Thames Water’s directors were found to not have enough oversight and control of the company’s leakage performance, with the company losing approximately 25% of all water that it treats and puts into its system. For its mistakes, Thames Water agreed to pay £65 million back to customers on top of
Cabinet ministers have backed initial proposals for a new runway at Heathrow Airport, claiming it is an “historic moment”. As MPs prepare to vote on the plans ahead of the July 11 deadline, Paul Meagh, electrical and instrumentation services director at engineering solutions provider Boulting Ltd, explores how a modular
Construction and utilities specialist Develop Training Ltd (DTL) is opening the doors of its Midlands and Scotland based centres throughout July to promote skills in the energy sector. The company, which is a strong advocate for greater investment in training and apprenticeships by industry and the government, is running three
GRAHAM’s rail teams worked around the clock over the Bank Holiday weekend to deliver crucial upgrades to South East London’s rail network. The essential bridge replacements and supplementary works took place under abnormal track possessions at Bellenden Road Underbridge (Southwark) and Westdown Road Underbridge (Lewisham). Both projects involved the replacement
The construction of a district heating scheme at the Clyde Gateway regeneration project in Glasgow will be supported by a funding deal, agreed by SHARC Energy Systems. The UK green energy firm will use its innovative wastewater heat recovery technology to generate the heating and cooling services for the site’s
Despite the regulations the landlords must follow, there has been new research that claims that gas safety checks are slacking within the UK’s five million privately rented properties. It’s also, not just property owners that are slacking, small business energy users are also in the firing line as one in
The future of energy is hard to determine, even for experts in the industry. At the 2017 Future Energy Scenarios event, the efficiency and future use of shale gas and biomethane was brought into the discussion. Here to analyse how the UK might benefit from both these forms of energy
Vital Energi was awarded a £5.6 million contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea. This marks a new stage in the company’s long-standing relationship with developers Berkeley. Vital Energi will provide the combined heat and power solution
A former environmental consultancy from Preston has rebranded as 52M Consulting and relaunched to provide a range of stakeholder engagement services in support of ‘controversial’ yet critical infrastructure developments. Managing director, Lee Petts, said: “There were over 11,000 Town and Country planning appeals decided in England during 2016 and 2017.
Re-using the deepest base metal mine in Europe enhances Finnish renewable energy storage and climate strategies. According to a feasibility study report made by Pöyry Energy GmbH this unique project can now be realized. Energy Storage in Mine project financed by the Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and
Thames Water’s directors were found to not have enough oversight and control of the company’s leakage performance, with the company losing approximately 25% of all water that it treats and puts into its system. For its mistakes, Thames Water agreed to pay £65 million back to customers on top of £55 million in automatic penalties leakage. Moreover, the company has committed to getting its leakage performance back in line with what it has previously promised it will deliver for its customers in 2019-2020. It will publish its performance each month in tackling leaks, appoint an independent monitor to certify the information in its monthly leakage reports and make addition reductions of 15% by 2025. “High leakage creates unnecessary strain on the environment, excess costs for customers and increased risk of water shortages. A well-run water company will have a good understanding of the condition of its pipes and will be able to reduce leakage over time. Ofwat has set all water companies a target of bringing down leakage by at least another 15% up to 2025 and expects further reductions beyond this date. Thames has assured us that they now have a grip on the leakage situation, but this should serve as a catalyst for the company to improve how it delivers on its wider commitments to customers,” said Ofwat chief executive, Rachel Fletcher. Thames Water will be now investing record amounts in personnel and infrastructure to find and fix leakage, including using the latest technology. However, the company pointed out that big water companies are in no better of a situation, with United Utilities having leakage rates of 25%, Severn Trent of 23% and Yorkshire Water of 23% as well. “Reducing leakage is really important to us and to our customers. We met our leakage targets for a decade but our recent performance has not been good enough. We let our customers down and for that we’re sorry. We have taken more control of how we manage the network and are investing significantly more in people and resources to tackle leakage, get back on track and then go beyond. Thanks to these changes already in place, our current leakage repair performance is our best ever at around 1,000 a week,” said Steve Robertson, Thames Water chief executive.
