Somers Town Energy is on course to provide further benefits to the London Borough of Camden following the installation of new plant equipment as the project moves into its second phase. Vital Energi and Camden Council originally began working on the £3.4m project in 2014 when we provided the retrofit
Hundreds of stakeholders call for urgent action to stabilise UK solar Proposal leaves UK consumers with much weaker rights than other European citizens The STA today publishes an open letter to Energy Minister Claire Perry calling on her to urgently confirm the continuation of the ‘export tariff’ from next April.
Flexenergy’s specialist prefabrication expertise has played a key role in a modular village providing a hotel-style living environment for workers at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site. The company, one of the UK’s leading pre-insulated polybutylene pipe specialists, has manufactured bespoke pipe components for heating and hot water
The £5 million contract to deliver phase one and two of the East Leeds Orbital Route has been awarded to Balfour Beatty by Leeds City Council. Works will include improvements to a number of existing Outer Ring Road junctions and the widening to three junctions along the A6120 Ring Road.
Tekmar Group has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of Subsea Innovation Ltd, subject to shareholder approval. The proposed acquisition represents the Group’s first transaction since its successful AIM admission in June 2018, launching the Group’s strategy to acquire offshore energy businesses which have a clear technology
ZF Services Nottingham Off-Highway centre increases capacity through workshop expansion and engineer recruitment More customers to benefit from “complete range of transmission and axle solutions” Expansion reflects recent full year growth of world’s top 50 construction equipment manufacturers* ZF Services UK has expanded its capacity to remanufacture and repair transmissions,
SHARC Energy Systems, a UK-based green energy firm, has secured the support of the ENGIE Regeneration teams to collaborate on developing opportunities for integrating SHARC technology into their established heat network portfolio, as well as creating new opportunities to partner on the development of standalone low carbon district heating networks.
An official ‘kettle switching on’ ceremony has been held by Independent Connections Provider Matrix Networks, to mark the completion of its utility infrastructure works at the SEGRO Logistics Park in East Midlands Gateway, at M1 Junction 24. Attending the event were key project personnel from Matrix Networks, Independent Distribution Network
Kennington Tube station has seen the installation of Off Grid Energy’s largest and most powerful temporary power hybrid – the gridtogo™ – a battery that helps tackle air and noise pollution levels in construction. The installation is part of the Northern Line Extension plans, which will extend the London Underground
Energy Assets Group has appointed Jayson Whitaker to head-up its recently-launched Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) business – and to extend the utility offer to housebuilders, developers and contractors to include fibre-to-the-home. He joins one of Britain’s leading independent metering, asset management and utility network construction companies as Managing Director
Somers Town Energy is on course to provide further benefits to the London Borough of Camden following the installation of new plant equipment as the project moves into its second phase. Vital Energi and Camden Council originally began working on the £3.4m project in 2014 when we provided the retrofit energy centre into an under-used car park and connected four housing estates via a 581m district heating network. This has been providing 339 homes with low carbon heat and hot water from the three 1.3MWth boilers installed. The project is now at its exciting second stage which sees the installation of a 1MW CHP engine, four 9,000L and three 11,000L thermal stores which will reduce carbon emissions even further. The units were delivered over a two day period which saw us complete all traffic and pedestrian access management to ensure safety, with the deliveries completed between working hours to minimise disruption as much as possible. Once this phase of the project is complete, Somers Town Energy will provide savings of over 1,000 tonnes per annum and will deliver financial benefits to Camden Council through the sale of electricity generated by the CHP. As the heat network begun operation in 2015, there was limited historical operational data to determine detailed demand patterns, which led the Council to request a period of study in order to understand the network’s performance. This led Vital Energi to provide a dual phased solution, allowing for a period of heat study to generate operational data before deciding upon the best matched CHP engine size. An implementation plan like this allowed us to overcome challenges of the unknown usage levels and provide an accurate solution that best suited the client. Vital Energi’s Project Manager, Derek Culver, commented, “It is always an exciting time when a project reaches its next phase, and having been operating Somers Town Energy for almost four years we are incredibly pleased to be involved with this latest development. The additional CHP engine and thermal stores will maximise the financial and carbon savings for the borough with work connecting the next estate set to begin at the end of the month.” Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet Member for Improving Camden’s Environment added, “Somers Town Energy is Camden’s flagship low emissions project. It shows how a forward-looking council can deliver projects that are both good for the environment and save money. I look forward to seeing the project develop further over the coming months.” The next phase of Somers Town Energy will see extensions to a new community centre, the redesigned Edith Neville School and a further housing block. To support Camden’s Community Investment Programme visit www.camden.gov.uk/cip. If you’d like to know more about Vital Energi and the work they do, please visit www.vitalenergi.co.uk
