also face greater exposure to the prospect of future water shortages. The modelling indicated that extensive measures to manage demand are required, along with enhanced supplies of water, to reduce the risk of droughts. Demand management schemes, such as promoting more efficient water use in homes and businesses, or improving building standards and widespread use of metering, must be used along with ambitious supply plans. These include moving more water from one region to another through existing waterways and new pipelines, building new reservoirs, treating more water for re-use and building desalination plants to make use of sea water. The author of the report concludes that, by adopting a step by step approach, the added cost of making the water supply more resilient to severe droughts would be equal to around £4 per year per household. By contrast, the impact on the economy of inaction could be very high, costing an estimated £1.3 billion per day during the most widespread situations of severe drought modelled in the report.
The final rails have now been laid for the new Metrolink line through the heart of Manchester, with the main construction works due to be complete by Christmas. Despite Manchester’s Victorian infrastructure presenting unforeseen challenges – including a collapsed Victorian sewer, and double the amount of anticipated exhumations after discovering a former church graveyard on Cross Street – the £165 million Second City Crossing is due to open early next year. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) opened phase one of the route, from Victoria Station through to a new stop at Exchange Square, last December. All major civil engineering works for the second phase – including installing overhead lines to power the trams along the route – are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Because of the potential delays, TfGM was expecting the scheme to be complete in summer next year; however contractor M-Pact Thales (MPT) worked with utility firms and TfGM to make sure that the line is on track to be finished earlier in the year. Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM committee, said: “It’s great to see these final sections of rail laid, one of the final jigsaw pieces in the puzzle. With some infrastructure still dating back to the Victorians, building through a busy city has not been an easy task. The scale of the venture has been impressive and, while there has been inevitable disruption, we’re close to the finish line and to customers, residents and businesses reaping the benefits. “Since the Second City Crossing programme began we’ve seen a huge increase in Metrolink use across the network, from 27 to 35 million passenger journeys a year. The need for a new line through the city has never been more pressing.” He added that TfGM has also opened a new tram stop in Exchange Square to make room for more customers.
Union for energy workers, GMB, says that Jeremy Corbyn’s energy and environmental policy will not generate the power needed to heat homes, keep the lights on and the economy functioning. The Union was commenting on Corbyn’s energy and environment manifesto which was launched on September 7, outlining his target of generating 65% of energy in the UK from renewable sources by 2030. GMB National Secretary for Energy, Justin Bowden, said that GMB is looking forward to examining the details of how this policy will actually meet the energy needs of the UK. Bowden continued: “Everyone gets how – over time – renewable energy sources have an important role to play in a sensibly conceived mixed energy policy. “However wishful thinking doesn’t generate the power we need to heat homes, keep the lights on and the economy functioning; this means that until there are technological breakthroughs in carbon capture or solar storage then gas and nuclear power are the only reliable, low-carbon shows in town for all those days when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.” He said that limiting the UK’s options on achieving energy self-sufficiency by banning fracking is short-sighted and naïve as gas is four times cheaper than electricity, the main reason why more than 80% of homes use gas for heating, and access to gas is a crucial element of every fuel poverty strategy. Bowden added: “While we are waiting with our fingers crossed for the technology to arrive, or quadrupling the size of the electricity infrastructure and asking everyone with a gas boiler to rip it out and replace it with an electric one, we should not be having to depend on Russia, Qatar, Kuwait or some combination of these regimes to supply us with gas to heat our homes and supply the gas for our crucial chemicals industry.”
Balfour Beatty and Equitix have sealed the deal for the £162.9 million Humber Gateway offshore transmission project (OFTO). The high voltage electricity transmission link will connect Eon’s 219MW offshore wind farm in the North Sea, 8km from the East Yorkshire coast, to the onshore transmission grid. The 73 turbines have the capability to generate enough electricity for around 170,000 homes every year. Ofgem awarded the Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium the preferred bidder status in September 2015 to own and operate the Humber Gateway offshore transmission link. For the next 20 years, the consortium will own and operate the link to Eon’s Humber Gateway wind farm, while Balfour Beatty will invest £12.5 million of the total required equity of £21 million. Balfour Beatty’s power transmission and distribution business will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the OFTO’s assets, including one offshore and one onshore substation and two cable circuits consisting of 18km of subsea and 30km of land cable. Ian Rylatt, Chief Executive of Balfour Beatty Investments, commented: “This is our fourth OFTO contract to reach financial close and further establishes our position in the offshore transmission market. Our technical expertise ensures we can efficiently and effectively, support the government’s targets to meet more of the UK’s energy needs through renewable sources.” Among Balfour Beatty’s other offshore transmission investments are the £352 million Gwynt y Mor OFTO and the £164 million Thanet OFTO 2014. The European Investment Bank will provide an £82 million 19 year loan for the Humber Gateway OFTO, which represents almost 50% of eligible projects costs and the long term EIB loan is alongside senior debt provided by three commercial banks. Last month, Balfour Beatty restored its dividend and reduced losses in a sign that the company is returning to health after a tough two years that saw the construction group issue a series of profit warnings and fend off a takeover attempt.
The leading water treatment company in the UK, Siltbuster, has created and installed a processing plant in just seven days to help remove dissolved iron from groundwater as part of the £1 billion project commissioned by the National Grid and Scottish Power Transmission. The scheme to build the Western Link is bringing renewable energy from Scotland to businesses and homes in England and Wales, and will be delivered by a Consortium of Prysmian Group (which is responsible for cable manufacture and installation) and Siemens (responsible for converter stations). The dissolved, iron contamination arose when below ground, high voltage, power cables were being installed. The complex cable routes, spanning a distance of 420 Km, pass within TATA Steel’s works at Shotton. When installing the 400kV A.C cables on this land it was found that the groundwater generated was in parts heavily contaminated with dissolved iron. Such contaminated water would pose significant risk to aquatic life if discharged without treatment. The removal of the groundwater was crucial as the cables were being installed using the open cut trench method with well pointing used to dewater the trenches and joint bays. All this had to stay dry 24 hours a day during the cable installation and jointing works. Tankering the groundwater offsite for treatment would have required an articulated tanker (50m3) every hour, 24 hours a day, at huge costs both financially (cost £150-£250 per cubic meter) and to the environment, in terms of carbon footprint. The Consortium’s subcontractor Balfour Beatty’s environmental team contacted Siltbuster to find out the best way of dealing with the iron contaminated water. Experts at Siltbuster got to work on designing the best practical solution, while the system had to be strong enough to cope with the flow rates between 15 and 50 m3/hr, ensure compliance by reducing the iron concentration within the water to below 10 mg/l and be easy enough for site personnel to operate.