Cabinet ministers have backed initial proposals for a new runway at Heathrow Airport, claiming it is an “historic moment”. As MPs prepare to vote on the plans ahead of the July 11 deadline, Paul Meagh, electrical and instrumentation services director at engineering solutions provider Boulting Ltd, explores how a modular build will benefit the £14 billion project. Modularisation is not a new concept and has been used by construction and engineering firms for several years as a way of reducing the complexity surrounding the build or refurbishment of a project. For many years, modular construction was thought to be largely box-type structures, providing a bare frame to accommodate construction site workers, large classrooms and residential homes. While the concept still provides benefit for these uses, more and more engineering projects, including the expansion of Heathrow airport, are incorporating the concept into their build as a way of minimising both cost and disruption to the client and end user. The recent announcement by the UK cabinet about the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport has been welcomed by many, including ourselves. The expansion is estimated to create 60,000 new jobs and generate £70 billion in total economic benefits by 2050. While the site itself is in London, Heathrow plans to use the expansion to drive growth in off-site construction across the country. If the vote is successful, a total of four offsite construction and manufacturing hubs will be established across the country, allowing for pre-assembled components to be constructed prior to installation at the new runway. These sites will create thousands of new jobs outside of London, ensuring that more than just the capital city benefits from the expansion. At Boulting, we have 15 years of experience working with modular builds, part of which includes the design, fabrication and installation of the rail station services at Heathrow’s terminal 5. A total of 75 per cent of the project was modularised, enabling us to remove a vast amount of site activity to the controlled environment of a workshop. In addition to minimising disruption to the airport, modularisation improved the overall quality of the project and site safety while reducing the number of site man hours required and total time of the project. Constructing on a dedicated fabrication site, such as Boulting’s facility in St Helens, overcomes these issues as the infrastructure is already in place. Experienced labourers are also at hand to build, test and commission a facility before shipping and erecting in its final location, ensuring a quicker and more cost-effective solution. If the expansion of Heathrow airport is given the green light, its use of modularisation will be one of the largest in the UK. While the concept does have multiple benefits, the decision to use it should not be rushed and all factors should be carefully considered. Working with a leading provider of prefabrication and modularisation services, such as Boulting, can ensure the right decision is made for the project in the most efficient way possible.
Construction and utilities specialist Develop Training Ltd (DTL) is opening the doors of its Midlands and Scotland based centres throughout July to promote skills in the energy sector. The company, which is a strong advocate for greater investment in training and apprenticeships by industry and the government, is running three open days in Derby and Linlithgow near Edinburgh. The free-to-attend events are designed for organisations with an interest in training for gas, mechanical and electrical engineering, smart metering, mechanical and electrical engineering training. Open day visitors will be given a tour of the company’s top-of-the-range facilities in Derby and Linlithgow with live demonstrations of the company’s control rig, medium pressure apparatus and smart metering equipment. Visitors will also have the opportunity to give their views on the content of DTL’s extensive range of training courses in gas/energy. There has been strong interest in the events already from DTL’s customers, who include household names in the utilities and construction sector, with spaces filling up quickly. Further details with information on how to book can be found here. www.developtraining.co.uk About Develop Training Develop Training Limited (DTL) is the UK’s leading accredited provider of compliance, technical, and safety training, supporting thousands of firms with their training needs. Clients include some of the UK’s largest and best-known organisations from the utilities and construction to the defence, healthcare, facilities management and telecommunications sectors. Training programmes cover water and environmental, gas and energy, safety, electrical and mechanical, apprenticeships and management development delivered at DTL’s seven dedicated training centres in Linlithgow near Edinburgh, Romford, York, Derby, Bolton, Swindon and Lisburn near Belfast, or onsite at clients’ premises. DTL also provides bespoke and consultancy services, tailoring training programmes and initiatives to the requirements of individual clients. www.developtraining.co.uk