Hundreds of stakeholders call for urgent action to stabilise UK solar Proposal leaves UK consumers with much weaker rights than other European citizens The STA today publishes an open letter to Energy Minister Claire Perry calling on her to urgently confirm the continuation of the ‘export tariff’ from next April. The ‘export tariff’ is not a subsidy but a mechanism that works alongside the Feed-In Tariff to ensure small solar generators are paid at a fair market rate, for the power they feed into the grid. The letter has been signed by over 200 diverse organisations, representing cutting edge ‘smart’ technologies, innovative suppliers, academics, major NGOs, youth groups, city leaders, faith groups, farmers & land owners, as well as leading lights in the solar & battery storage industries. STA Chief Executive Chris Hewett said; “The latest Government proposals for solar power are creating shock waves well beyond the solar industry. Nobody can fathom how Government can contemplate leaving households and small organisations as the only generators left unpaid for the valuable power they put into the electricity network. We are asking the Energy Minister to act quickly and promise to maintain the export tariff & to uphold the basic rights of a market.” The letter is published as the Government closes one of its consultations on the Feed-in-Tariff. The solar industry currently faces huge policy uncertainty when the FiT ends next March. That is despite a recent survey by Client Earth, one of the signatories to the letter, showing 62% of UK homes want to install solar & 60% want to install battery storage. [1] The proposal to remove the fair export payment flies in the face of new EU legislation that will enshrine the rights of ‘prosumers’ (households & organisations that generate, as well as consume power) across Europe to be paid at a fair market rate for the clean solar power they inject into the electricity network. If the UK removes this payment, UK homes, farmers, community organisations and small businesses will be the only groups generating electricity who are not paid for their power. Other generators spilling onto the network have been paid at a higher rate that the export tariff in 2018. If small generators are forced to spill their energy onto the grid for free they will effectively be subsidising the big players in the power industry – a scenario that even major suppliers, like E,On and Ovo Energy have rejected as signatories to the letter. James Watson, Chief Executive of SolarPower Europe said; “We are astonished that the UK could propose ending payments to householders for their clean power just as Europe moves to secure the rights of all its citizens to fair payment. Such poor treatment of British small scale energy consumers will harm public engagement in solar, at a time when we need to increase the uptake of clean energies, and will put the UK public at a huge disadvantage compared to other EU countries.” The proposal also comes when UK solar deployment is at an eight-year low and the industry urgently needs Government to provide a fair and level playing field for the technology. Deployment of solar in the UK has fallen by 95% in 2018 compared to 2015, as it has been hit with a series of damaging tax changes alongside the removal of support. Leo Murray, Director of Strategy at 10:10 Climate Action said: “The Feed in Tariff has been the most popular and successful British climate change policy ever implemented, empowering hundreds of thousands of citizens and communities to help tackle the defining challenge of our time. Scrapping it with no form of replacement doesn’t just mean locking the public out of the renewables revolution, it risks derailing it altogether.” The letter instead asks Government to not only maintain the fair export tariff, but remove a series of regulatory barriers which are currently preventing a market for local flexibility services and exported power to flourish. Chris Hewett added, “It is vital for Government to ensure households and small businesses are taken on a clear & secure journey in the emerging smart energy system. It is not too late for some really positive policies given the potential of smart homes and businesses to save the system and our economy billions of pounds compared to business as usual. Removing illogical barriers to the 830,000 solar homes in the UK to installing battery storage and smart meters is also an easy win. “Let’s be clear; we are not asking for subsidy. We are asking for fair treatment for the everyday people and businesses who want to invest in clean power to do something really meaningful to help tackle climate change. Government must support their efforts.”
