NEWS |
CECA warns against complacency as workloads rise
I N F RA ST RU CT UR E CONTRACTORS are warning against complacency after workloads in the sector jumped up to a six year high. The
warning follows
the results of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) workload trends survey for Q3 2013, which reveals a significant rise in the number of companies reporting increasing activity.
According to the survey, 58% of firms are seeing
more work in the past 12 months than the same period a year ago.
Just 14% reported falling workload,
balance of 44%. CECA said
producing this is
a “a
massive rise” on the figures for Q2, where the balance was –2%. Workload figures have
been in the red throughout much of the downturn. The last time figures were more positive was in 2007. Contractors expect these positive conditions to continue, with a balance of
SWW HQ goes solar
million kilowatt hours of solar energy to date. Project
Pearce, left, on the roof of Peninsula House with South West Water’s director of engineering, Graham Murphy
HUNDREDS OF solar panels have been installed on the roof of South West Water’s (SWW) headquarters in Exeter. The 860 panels, each measuring 1,650mm
by 941mm,
are capable of producing 210,000kWh of electricity each year – more than 10% of the building’s annual electricity use – all of which will be used on site. The scheme is part of SWW’s ongoing commitment to increase its renewable energy generation.
The company
has already installed solar panels at 32 operational sites across Devon and Cornwall, and generated more than two
manager James
Pearce said: “We installed our first batch of solar panels at six sites in December 2011 and until now all our arrays have been at water and sewage treatment works so it’s great that we have been able to install panels at our head office. “Adding more solar panels is part of our drive to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and help combat climate change. We also operate hydro-electric and biogas plants and a wind turbine, and the new solar panels will help to further develop our renewable energy capability.” The savings from the reduction in electricity purchased from the national grid and the income from the feed-in tariff at some sites will help keep energy costs – which are ultimately passed on to the company’s customers – down.
COMING EVENTS JANUARY
Water Industry Asset Management January 28: Birmingham; W:
www.wwt-asset.net
MARCH World Water Tech Investment Summit March 10-12: London; W:
www.worldwater.rethinkevents. com-
APRIL
Water Industry Achievement Awards
April 1, 2014; Hilton Birmingham Metropole Birmingham
www.waterindustryachievementawards.info
IWEX Water Live April 1-3; NEC, Birmingham W:
www.sustainabilitylive.com/content/iwex
2011.06.23 980.3 l/s
05:56:19 0 A
1.55 m 352.5 A
CA 511
3 0
MAIN Low level
0.15 kWh/m3 1827 l/s
353.8 A 354.1 A
PUMP 3 PUMP 2 PUMP 1
m
P3 P4 P1 P2
07:25:58 STATUS 07:28:10 SETTING TREND 07:30:26 ALARM
ACKN. PUMP 4
Esc
1 ,.
4
ghi 7
pqrs * 2 abc
5 jkl
8
tuv 0
3
def 6
mno 9
wxyz #
edieWater events Check out
www.edie.net/water for details of more conferences, training courses and similar events
Pumps, mixers, compressors and control that save energy – plus time and money
The ABS EffeX Revolution started with a pump. As the first submersible equipment with an IE3 motor, the ABS submersible sewage pump XFP offered world- class energy savings already in 2009.
Now the ABS EffeX range is complete – making pre- mium efficiency available in all key applications.
Revolutionary Energy Savings With a full range of premium-efficiency wastewater products, you can save energy throughout collection and treatment. Individual ABS EffeX products save as much as 25-30%, which makes all the difference at today’s energy prices.
Sulzer Pumps
www.sulzer.com
World-class efficiency
40% predicting they will have more work in a year’s time than now.
CECA director of external affairs Alasdair Reisner welcomed the boost to activity, but warned that concerns remained for the sector.
He said: “After the challenges of recent years it is encouraging to see some real growth in workload for the UK’s civil engineering contractors. “We recognise that this growth has been supported by the actions
of government, which has worked with industry to unlock vital infrastructure investment projects across the country.
However it is essential that as the wider economy returns to growth, there is no loss of focus on the continuing need to invest in our national transport and utility networks. “A
booming economy
does not remove the need to tackle congestion and energy security – in fact it makes tackling these issues even more critical.”
Balfour’s Support Services shows resilience
INTERNATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE group Balfour Beatty says trading within its Support Services division has been “consistent with expectations” in the third quarter of its financial year, saying it is demonstrating resilience in a challenging economic environment. In a trading statement covering June 29 to November 4,
2013, the group said that the division’s order book benefited from a Herefordshire Council contract to offset the run-off in the utilities order book “as we approach” the end of the AMP5 cycle. The division’s revenue grew year-on-year
in the third
quarter with a particularly strong performance in the power transmission and local authority businesses. The division is on track to meet our expectations for the full year, said the group. Balfour Beatty said trading during the quarter in all if its divisions developed as expected apart from Professional Services, where there was further deterioration in the Australia business in terms of both volume and pricing. It expects “this weakness” to continue in the fourth quarter but at group level current market expectations are forecast to be met for 2013.
inevery wastewaterproduct The Heart of Your Process
Need proof? Scan the QR code or visit
www.ABSEffeX.com
December 2013 | WET News | 3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28