GRAHAM’s rail teams worked around the clock over the Bank Holiday weekend to deliver crucial upgrades to South East London’s rail network. The essential bridge replacements and supplementary works took place under abnormal track possessions at Bellenden Road Underbridge (Southwark) and Westdown Road Underbridge (Lewisham). Both projects involved the replacement and reinstatement of two underbridges within a restricted 72-hour rail possession. The railway closures began at 01:20 on Saturday 26th May and finished at 04:00 on Tuesday 29th May. The bridges carry National Rail, London Overground and Thameslink commuter services, as well as providing a busy thoroughfare for railway freight services. The works were part of Network Rail’s overall £78m investment in key asset maintenance and upgrades to more than 600 infrastructure schemes throughout the country. Successful completion Commenting on the successful completion of the bridge projects, Leo Martin, GRAHAM’s Managing Director – Civil Engineering, stated: “Both schemes underline the technical expertise of our staff and supply chain, and their ability to deliver complex rail projects safely and to the highest standards within possession constraints. “When working in these challenging rail conditions, safe and timely project delivery is only possible through close collaboration between ourselves, Network Rail, our supply chain partners and stakeholders. This was a real team effort and everyone pulled together to ensure the successful completion of these projects.” Works As part of the Bellenden Road Underbridge upgrade, the GRAHAM team replaced the existing 12m single span deck with two new Network Rail standard U decks, which were 66t each. The Westdown Road Underbridge project also centred on the replacement of the existing 12.5m bridge with two new Network Rail standard U decks, which were 74t each. It included the replacement of new station platforms. Both projects featured propping to restrain the existing abutments from potential overturning, the removal of tracks and ballast, the demolition of the existing bridge and the installation of the new superstructure decks. New pre-cast concrete cill slabs were placed at each location. Additionally, the reinstatement and re-tamping of the tracks were completed before reopening to rail traffic. Complexity The works involved setting up heavy lift cranes, including a 350t crawler crane and a 500t mobile crane, on the roadways below each bridge location in advance of the railway closures. The complexity of the works was made even more challenging by the severe weather conditions over the bank holiday weekend, with heavy thunder and lightning hampering crane lifts at critical times, and the team having to resolve a number of unforeseen issues as the project progressed. At its peak, over 100 people were on site to deliver each respective project. Meticulous planning GRAHAM’s rail experts have been meticulously preparing for the works over recent months in conjunction with a specialist supply chain, stakeholders, TOCs / FOCs and Network Rail. GRAHAM’s Rail Director, Jonny Kerr, believes this advanced planning and teamwork was the key to the success of both projects. “These complex bridge replacements were completed by our teams through their meticulous planning and technical expertise. The team worked closely with our various supply chain partners, stakeholders and Network Rail and their partners to ensure that there was minimal disruption to the rail network,” said Jonny. “There was a tremendous amount of planning done in advance, which allowed us to progress each project smoothly even with the challenges presented. Additional factors, such as operational High Voltage and S&T cable routes, required support and protection during the works.“ “It’s a tremendous achievement and I’m very grateful to everyone who rose to the challenge. “We would like to thank the public for their patience during the closures.” Rail expertise GRAHAM has completed a broad portfolio of award-winning work within the rail sector. Examples of GRAHAM’s expertise in delivering complex construction within an operational railway include the “Live Launch” of a 55m span, 515t bridge structure over ten railways lines in South London, slope stabilisation works in South Wales and the construction of a new railway station in the Midlands.