Flexenergy’s specialist prefabrication expertise has played a key role in a modular village providing a hotel-style living environment for workers at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site. The company, one of the UK’s leading pre-insulated polybutylene pipe specialists, has manufactured bespoke pipe components for heating and hot water distribution systems for the 44 blocks of accommodation, with ensuite bedrooms, housing almost 1,500 operatives on the Hinkley Point C construction site and in Bridgewater, Somerset. For Flexenergy the project involved providing coiled pipe and prefabricated sections to connect air source heat pumps to the accommodation blocks on the two sites, supplying 110 ‘U’ shaped and 16 ‘L’ shaped fabrications as well as 400 metres of pipe. The sections were assembled and tested before being shipped in batches in line with construction schedules. Flexenergy’s Sales Director, Sandy Fairley commented: “This has been a significant project, underlining our capabilities for bespoke prefabrication, in this case linked to the provision of heating and hot water to the modular accommodation blocks. The ease of installation, coupled with the pipe’s high thermal efficiency and recyclability, made for an attractive and flexible proposition for the contractors.” www.flexenergy.co.uk
The £5 million contract to deliver phase one and two of the East Leeds Orbital Route has been awarded to Balfour Beatty by Leeds City Council. Works will include improvements to a number of existing Outer Ring Road junctions and the widening to three junctions along the A6120 Ring Road. Balfour Beatty will also be responsible for the design of the £87 million 7km East Leeds Orbital Route. The initial highway work forms a part of the wider East Leeds Extension (ELE) programme, which on completion will be the largest road scheme in the city since the 1970s. “We are delighted to have been awarded the initial contract to commence improvement works to the East Leeds Orbital Route,” said Thomas Edgcumbe, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for its North and Midlands regional business. “We are looking forward to working in partnership with Leeds City Council and making a significant and sustainable contribution to the local economy and community. We have a wealth of experience in the design and delivery of highways schemes and this award is testament to the success of our work across the UK,” he continued. With work due to commence next month, phase one and two are expected to be completed next summer. Through the project, Balfour Beatty will make a significant and sustainable contribution to the local economy, engaging with Employment Leeds to deliver employment and skills workshops for the surrounding community. This contract award follows the robust contingency measures taken by Leeds City Council to deal with the original supplier, Carillion, being unable to deliver the work. The East Leeds Orbital Route is being been financed through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s ‘West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund’. The Fund is part of the Leeds City Region Growth Deal, a £1 billion package of Government investment through the Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) that will accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Tekmar Group has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of Subsea Innovation Ltd, subject to shareholder approval. The proposed acquisition represents the Group’s first transaction since its successful AIM admission in June 2018, launching the Group’s strategy to acquire offshore energy businesses which have a clear technology focus, have complementary customer bases and can leverage Group support. Subsea Innovation, which currently operates largely in the global oil and gas market will bring world-class engineering in the design, development and manufacture of back deck equipment and subsea pipeline repair clamps (“EPRC”) to Tekmar’s portfolio, along with a blue chip client list and a skilled engineering team. “When we floated on AIM we promised investors a dynamic business with a clear plan for the future. Today is just one part of the implementation of that plan and we are delighted to welcome Subsea Innovation into the Tekmar Group,” said James Ritchie, CEO of Tekmar Group plc. “As we continue through into 2019, you will continue to see us work towards our vision to become the partner of choice for the supply and installation support of subsea protection technology to the global energy markets. We will continue to put clients first and continue to innovate to remain at the forefront of the world’s offshore energy industries,” he continued. As a world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of complex engineered equipment and technology used in the offshore energy market, Subsea Innovation has products that range from large equipment handling systems which operate on the back of installation vessels, pipeline repair clamps which protect major oil and gas pipelines, and equipment for the construction of offshore oil and gas projects. The business also has an extremely skilled engineering design team who develop world-leading concepts for some of the world’s most challenging and exciting projects. Subsea Innovation will continue to trade under its own name and remain as a separate legal entity. There will be no disruption or change for its customers.
