Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant SUPPLYING 82 THOUSAND HOMES WITH CLEAN AND GREEN ELECTRICITY

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant SUPPLYING 82 THOUSAND HOMES WITH CLEAN AND GREEN ELECTRICITY"

Amice Newman
5 years ago
Views:

BEAL BWSC East Anglia Ltd Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant EXPORTING 44 MEGAWATTS SUPPLYING 82 THOUSAND SAVING OVER 300 THOUSAND OF GREEN ELECTRICITY TO THE LOCAL GRID NETWORK HOMES WITH CLEAN AND

1 BEAL BWSC East Anglia Ltd Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant EXPORTING 44 MEGAWATTS SUPPLYING 82 THOUSAND SAVING OVER 300 THOUSAND OF GREEN ELECTRICITY TO THE LOCAL GRID NETWORK HOMES WITH CLEAN AND GREEN ELECTRICITY TONNES OF CO 2 A YEAR We took ownership of our renewable Energy Plant on 22nd April 2017 and it now exports around 44MW of green electricity which is enough to supply 82,000 homes and save more than 300,000 tonnes of CO 2 every year. It s difficult to visualise how much that is so imagine the amount of carbon sequestered by more than 840,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years and the saving is also equal to nearly 84 million miles driven by an average car the same as driving around the world nearly 3,400 times.

Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant Building our Power Plant Now our Energy Plant is fully operational it is exporting just more than 44MW of green electricity by burning a mix of biomass fuels

2 Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant Building our Power Plant Now our Energy Plant is fully operational it is exporting just more than 44MW of green electricity by burning a mix of biomass fuels including straw, oil seed rape, miscanthus and wood. This is enough for us to supply 82,000 homes and save 300,000 tonnes of CO 2 every year. Our plant is one of many new biomass plants across the UK using a variety of biomass products to generate clean green electricity to protect the environment by generating power from renewable sources which will never run out. Renewable energy, including biomass energy, produces little to no greenhouse gases or other harmful pollutants so it has minimal impact on the environment - preserving resources for future generations. Who are we? We are BWSC East Anglia or BEAL for short. We are a company owned by a joint venture of Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC) and a Danish infrastructure fund managed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S. For more information, please take a look at and Together, we contracted BWSC to build and operate our renewable Energy Plant. They are a leading building contractor and operator of biomass, medium & large scale diesel and gas-based power generation systems. They are experienced in all aspects of plant design, refurbishment, operation & maintenance so are perfect for the role which they have delivered professionally and safely for us. The project was originally developed by Iceni and ECO2 and was purchased by us in the winter of This does mean we weren t part of the project team during the planning process but we hope that we have built a good relationship with our neighbours and the wider community since then.

3 Snetterton B1177 A11 B1177 New Buckenham Eccles Wood Banham East Harling Quidenham Cable Route Kenninghall Dam Green B1177 B1111 North Lopham Fersfield Garboldisham B1066 South Lopham Bressingham Common B1066 Brewers Green Roydon Diss How did we build our plant? Building a renewable energy plant is a very complex business and we started ours with full access to site on 1st December 2014, with it completed and ready to generate clean green energy on 22nd April ahead of schedule and within the 173 million budget for the project. Here s an overview of what we needed to do to be able to generate renewable energy: Once we d cleared the site ready to start building, we began the construction process with the foundations for the buildings. This was one of the noisiest periods while we were building as it included piling - driving the anchor points of the buildings far into the ground - with what was essentially a very big hammer. The next step was to start work on the cable route to take the electricity we generate and add it to the national grid. The route was 11.5 miles long and ran from Snetterton to Diss. First, we laid the ducting and then pulled the cable through, managing the process to cause as little disruption to the roads as possible. Next came the erection of the steel buildings that house our renewable Energy Plant and then we started assembling the power plant components. These were delivered along prior agreed transport routes with a few of our neighbours taking time out to watch the unusual convoys as they passed by. With all the separate parts of our energy plant on site, we were then able to bring in the large crane and lift all the different sections in to place. We carried out the first pressure tests in mid- June This is where we tested all the individual sections of the boiler to make sure they were more than capable of dealing with the pressure of the steam that is now passing through them. We tested them to extremes far greater than they will ever be put under during normal operation to ensure they are as safe as they can possibly be. By the summer of 2016, UK Power Networks (UKPN) had tested our completed cable and adopted it as part of their broader network - meaning it was ready to start taking electricity from our Plant.