The construction of a district heating scheme at the Clyde Gateway regeneration project in Glasgow will be supported by a funding deal, agreed by SHARC Energy Systems. The UK green energy firm will use its innovative wastewater heat recovery technology to generate the heating and cooling services for the site’s future occupiers, providing an initial 2MW of capacity, with room to expand further as the development grows. “We are delighted that we have achieved this significant milestone, enabling us to move confidently to construction over the next few weeks,” said Russ Burton, the Chief Operating Officer of SHARC Energy Systems. “It means we are now in a position to get going with the installation of our wastewater recovery systems at what is Scotland’s biggest regeneration project. It is a very exciting moment for all of the team at SHARC.” ““This project will enable us to further demonstrate our contribution to the Scottish Government’s ambitious and exciting energy decarbonisation and transition strategy, aimed at developing a low carbon economy for Scotland,” he added. SHARC has closed the initial funding of £3.7 million with repayable assistance from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition programme (LCITP), supported by the 2014-2020 European Regional Development Fund programmes. Moreover, the scheme is also supported with commercial loans and investments from the Energy Saving Trust, Clyde Gateway and SHARC International. “We are pleased to be supporting this innovative project in the heart of Glasgow,” said Anthony Kyriakides, Head of Renewables at Energy Saving Trust. “The project, part funded by the district heating loan fund that we manage on behalf of the Scottish Government will reduce carbon emissions, improve local air quality by utilising waste water heat recovery systems and support local jobs.” SHARC’s technology extracts the natural warmth contained within this water and transfers the heat to the clean side of the heating system via a heat exchange mechanism. The recovered heat is then amplified via heat pumps to generate the appropriate temperatures for use in all types of buildings. SHARC provides heating and cooling to customers through a heat supply agreement.
Despite the regulations the landlords must follow, there has been new research that claims that gas safety checks are slacking within the UK’s five million privately rented properties. It’s also, not just property owners that are slacking, small business energy users are also in the firing line as one in five are failing to have an annual gas safety check which could invalidate their insurance. It’s important that gas safety is taken serious and it’s not just about ticking the right boxes. A poorly fitted gas appliance can cause fuel leaks, fires and even explosions, as well as carbon monoxide poisoning. As a result, landlords who fail to comply with gas safety regulations can face tens of thousands of pounds in fines. With so many properties in the UK, and many lives-at stake, are the UK’s gas safety rules simply too lax? And how can landlords make sure their premises stay safe? Are we doing enough when it comes to gas safety? Currently, the gas safety regulations that impact landlords differ from place to place. Under the Landlord Licence Scheme, landlords must prove they’ve met the legal requirement for an annual gas safety check in all their properties before they can let them out. However, just 40 local authorities across the country currently operate a Landlord Licence Scheme in their area. This discrepancy has created a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to gas safety. It’s true that most landlords are quite aware of what’s required to keep their properties maintained and their tenants safe – yet there are still many properties being neglected by landlords who carry out suspect DIY heating repairs or skipping annual gas checks altogether. What’s more, with 7,500 unregistered gas fitters responsible for 250,000 illegal gas jobs in the UK every year, rogue traders are still very much a problem nationwide. As well as the limitations of the current rules and regulations, there’s also a lack of awareness amongst energy users to contend with. For example, a shocking number of small businesses that are using mains gas are failing to stay on top of gas safety in the workplace. In fact, a recent survey found that 23% had no idea that their gas appliances need to be checked on an annual basis – and a worrying 18% haven’t had a visit from a Gas Safe Engineer in the last year. What gas safety regulations mean for landlords With so many factors at play, the landlord’s role in keeping properties gas safe is crucial. So, how can landlords ensure their premises are fit for purpose – and keep energy users in the loop? Business gas supplier Flogas Energy gives a rundown of the steps to take: Keep all gas appliances and systems properly maintained This means always using a Gas Safe registered engineer to service your boiler and any other gas appliances, and to maintain any gas pipework and chimneys or flues. The manufacturer’s instructions