ZF Services Nottingham Off-Highway centre increases capacity through workshop expansion and engineer recruitment More customers to benefit from “complete range of transmission and axle solutions” Expansion reflects recent full year growth of world’s top 50 construction equipment manufacturers* ZF Services UK has expanded its capacity to remanufacture and repair transmissions, axles and gearboxes for off-highway applications, covering construction, agriculture and material handling. In response to an upsurge in market demand, the company’s Nottingham-based repair centre has been developed to ensure customers further benefit from a complete range of support solutions from repair and remanufacture, to parts and technical support. The expansion includes a dedicated axle repair and remanufacture work area, with additional technicians recruited to meet the increased demand, now trained to deliver ZF OEM standard transmission and axle workshop repair and reman solutions. The centre also stocks and distributes genuine ZF parts, as well as providing a non-ZF gearbox remanufacture and reverse engineering service. The recent expansion has also led to further recruitment in other areas, with growth in the sales team. Boosted field service support Field service support has also been boosted by the recent expansion, allowing more certified ZF trained technicians to carry out diagnosis, health checks and commissioning of gearboxes in many demanding, often extreme off-highway environments. This enables even more ZF Aftermarket customers to gain full advantage from improved service performance, efficiency and cost reductions, through simplified access to service, repair and maintenance of gearboxes, as well as product support and technical advice, all in one place. Larger capacity, stronger offering Fully ISO accredited, the ZF Aftermarket Repair Centre is a dedicated, modern facility and boasts a 6500m² workshop area to further underline the company’s position as a leading industry specialist. Its industry-dedicated workshops with multi-brand capabilities uses only industry trained technicians who are multi-skilled and work to OEM standards. Every component is tested to original ZF factory specification, with ZF product updates made on every remanufactured production, all backed by a 12-month, 1500-hour warranty for off highway applications. Each part is remanufactured to original specification and upgraded to the highest level where possible. Gavin Donoghue, Business Manager – Off-Highway, said: “The top 50 construction equipment manufacturers experienced significant growth in 2017 and nearly all OEMs reported double digit growth*, which is reflected in our own aftermarket business, in particular in Off-Highway at the moment. “The recent expansion of ZF Services ensures we’re more than primed to keep up with this demand.” For more information about ZF Services UK, please visit www.zf.com/uk.
SHARC Energy Systems, a UK-based green energy firm, has secured the support of the ENGIE Regeneration teams to collaborate on developing opportunities for integrating SHARC technology into their established heat network portfolio, as well as creating new opportunities to partner on the development of standalone low carbon district heating networks. ENGIE UK & Ireland announced a ‘Call for Projects’ in February saying it was looking to identify innovative projects and solutions for the recovery of heat from wastewater / sewage and SHARC was confirmed as one of two successful bidders in May. SHARC Energy Systems has already started discussions with ENGIE about projects and opportunities within ENGIE’s asset portfolio. The announcement comes at a time when the appetite for decentralised energy services in the UK is growing, with more focus being placed on the use of renewable technologies that continue to de-carbonise the energy supply for UK residents and businesses. Earlier this month the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) issued its infrastructure assessment report https://www.nic.org.uk/assessment/national-infrastructure-assessment/executive-summary/ which states that “the UK must take decisive action to have world-class infrastructure” and carries a core principle that half of the UK’s power will be provided by renewables by 2030. Alongside the NIC report, the recently published UNESCO report – “Waste Water: The Untapped Resource” http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/wwdr/2017-wastewater-the-untapped-resource/ shows how the macro market surrounding SHARC’s energy solutions is developing and how the value of this sustainable resource can be harnessed for the benefit of future generations. Russ Burton, SHARC’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to have won the support of the ENGIE Regeneration team and are looking forward to working with them to develop our service and solutions with them. “The team at SHARC have been tireless in their efforts to champion and promote the value of the waste heat that runs through our sewage lines every day and we are encouraged by the vision and enthusiasm that ENGIE is demonstrating in supporting our activities.” Ben Watts, Innovation and Solutions Director at ENGIE, said: “The Call for Projects process provides ENGIE with access to a wealth of start-ups and SMEs in the UK and globally in areas of strategic importance to the UK business unit. The decarbonisation of heat is a nationally important issue which ENGIE is looking to solve at a local level. We are delighted that SHARC entered this call and we look forward to developing projects together.”
An official ‘kettle switching on’ ceremony has been held by Independent Connections Provider Matrix Networks, to mark the completion of its utility infrastructure works at the SEGRO Logistics Park in East Midlands Gateway, at M1 Junction 24. Attending the event were key project personnel from Matrix Networks, Independent Distribution Network Operator UK Power Distribution, as well as development directors from Roxhill and SEGRO. The official task of boiling the kettle to prove the electricity connection was fully up and running was carried out by Roxhill Senior Development Director, kate Bedson. The multi-utility project, designed and installed by the Warrington-based business to provide power, heat and water for the 700-acre development, was delivered on budget and ahead of schedule. Over the past 12 months, Matrix Networks has worked to excavate a 12.5 km route to the nearest Western Power Distribution connection point – the furthest distance the Company has ever had to negotiate. It has also designed, installed and commissioned a new 33/11kV primary substation to supply 28MVA; designed, installed and commissioned the on-site 11kV infrastructure with secondary substation to supply on-street lighting; and provided a medium pressure gas main and a water main. “SEGRO Logistics Park – East Midlands Gateway is a significant project both regionally and nationally. From our initial conversations around contract and design, through to installation and ‘power on’, I’m proud of the professionalism, commitment and passion the Matrix Networks team has shown. Throughout the project, we’ve worked to respect the wishes of our client and have delivered our brief ahead of schedule, without risk to them and on budget. We aim to exceed our customers’ expectations through uncompromised service and delivery, and I hope through bringing this development to life, we’ve achieved that,” said Matrix Network Managing Director, Rob Sparkes. Matrix Networks was appointed for this development by Roxhill due to their long-standing relationship and its past success on multi-utility contracts. “Today’s site visit marked a significant milestone for the site. Our thanks go to all at Matrix Networks who have worked so incredibly hard over the past 12 months and beyond, to provide the connections we need. This was a complex, detailed brief to deliver which wouldn’t have been achieved so proficiently without the commitment of their expert team,” said Senior Development Director, Kate Bedson.
