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From multi-million pound flooding prevention schemes, to major asset optimisation deals, this week there are several innovative and interesting projects happening around the sector.

Utility Week takes a look at some of these in more detail.

Anglian Water

Anglian Water has announced it will begin a £1.7 million project to install a new section of water main in Holbrook, Ipswich on Monday (30 September).

The work will see 2km of pipe laid in the area, and is expected to last for nine months, being completed in June 2020.

It will help to improve the existing water network, ensuring a resilient water supply for the future in Holbrook, Shotley and Stutton.

EDF Energy

EDF Energy has announced an asset optimisation deal with energy investment firm Gresham House.

The deal will see EDF and technology partner Upside Energy provide wholesale market optimisation for 24MW of assets.

Specifically EDF will optimise 20W of battery storage and 4MW of generation assets owned by the Gresham House Energy Storage Fund. The deal will see EDF and Upside open up all revenue streams available in the market today for these assets, including ancillary services, load shifting and wholesale optimisation.

EDF’s Powershift platform will optimise assets at Gresham House’s Rufford and Littlebrook sites, which have a combined 24MW of battery storage and generation assets. The Powershift platform will provide three categories of revenue, including

  • Ancillary services, where EDF Energy will manage the asset on all the services and programmes available through National Grid;
  • Load shifting, which will see EDF dispatch assets according to non-energy costs and EDF TRIAD forecasts;
  • Wholesale optimisation, for which EDF will apply their deep knowledge of the energy market and dispatch each asset against day ahead, within day and cash out prices, as well using the balancing mechanism.

Upside Energy, whose algorithms and artificial intelligence systems match energy demand with available supply, will work alongside EDF as controls partner.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water has unveiled a £4.8 million investment to tackle flooding in Bearsden and Drumchapel.

The work begins on 14 October and is expected to last until February 2021.

It involves the upsizing of a local sewer and more than half a mile of pipework being installed to upgrade the existing sewer network and help reduce the risk of flooding for properties currently affected by internal or external flooding.

The “fully-integrated” flooding solution being constructed on this project has been developed in conjunction with Glasgow City Council and East Dunbartonshire Council.

Scottish Water says it has come into being through the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership (MGSDP) – a collaborative partnership formed by organisations involved with the operation of the sewerage and drainage network within the metropolitan Glasgow area.

The work is being carried out by Scottish Water’s alliance partner amey Black and Veatch (aBV) and its specialist contractors.

UK Power Networks

UK Power Networks (UKPN) says it has successfully trialled a device which freed up 95MW of additional network capacity – enough to power 45,000 homes.

UKPN says its LoadShare trial has already saved customers £8 million, and enabled enough renewable power to run 45,000 homes to safely connect to a previously constrained point in the local electricity network.

LoadShare solved a “critical pinch point” on a power line near the Essex/Suffolk border, by allowing more electricity generated from renewable sources to feed into the system – without building costly and disruptive new electrical cabling and substations.

The devices were installed on three steel overhead lines near Lawford running between large electrical substations.

The technology “intelligently and instantly” routes power through the cables which have available capacity, maximising use of the existing network.

With the £5.5 million investment between Bramford and Lawford a success, UKPN now plans to deploy the technology in other areas.