should outline how often appliances should be serviced, but if these are not available then the Gas Safe Register recommends servicing once a year. Appliances owned by tenants don’t fall within this remit, and neither do flues that connect only to tenants’ appliances. Carry out an annual gas safety check You must arrange for a full gas safety check once a year – this is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer and covers all gas appliances and flues. Again, you don’t need to organise checks for any of your tenants’ own appliances (or flues that connect only to appliances owned by the tenant). Keep a record of all checks (and provide copies) All gas safety checks carried out in your property must be recorded on a Landlord Gas Safety form. As well as keeping a copy for yourself (for at least two years, or until a further two checks have been carried out), you must provide your tenants with their own copy within 28 days. For new tenants, it’s at the start of the tenancy, and for any rental periods shorter than 28 days, simply display the record in a prominent place in the property. What’s new in 2018? As of April this year, new regulations have been introduced that allow landlords to arrange their annual gas safety check up to two months in advance without impacting on the expiry date of the existing certificate. You can now arrange a new check any time within 10-12 months of the last one – and when the old certificate runs out, the new one will simply run for the next year. If for any reason you need to carry out a gas safety check less than 10 months (or more than 12 months) after the last one, the expiry date will be a year from when your new certificate is issued. It’s worth noting that landlords who make use of the new rules must keep their gas safety records until two further gas safety checks have been carried out. This new ‘MOT-style’ approach allows landlords to arrange a new check in plenty of time before the old one expires (without shortening its lifespan) – instead of rushing to book a visit from a Gas Safe engineer just before the deadline. It also makes it easier to keep track of renewal dates, as these stay the same each year. Because of this, the new 2018 rules have been welcomed by landlords. They’re a way to uphold the very highest gas safety standards – whilst making the checks process more flexible and straightforward all round. To find your local Gas Safe registered engineer, visit: www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
The future of energy is hard to determine, even for experts in the industry. At the 2017 Future Energy Scenarios event, the efficiency and future use of shale gas and biomethane was brought into the discussion. Here to analyse how the UK might benefit from both these forms of energy in the years to come is Flogas — a leading supplier of LPG storage tanks… The future of shale gas Shale and the fracking process are constantly in the news, with the idea of fracking production sites in the UK being a highly contentious issue. On one side, the UK government has argued that shale gas stands to deliver the nation with increased energy security, growth and jobs. However, there is a counter argument that the method for extracting shale gas — which involves water being injected into ‘shale’ rock formations at a high pressure to extract gas — runs the risk of having a ruinous impact on the environment. The process is also very expensive. Some criticisers of fracking have also made the argument that the process extends the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels. What’s more, others have said that it heightens the risk of water being polluted and has links to the number of earthquakes that take place. Steve Mason, of cross-party pressure group Frack Free United, commented: “This Tory government is backing fracking and forging on with a ludicrous dirty energy policy. It is time for them to wake up and listen to their own reports, the voice of the public in areas under threat and halt all fracking activity now.” However, few can argue with the success of fracking in the US, where it wasn’t too long ago that the country was importing large amounts of oil and gas. That changed when the US discovered the effectiveness of extracting shale gas, with the nation is now self-sufficient and exporting gas. Today, the UK finds itself in a similar situation to its allies across the pond, as it imports over 50 per cent of the gas it needs from overseas. However, a report by the British Geology Society published in 2012 suggested that there is a resource estimate of around 1,327 trillion cubic feet of gas found throughout the UK. Ineos’ CEO, Jim Ratcliffe (whose company has licences to frack in the UK in an area measuring one million acres) also said to The Guardian: “The future for manufacturing in the UK will look quite gloomy if we don’t exploit shale. I can’t see otherwise what is going to arrest the decline in British manufacturing.” The future of biomethane gas The bonus of biomethane for most is that it is a completely green energy source. This is because the gas