Our Constrution Timeline 2015 2016 2017 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Onsite enabling works Delivery of main components to site On site components assembly First synchronisation Cable route works

4 Our Constrution Timeline Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Onsite enabling works Delivery of main components to site On site components assembly First synchronisation Cable route works Testing & commissioning Grid connection First steam test Full commercial operation First power We began the second set of hydraulic tests in mid-july These took place once all the high-pressure welding had been completed to push the boiler to extremes, ensuring that all the welded sections had been successfully completed and the boiler was ready to be used. In October and November, we carried out our steam blow testing. This was one of the final processes for cleaning the boiler to make it ready for commissioning. The noise of the highpressure steam being emitted was louder than normal and we appreciated the patience of our near neighbours during this period. The first synchronisation of our steam turbine took place on 13th December This was a culmination of almost three years work on site when we ensured all the separate processes were working effectively together and that the energy generated could be safely transferred along the cable and into the local power grid. Our energy plant was then fully commissioned and we took it over into commercial operation on 22nd April 2017.

What fuels the Power Plant? We use a mix of different biomass fuels at our Energy Plant - mainly burning straw - but we can also include oil seed rape, miscanthus and wood.

5 What fuels the Power Plant? We use a mix of different biomass fuels at our Energy Plant - mainly burning straw - but we can also include oil seed rape, miscanthus and wood. We are burning about 275,000 tonnes of biomass a year which is about 33 tonnes of fuel for every hour our Energy Plant is operational. This is a large amount of fuel so we store up to four days worth of bales on site in two storage sheds; these sheds holding 2,640 bales each - that s more than 1,500 tonnes. What are the benefits to the community? We believe that it is vital that we work hard to bring as many benefits as possible to the local area in which we work. We want to be good neighbours and a valued part of the community for both local residents and businesses. Whilst our Energy Plant was being built, we worked hard to source and use as many local contractors as possible and encouraged them to use local businesses for their supplies, lunches and even for an after-work drink in the local pub. This meant that as our Energy Plant was being built, a significant amount of money was spent in the local economy. One of the most important benefits we feel we offer is employment. Because of this, we wanted these opportunities to be offered as locally as possible and we are proud to say that nearly all our team are from the local community. That is 31 jobs with real job security as our Plant is going to be around for many years to come. We know we have an excellent team and we are proud to be working with them to make the Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant a huge success. We also know that our Plant is a great educational resource, allowing people first-hand experience of an industry that is going to continue to grow over the next few years. We are always very pleased to welcome schools, colleges, universities and interest groups to our site to learn more about how it works, the biomass fuels we use and the benefits of renewable energy globally. How did we make it all happen? To build such a complex plant on time - and within budget - is a difficult task, so we know we have many people to thank! We would not be where we are without the patience and support of the local community of Snetterton and those living along the cable route. Without their understanding, our Energy Plant would not have been ready on time and we hope we are paying back some of that support through the benefits we are working hard to deliver. All the teams who have worked with us during the construction and commissioning phases of the project have been amazing. They have shown real commitment to getting the job done as efficiently and safely as possible with understanding of the real need to work with all our neighbours. We would like to thank everyone involved individually but there are just too many people that have helped make this Plant a successful reality - powering many homes with clean green electricity and helping secure the future for generations to come. Thank you.

6 Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant BWSC East Anglia Ltd. Telephone: +44 (0) Published by BWSC East Anglia Ltd September 2017

38.5 MW Sleaford Biomass Power Plant under construction, Lincolnshire, the UK. April 2013

Your Global Energy Partner 38.5 MW Sleaford Biomass Power Plant under construction, Lincolnshire, the UK April 2013 Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor