In an exclusive opinion poll, conducted on behalf of the not-for-profit trade association Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), in the middle of the current energy crisis, the public have blamed the government for the current gas crisis and have demanded the fast-tracking of alternative energy sources to heat their homes.
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network design and construction companies, has created two new roles to spearhead its business growth plans. The company has promoted Gary Smith to Head of Residential Sales and Craig Downie to Head of Commercial Sales to help drive the implementation of
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU) is generating growth in the peaking plant market, recently working alongside project managers Stag Energy, and Keekle Power, to bring a 20MW gas peaking plant online near Southampton to help National Grid balance its power requirements. The plant will enable Keekle Power to provide low cost,
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network construction specialists, has appointed David Burbidge as Managing Director for England and Wales to drive growth in residential markets and to build on its success in commercial energy schemes. David brings 30 years’ energy, utilities and asset management expertise to
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
In an exclusive opinion poll, conducted on behalf of the not-for-profit trade association Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), in the middle of the current energy crisis, the public have blamed the government for the current gas crisis and have demanded the fast-tracking of alternative energy sources to heat their homes. The 2,000 respond representative sample of the UK population when asked who was to blame for the current crisis, said the government and energy suppliers shared responsibility, with 26.4% blaming the energy suppliers; 24.9% the government; 12.9% the regulator Ofgem. 40.5% of respondents blamed all three. Overwhelmingly, three out of four people asked (74.4%) agreed that the government should keep the price cap for energy bills in place, placing a limit on bill increases, rather than allowing the market to determine the price for energy. What’s more, two-thirds of those asked (66.1%), confessed to being worried about being able to afford to keep warm this winter and 64.9% believe any increase in household energy bills above £10 a month was unacceptable. Crucially, UK homeowners are now looking for government action on energy to prevent a repeat of the gas crisis. More than nine in ten (95.8%) thought it important for the government to invest in alternative sources of energy such as zero carbon hydrogen and only one in four (24.6%) wanted to see gas central heating removed from homes to be replaced with electric appliances. Commenting on these results, Mike Foster the CEO of Energy and Utilities Alliance said: “These results are shockingly clear. The government cannot be comfortable knowing that two-thirds of people are genuinely worried about being able to keep warm this winter. “But consumers don’t want to pay higher energy bills and are blaming the government and energy suppliers for the problems they now face. Any increases above a tenner a month are seen as unacceptable.” “There is also a very clear message being sent about future energy policy. Consumers expect, actually they are demanding, that the government invests in alternative sources of energy, such as zero carbon hydrogen, to avoid a repeat of what we are going through. When 96 per cent of the public support something, politicians had better listen.” “The current crisis is further proof that we need to decarbonise our gas network, using zero carbon gases such as hydrogen and keep costs down by adopting hydrogen-ready boilers. “What our politicians must avoid at all costs is a ‘dash for electricity’. These results clearly show that there is real concern over electricity prices and the consequences for consumers if we try and convert homes from gas for heating. What’s more, the electricity grid will not be able to withstand the extra demand being placed upon it in winter months.” For more information on renewable heating and to see the EUA’s latest report, Too Close to Home, visit: https://eua.org.uk/too-close-to-home/
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network design and construction companies, has created two new roles to spearhead its business growth plans. The company has promoted Gary Smith to Head of Residential Sales and Craig Downie to Head of Commercial Sales to help drive the implementation of a sector-based expansion strategy. “As a business, we have enjoyed consistent growth over the last few years and have built a significant customer base among residential and industrial and commercial developers,” said Steven Lynch, EAU Group Commercial Director. “We see huge potential in both sectors and introducing these new roles will build capacity at a strategic level while at the same time sharpening our sales activities. This organisational change will ensure we optimise the value of our offer based on the needs of our customers, whether they are housebuilders or commercial developers.” EAU has offices across Britain and provides multi-utility design and construction services covering gas, electricity, fibre and water networks. The company possesses a strong pipeline of projects covering housebuilding and large commercial schemes. In their new roles, Gary and Craig will support the wider business development team, while their respective sector focus and knowledge will strengthen EAU’s engagement with utilities construction opportunities in residential and commercial markets. www.energyassets.co.uk/multi-utility/utility-installation