occurs naturally from the anaerobic digestion of organic matter, which can be sourced from manure, organic waste, sewage and both dead animal and plant matter. Biomethane is also a sustainable method of sourcing gas that means those in the industry will not need to rely on extracting natural gas from the ground, as the two are the same type of gas. Already in the UK, we can read about major success regarding biomethane. For instance, Severn Trent Water was successful in opening a facility at its Minworth Sewage Treatment Works in 2014, whereby biogas from the anaerobic digestion process is converted so that it can be used within the domestic gas supply. The facility was the largest gas-to-grid plant found in the UK at the time of its opening, with 1,200 cubic metres of biogas able to be converted into 750 cubic metres of biomethane each hour. This biomethane can then be injected into the National Gas Grid. However, some people are still unclear as to how biomethane works and its general procedure as a sustainable energy source. Explaining the setup of the Minworth Sewage Treatment Works gas-to-grid plant, Severn Trent Water’s renewable energy development manager said: “As part of the sewage treatment process, sewage sludge is produced. At Minworth we feed this to our 16 anaerobic digesters, or ‘concrete cows’, which work like giant cow’s stomachs to digest the waste material to produce energy in the form of gas. “Currently, we use 40 per cent of this energy to make electricity, but more can be done – that’s where this new process comes in. With treatment, gas from sewage is made clean enough and at the right consistency to be injected into the gas supply network to power homes in the area. It’s local gas produced from local people.” Of course, like shale gas and fracking, biomethane has also hit the headlines. A year after the launch of the Minworth Sewage Treatment Works gas-to-grid facility, popular chain, Sainsbury’s, made its Cannock superstore the first to be powered entirely by the food waste created by the retailer. Prior to 2015, Sainsbury’s had the following principles: Any other unsold food was turned into animal feed. Any unsold food which was still suitable for human consumption would be given to charities. Any surplus unsold food was delivered to Biffa’s advanced anaerobic digestion facility, located in Cannock. When food is delivered to Biffa’s facility, it is broken down to create biomethane gas. This gas is then used to generate electricity. Soon, both Biffa and Sainsbury’s thought they could make use of the Cannock superstore’s close proximity to the advanced anaerobic digestion facility. As a result, the two companies created and installed a 1.5km cable between the pair of buildings so that the plant can provide a direct supply of renewable electricity to the superstore. Regarding prices, the investment was well worth the cost it took to create the set-up. £280,000 of investment was put towards the project — which covered the setup of power cables, switch gears and the covering of all legal fees — and Sainsbury’s estimated that it had the potential to save in the region of £140,000 in just one year due to relying less on the National Grid for day-to-day power supplies. Could this spell
Vital Energi was awarded a £5.6 million contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea. This marks a new stage in the company’s long-standing relationship with developers Berkeley. Vital Energi will provide the combined heat and power solution for 955 apartments over 12 blocks, along with low temperature hot water and chilled water systems. The design was made by environmental engineers Max Fordham, with the basement energy centre including a combined heat and power engine, two 1300kw gas boilers and four 550kw chillers. The development at Battersea is one of the first projects to be delivered by St William, a joint venture between Berkeley Group and National Grid. This collaboration will unlock some of the most technically complex regeneration sites in London and the South of England, into residential and mixed use spaces and will see the transformation of 33 sites, providing over 14,000 homes within the next 10 to 15 years. “We are excited to be working with the Berkeley Group again on an exciting new venture, and to be part of this fantastic project that will see further regeneration to the area. Prince of Wales Drive will be a beautiful development, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide the energy solution for the project,” said Rob Callaghan, regional director London from Vital Energi. Vital Energi and Berkeley Group have worked together on 16 other projects and their relationship spans back to 2006 when they worked on the Royal Arsenal, Riverside development. Vital Energi provides sustainable and renewable energy solutions in the public and private sectors and is responsible for many of the UK’s most prestigious energy projects. It can deliver all aspects of a project from energy management, generation and distribution along with metering and billing and long-term asset management or ESCo partnership.
