INDUSTRY NEWS
SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT OF THE UK’S PROTOTYPE FUSION POWER PLANT Matthew Gallimore, Assystem’s chief sales officer,
Assystem has been awarded two contracts by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to support the development of ‘STEP’ (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), the UK’s prototype fusion power plant that will demonstrate the commercial viability of fusion energy. In the first contract, Assystem has been
selected as key partner on the STEP Fuel Cycle Tritium Engineering Framework. The second contract involves the assessment of different
designs for STEP’s ‘breeder blanket’, the first-of- a-kind component responsible for creating the tritium fuel required for successful fusion. Assystemand its partners, Thornton Tomasetti,
will work with STEP’s research teamto develop software capable of undertaking simulations to help define breeder blanket designs that can produce enough tritium to advance the project to the next phase of simulation and testing, moving us closer to achieving commercially viable fusion energy.
EDF SIGNS PPAWITH RWE TO PURCHASE ELECTRICITY FROMSOFIA OFFSHOREWIND FARM
EDF has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with RWE to purchase renewable electricity fromthe Sofia wind farm. Due to start generating power in 2025 and set for full generation in 2026, this will be one of the largest single
offshore wind farms in the world. EDF will offtake all of the 6.5-terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable wind energy that Sofia will produce each year. This equates to almost half of the electricity used in the North East of England annually, or the equivalent of the power needs of over 1.2 million homes. With offshore installation expected to begin in 2023 and project completion
due in 2026, Sofia will have a capacity of 1.4GW, stretched across an area of ocean around the same size as the Isle of Man (593 sq km), and will consist of 100 turbines each standing at 252m tall. Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind, at RWE Renewables, said: “The UK
plays a key role in RWE’s strategy to grow its renewables business and to become carbon neutral by 2040. Sofia will be one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world once constructed. The signing of the PPA with EDF demonstrates our ability to support electricity suppliers in
providing CO2-free power to their customers.” RWE is currently constructing the Sofia and Triton Knoll offshore wind farms
which, when completed, will expand RWE’s current UK portfolio of nine offshore wind farms. It also recently signed Agreements for Lease with The Crown Estate to develop extension projects at four offshore wind farms.
www.edfenergy.com
COMMENT
been more important, with COP26 highlighting the need for countries across the world to come up with
W
solutions to tackle global warming. One idea highlighted was the installation of heat
pumps in commercial and domestic properties, so on page 22 we take a look at commercial heat pumps.
How do they work?What are their advantages and disadvantages? How much do they cost to install? And will they save youmoney? However, not only are heat pumps not suitable for all properties, but
their cost could be a reason why some people choose not to install them. So on page 14 we look at some alternative solutions - condensing boilers that operate on a 20%hydrogen blend, and hybrid systems that combine electric air source heat pumps with a gas boost froma boiler. Either way, it is now time to think about the future, and speaking to
experts will help to ensure you have the best solution for your property, while lowering costs and helping the UK reach its net zero target.
Rachael Morling - Editor
elcome to the Winter issue of Energy Management. The need to reduce energy consumption and emissions has never
said: “STEP is a globally significant project in the development of fusion energy as it takes us a step closer to the commercial phase of this new technology. The teams at Assystem bring strong experience in fusion gained on JET and ITER and we are excited to be creating more jobs in fusion development through these latest contract wins.”
www.assystem.com
https://step.ukaea.uk/
CENTRICA ACQUIRES MINORITY STAKE IN BREAK- THROUGH HYDROGEN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Centrica is taking a minority stake in HiiROC, the hydrogen production technology company helping to combat climate change with affordable
hydrogen produced at scale, but without CO2 emissions. HiiROC has completed a c. £26 million funding raise with new investors including Melrose Industries, HydrogenOne, Centrica, Hyundai, and Kia, who join existing strategic investors Wintershall Dea and VNG. HiiROC’s proprietary technology converts biomethane, flare gas or natural gas into clean hydrogen and carbon black, through an electrolysis process using
thermal plasma. This results in zero CO2 ‘turquoise hydrogen’ at a comparable cost to steammethane reforming, but without the emissions and using only one fifth of the energy required by water electrolysis. TimDavies, HiiROC’s CEO, commented: “We are delighted to have completed
thismajor funding for the business at this extremely exciting stage in our development. Our technology will produce low-cost, zero emission hydrogen, delivered to customers on amodular, scalable basis at the point of demand.”
www.centricabusinesssolutions.com
TIDAL TURBINE AGREEMENT
Nova Innovation and Atlantis Energy have entered a collaboration agreement with the goal of delivering more UK-built tidal turbines. The focus initially is on the commitment to deliver Nova and Atlantis turbines at theMeyGen site, which is the largest fully consented and operational tidal streamsite in the world. This collaboration will see Nova and
Atlantis work together to deliver their complementary technologies for the tidal industry, Scotland and the UK. Collectively, Atlantis and Nova operate the world’s first offshore tidal array (installed by Nova in Shetland in 2016) and the world’s largest tidal array (6MW Meygen array installed by Atlantis in the Pentland Firth). Between the companies, they have delivered over half of the tidal stream devices operational worldwide and are developing sites in the UK, Canada, Japan and France. Both companies deploy subsea turbines which generate predictable renewable power with no visual impact.
www.simecatlantis.com
www.novainnovation.com
4 ENERGY MANAGEMENT - Winter 2021 NEWS IN BRIEF
Due to launch in January 2022, vinyl record factory, Press On Vinyl (
https://pressonvinyl.com/), will be powering its new 15,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility using liquid gas from Flogas. By doing so, the company is set to save a substantial 77%on its energy costs. The Flogas teaminstalled a liquid gas solution which feeds directly through to two 260kWsteamboilers.
www.flogas.co.uk/business
A free guide to upcoming heat network regulations, policy and funding has been published by Switch2 Energy to help district and community heating suppliers prepare for key changes ahead. “Major transformation of the
heat networkmarket is coming soon and heat suppliers must be ready to adhere to new regulatory and technical standards affecting all areas of operation,” said Richard Harrison, CEO of Switch2 Energy. Download the guide at:
https://content.switch2.co.uk/ guide-to-new-heat-network- regulations-and-policy
www.energymanagementmag.co.uk
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