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU) is generating growth in the peaking plant market, recently working alongside project managers Stag Energy, and Keekle Power, to bring a 20MW gas peaking plant online near Southampton to help National Grid balance its power requirements. The plant will enable Keekle Power to provide low cost, dispatchable power to the local distribution system and fulfil its Capacity Market obligation. Peaking plants are being created across Britain and come into operation when there is a peak in demand for power from the electricity grid. EAU is one of the leading utility network construction businesses working in the sector, having completed more than 40 such schemes. The latest project involved the design and construction of a particularly complex gas infrastructure, including a 140m directional drill under the main Southampton railway line to connect the site to the gas network. The 10 gas fired reciprocating engines generating the electricity required a gas load of 54MW at around 250mb inlet pressure. Dennis Habergham, EAU Design & Technical Manager, said that a root protection area meant open-trench digging works were not feasible, so a non-intrusive directional drilling approach was employed instead. “The undercrossing of the railway was another one of the major challenges,” said Dennis. “We originally planned a total drill length of 120m passing 7m below the track level, but we had to contend with an unforeseen World War II concrete structure, which meant going deeper and extending the drill length to 140m. The completed supply pipeline was then connected to an IP to LP gas regulator/ meter skid also installed by EAU.” Joe Grant, Project Manager at Stag Energy, said that peaking power plants were playing an increasingly important role in balancing the nation’s power requirements due to the increased volume of intermittent renewables which require balancing. “This plant will provide power to local homes and businesses at times of high demand or unexpected drops in supply,” he said. “The site was selected for its proximity to the nearby electricity sub-station and was originally going to be a diesel site, but regulatory change meant it was then developed as a gas operation. We spoke to a number of contractors, but Energy Assets had a wealth of experience in technically challenging projects and we are really pleased with the job they have done here.” EAU spotted an opportunity in the peaking plant market around four years ago and has since developed a specialist design and network construction team that has gone on to complete more than 40 schemes on behalf of operators. Nathan Schofield, Sales and Marketing Director at EAU, commented: “In addition to our established gas network construction and metering operations, we have also extended our in-house electrical design capability, so that we can deliver a true ‘end-to-end’ service for peaking plant customers. Today, we are one of the leading utility network design and construction companies in this sector in Britain.” Picture shows the peaking plant near Southampton (aerial image). www.energyassets.co.uk
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network construction specialists, has appointed David Burbidge as Managing Director for England and Wales to drive growth in residential markets and to build on its success in commercial energy schemes. David brings 30 years’ energy, utilities and asset management expertise to his new role, having served in senior management positions with Power On Connections, Eon and Babcock International. “I am very excited to be joining EAU at a time of significant opportunity for the business,” said David. “We are expanding our utility network construction capabilities to include fibre-to-the-home to satisfy growing demand among housebuilders for a one-stop solution to all their utility needs. “At the same time, we continue to invest in our success in commercial Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) schemes, while actively exploring emerging opportunities in the distributed generation market.” David will be responsible for EAU operations based at Northampton and Birstall (West Yorkshire). His focus is on developing an agile connections business that sets the standard for network construction, meets all customer utility requirements through a unified service offering, and creates asset ownership opportunities for the Energy Assets Group. He will also play a key role in driving EAU’s strategy to expand the reach of the company’s products and services across Britain. Says David: “I am delighted to be part of a team with a clear vision for the future, working alongside like-minded people who share the same ambition, values and principles.” On 1st February 2019, EAU announced that all of its utility network design and construction operations, including Future Energy Group and Dragon Infrastructure Solutions, were being rebranded as Energy Assets Utilities. The company employs 300 people and also has operational centres in Livingston and Alva in Scotland. www.energyassets.co.uk