Kennington Tube station has seen the installation of Off Grid Energy’s largest and most powerful temporary power hybrid – the gridtogo™ – a battery that helps tackle air and noise pollution levels in construction. The installation is part of the Northern Line Extension plans, which will extend the London Underground (LU) network from Kennington to Battersea Power Station via Nine Elms. “Our hybrid power system delivers a cost saving, cleaner solution that also significantly reduces noise pollution in a sensitive residential area and is the biggest hybrid system for temporary power we have supplied,” said Danny Jones, CEO at Off Grid Energy. The gridtogo™ battery storage solution has a power output of 195kVA, which reduces generator running hours, which consequently results in an improvement in fuel efficiency and a substantial reduction in polluting emissions, CO2 and noise pollution. Its storage capacity of 350kwhrs also sets the bar for energy storage technology in temporary power. “With a power output of 195kVA and storage capacity of 350kWhrs it is conceivably the most powerful temporary power hybrid unit in the UK with the largest battery storage capacity in the UK for temporary power. The added flexibility that comes from dual power supply and improved power quality means that the solution delivers a multi-layer win: lower cost, cleaner air, less CO2, elimination of noise and greater power supply resilience,” said Danny. When the battery located inside the unit is charged and the demand for power is low, the generator can automatically turn off and the energy stored in the battery is used to supply the load. The features of the gridtogo™ help considerably cut running costs, CO2, noise pollution, and air quality levels while simultaneously reducing carbon footprint. Due to the residential location of the station, the contract required a silent solution in order to continue construction work during unsociable hours. By implementing the Off Grid Energy silent high power gridtogo™ system along with a modern super silent generator it allowed full power demand to be met 24/7, reducing the need to run the generator, enabling construction work to continue.
Energy Assets Group has appointed Jayson Whitaker to head-up its recently-launched Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) business – and to extend the utility offer to housebuilders, developers and contractors to include fibre-to-the-home. He joins one of Britain’s leading independent metering, asset management and utility network construction companies as Managing Director of Energy Assets Networks, which is licensed to own, adopt and operate ‘final mile’ electricity networks. The move coincides with Energy Assets’ plans to add fibre infrastructure to the Group’s network design and operator portfolio. Mr Whitaker brings with him considerable experience in the Competition in Connections (CiC) market, having worked in leadership roles for network operators and supply chain providers. Most recently, he was responsible for the start-up and strong organic growth of Utility Power Systems and Utility Fibre Systems, now part of Wolseley UK Infrastructure. He is also a well-known industry figure, sitting on the Ofgem CiC panel alongside DNOs, IDNOs and customer groups, and is active in the Metered Connections Customer Group, which lobbies for greater market place competition. Jayson Whitaker commented: “I am excited to be taking the lead at Energy Assets Networks at a time of considerable opportunity, given the scale of Britain’s house building plans and the structural changes underway in the UK utility market. With the projected growth in electric vehicles and increasing demand for fibre services, we need design solutions that will future-proof our local networks, embracing the technological advances that will drive operational efficiency.” Since its launch earlier this year, Energy Assets’ electricity network business has grown strongly through partnerships with independent utility construction contractors and residential and commercial developers, thanks to innovations in asset-based finance and in network design, compliance and management. Colin Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Energy Assets Group, commented: “We are delighted that Jayson will be leading our IDNO and Fibre business. He brings a demonstrable track record of delivering organic growth, which combined with his industry insight and prominence in stakeholder relationships creates exciting opportunities for our network asset expansion across Britain.” www.energyassets.co.uk
