If Benjamin Franklin could see the way electricity has transformed the world we live in, I doubt he would be able to believe his eyes. For over 120 years we have used this amazingly versatile energy source for just about everything. It even drives the pace of innovation and is currently seen as instrumental in resolving the rapidly growing demand for green technologies.
The first power plants were fuelled by wood, whereas today it is commonplace to use water, coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuel to power our electricity generation. The average person in the UK uses 1,930 ‘units’ or kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each and every year and total domestic electricity demand is in excess of 116 Billion units per annum, making up approximately one third of the UK’s total demand. In addition to this, Industry consumes in excess of 119 Billion units. Few realise that this electricity is generated by over 250 power stations operating in the UK, 90% of which involves the burning of fossil fuels.
When you think of the size of the UK population in relation to even just the developed world you begin to get a perspective of just how huge the global energy industry has become - and it’s still growing! The UK’s electricity is mostly generated by burning a diverse mix of fuels: 37% from gas-fired power stations, 34% from coal, 20% from nuclear, 5% from renewable sources and 1% from oil. The remaining 4% comes from other sources. (Source: DTi, 2006) About one third of the UK’s coal-fired power station capacity – approximately 8GW (giga watts) has to be decommissioned no later than 2015 as a direct response to EU environmental legislation. In addition, more than 10GW of the UK’s nuclear power stations are also set to close by 2023. Taking these factors into consideration, along with the anticipated natural increase in demand, the UK is predicted to require approximately 25GW of new electricity generating capacity – equivalent to more than 30% of today’s capacity. So are we going to generate it ourselves or buy it in? I suspect the answer is probably a combination of both. This is more a function of inadequate forward planning and lack of investment rather than any particular government strategy.
The decommissioning and subsequent demolition of power stations on such a large scale in the UK offers some significant short term benefits for the Specialist Access Industry. There will clearly be a major opportunity for experienced specialist companies who can provide piecemeal demolition in full compliance with all the latest working at height regulations.In the longer term, it is imperative that such Specialist Access companies diversify their core business in order to meet the changing needs of not just the UK’s but the world’s energy & utility industry. This is big business. Demolition will be followed by new construction, augmentation and refitting using greener technologies and environmentally friendly materials. The demand will be high but will we have the skilled workforce to meet this? Again I fear the answer is no. If not, the door will be open for non-UK companies to enter the UK market.
It is anticipated that, without changes to the current market framework, many of the closing power stations will be replaced by gas-fired power stations or coal fired power stations with clean gas technology. If so we could see an increase in gas-fired electricity generation from 37% to 55% by 2020, which would fundamentally change the face of the energy industry. (Source: DTi, 2006). Yet such an increase in the UK would have relatively little impact on the Specialist Access Industry. The composition of the flue gases is comparatively inert and as such does not negatively impact upon the chimney itself. Consequently many see the future of working on gas-fired power stations lies in the cyclical inspections and minor maintenance projects. This may be true, however, power stations in Europe are all registered under the Large Combustion Plant Directive (2001) which states that the power stations must either fit Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems to extend their operating life or run them down to zero operating hours. The current position for many power stations in Europe is that they have fitted FGD systems but not lined their chimneys with corrosion resistant materials to ensure that the sulphuric gases do not attack and weaken the chimney lining. The net result of which is that there is yet another significant opportunity here for UK Specialist Access companies to carry out online chimney inspections and the subsequent maintenance and repair work required. More importantly, this enables UK companies to gain a successful foothold in Europe.
Renewable Energy
For those who already feel the media is overdosing on this subject I can assure you there is much more to come. With ever-increasing pressure (both scientific and political) to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions, renewable energy is now firmly established as an integral part of the Government’s long-term energy strategy. The utilities sector cannot afford to ignore this and nor can we. The Government has committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 and firmly believes that they can realise their goals of generating 20% of our electricity from renewable sources by just 2020. This is a tall order in my opinion but once again it offers up substantial opportunities for companies who can aid the achievement of such objectives. Generating electricity using renewable energy sources produces very little carbon dioxide or other dangerous greenhouse gases and as such should enable the UK to reduce emissions and help us play our part (albeit a very small one) in the task of tackling global warming.
So we can expect to see an increase in the production of electricity from sources such as the sun, wind, waves, tides as well as biomass. Any effective alternative fuel source which reduces our current dependency on fossil fuels will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms. The processing of such new fuels offers new construction, maintenance and enhancement opportunities for Specialist Access Companies.
Currently 1.7GW of electricity is supplied to the National Grid from both onshore and offshore wind turbines and evidence from the DTi suggests that onshore and offshore winds will continue to provide an increasing proportion of the UK’s overall energy supplies. For those who may still be sceptical about such new technologies, there are also over 11GW42 of renewable projects currently in the planning stages throughout the UK, all designed to increase our “green” electricity generation and reduce our national carbon footprint. Furthermore, over the past decade, significant developments have been seen in adapting and modifying redundant chimneys to accommodate glass lining, solar panels and centrifugal wind turbines and we can expect to see an increase in the need to install solar panels to chimneys as well as to a wide variety of tall structures across the UK. Don’t say you weren’t warned! Having said all of the above, to accommodate their remote locations, wind turbines are designed to be relatively maintenance free. The Specialist Access Industry may see only a small increase in the need for inspections, maintenance and repair work to on and offshore wind turbines that are particularly difficult to access. However, we could see an increase in the need for obstruction lighting (aircraft warning lights) to be fitted to onshore wind turbines that are erected in the flight paths of airports, as well as navigation lights to offshore wind farms. Other renewable sources of energy such as photovoltaic’s, wave and hydro generation offer some minor inspection and maintenance work which we can expect to become more commonplace.
Co-firing
The burning of biomass alongside the burning of conventional fossil fuels has been recommended as transitory technology to encourage the establishment of biomass supply chains. This technique for generating electricity is unlikely to have much impact on the Specialist Access Industry as the technology required can be used by existing power stations. That said, there would be an opportunity here to carry out the modifications required to the power stations to enable them to process such biomass. The majority of the UK’s coal-fired power stations burn a percentage of blended biomass and any other matter that has a calorific value. The burning of biomass has little implications for the plant or the chimney itself, other than there being increased moisture content in the gas stream. Under normal operating regimes the flue gases are maintained above the acid and water dew point temperature, meaning that the gases cannot condense until they leave the stack and hit the atmosphere. The Specialist Access Industry needs to gear up and think bigger. We are superbly placed to assist the large energy companies not just in the UK but throughout the world by offering credible expert technical advice to maximise their asset effectiveness, environmental and legal compliance, particularly with regards to new build, maintenance regimes and repair solutions.
The next 10 years will be fascinating as we see a fundamental shift in the nature and scale of the work we undertake – moving from detailed surveys and general chimney maintenance to comprehensive decommissioning projects, demolition work and the construction of new, greener power stations. I for one can’t wait!
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