A former environmental consultancy from Preston has rebranded as 52M Consulting and relaunched to provide a range of stakeholder engagement services in support of ‘controversial’ yet critical infrastructure developments. Managing director, Lee Petts, said: “There were over 11,000 Town and Country planning appeals decided in England during 2016 and 2017. That’s a lot of development being rejected at a local level, and amounts to a huge amount of additional expense for the companies bringing forward those plans, not to mention the public purse. “Developers can avoid some of the risks of local authority refusal by better engaging with potentially affected stakeholders and improving community relations. This is particularly important in the case of contentious infrastructure. “We’re taking the skills and lessons learnt in our sustainability and corporate responsibility practice, and repurposing them to help get more critical infrastructure built for everybody’s benefit.” The company is no stranger to controversial developments. Since 2012, it’s worked closely with the fracking company Cuadrilla, and has previously worked with companies seeking to build recycling facilities and landfill extensions. 52M Consulting says it will focus on five key sectors in which developments are often labelled as controversial. These include large-scale renewables, new road and rail, onshore oil and gas, housing and waste. In a recent online poll of over 1,200 respondents, it found that waste sites and oil and gas extraction sites jointly proved to be the least popular forms of development nationally, followed by new housing, road and rail, and, lastly, wind and solar farms. John Kersey, Non-Executive Chairman and a former Fairness Commissioner for Lancashire County Council, added: “People living in communities that are being asked to host new infrastructure want to feel as if they have a genuine say. It’s only fair. But, sometimes, even if it’s not something they want on their doorstep, it will still have to proceed because there’s a pressing need. “If we’re to meet our climate change commitments, for instance, we need to build-out more large-scale renewables developments. If we want to boost energy security by weaning ourselves off imported gas, we need to develop our shale gas resources. And if we want to avoid landfill for our waste, we need greater recycling and waste-to-energy capacity. We have to put this infrastructure somewhere. In part, our job is to help build acceptance by helping otherwise reluctant communities to see things differently and by involving them more.”
Re-using the deepest base metal mine in Europe enhances Finnish renewable energy storage and climate strategies. According to a feasibility study report made by Pöyry Energy GmbH this unique project can now be realized. Energy Storage in Mine project financed by the Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centers) shows that the underground energy storage plant can be put into practice after the mine closure in late 2019. The concept which is based on pumped hydroelectric energy, closed water circulation and existing mine infrastructure in the 1400 meters depth of the Pyhäsalmi Mine, have “no impact” on the environment. In pumping mode, electric energy is converted to potential energy and stored in the form of water at an upper elevation. Pumping the water uphill for temporary storage “recharges the battery”. Pyhäjärvi energy storage explained in a video here. The estimated construction time of the plant will be 3 years and its operational lifetime more than 50 years. Based on the economic analysis and market modelling of Pöyry Energy GmbH, 75 MW electrical power and 530 MWh capacity would be the most profitable. Installed capacity from 50 MW to 400 MW has been studied. Pyhäjärvi’s future is Storage – a large, mature, and profitable utility-scale technology Pyhäjärvi’s “water battery” is based on mature technology used in more than 96 % of world’s energy storages. In addition to its long operational lifetime, generous size of the energy storage (7 h), high volume of the water reservoir (162 000 m3) and great effectiveness (77 %), it has minimal operating costs with limited maintenance and replacement investments. Distribution of potential income streams from total multimarket trading potential could be 9,5M€/year for 75 MW installation according to the study by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Finland is planning to become the first country in the world phasing out use of coal for energy by 2025 Finland will begin exploring the possibility of phasing out the use of coal in energy production five years ahead of schedule, by 2025, reveals Kimmo Tiilikainen (Centre), the Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing. Finland’s coal use, he adds, currently falls in its entirety within the scope of the emissions trading scheme of the EU. Because most low-carbon electricity resources cannot flexibly adjust their output to match fluctuating power demands, there is an increasing need for electricity storages in Finland. Pumped storage enables more wind and solar Pyhäjärvi’s plant has the advantage of being able to positively impact all three elements of the energy trilemma: reliability, affordability and emissions reduction. Other technologies such as batteries can meet some but not all aspects. Pumped storage hydropower enables greater integration of other renewables especially wind and solar into the grid by utilizing excess generation, and being ready to produce power during low wind and solar generation periods. It also has the ability to quickly ramp electricity generation up in response to periods of peak demand. Inquiries: Mr Sakari Nokela Program director, Callio Mobile: +358 40 1809 511 Email: sakari.nokela(at)pyhajarvi.fi
