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Port Talbot grid batteries trial: National Grid, Celtic Freeport plan to speed up connections
New factories in and around Port Talbot could be plugged into the electricity network sooner under a trial…
#EuropeSays #Britain #Europe #EU #NationalGrid #CelticFreeport #electricarcfurnace #energy #NeathPortTalbot #NetZeroIndustryWales #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #TataSteel
https://www.europesays.com/britain/135563/
https://www.europesays.com/britain/135563/ Port Talbot grid batteries trial: National Grid, Celtic Freeport plan to speed up connections #CelticFreeport #ElectricArcFurnace #energy #NationalGrid #NeathPortTalbot #NetZeroIndustryWales #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #TataSteel
PORT TALBOT: The grid firm that’s late plugging in the furnace says batteries could get the next factories connected sooner
New factories in and around Port Talbot could be plugged into the electricity network sooner under a trial of grid-controlled batteries, National Grid says, in a region where even the £1.25bn electric arc furnace is waiting for its connection.
National Grid Electricity Distribution, Net Zero Industry Wales and the Celtic Freeport are launching what they call a multi-year innovation programme to squeeze more out of the existing wires while bigger upgrades are built.
It is the distribution side of National Grid, which runs the local network, rather than the transmission arm building the furnace’s high-voltage connection, a job it told Tata in June was running six to eight months late because of ground conditions and planning.
Batteries the grid switches on and off
The first project will test whether batteries controlled by the network operator, rather than by whoever owns them, can smooth out the peaks and troughs of supply and demand and free up capacity on the network.
If it works, the company says, renewable projects and industrial customers could connect sooner instead of waiting for new substations and cables to be built.
“Our role is to make sure customers can access the electricity they need to grow, decarbonise and invest with confidence,” said Roisin Quinn, president of National Grid Electricity Distribution. “This programme is a direct response to what industrial businesses in South Wales have told us they need.”
“Electricity access is a bottleneck”
Ben Burggraaf, chief executive of Net Zero Industry Wales, put it more bluntly. “Electricity access is a bottleneck and accelerating access is critical in attracting investment,” he said. The programme, he added, would “trial concepts to get more out of existing capacity” and “maximise local generation”.
The idea grew out of the South Wales Industrial Dialogue, in which more than 30 industrial firms worked with the two organisations and came up with more than 25 possible fixes, from earlier connections to more flexible use of the wires already in the ground.
The Freeport’s Investment Zone status means it can be first to test them, said its interim chief executive Cathy Hall. “As we move into the delivery phase for our projects, exploring innovative solutions to known power constraints will be crucial,” she said.
Why the queue matters here
The problem is not new. When the body that plans Britain’s grid held a forum in Swansea in June, its head of Wales listed “uneven connectivity, grid constraints and fuel poverty” among the obstacles, and Burggraaf told the same room Wales could be a clean energy hub only if the grid investment followed.
The furnace is the case everyone points to. The transmission works need two new substations and miles of cable, and the former Aberavon MS who chaired the Senedd’s steel group has said the furnace may not run until autumn 2028, calling for National Grid to face penalties if it slips further.
Others have found ways round the queue. The data centre approved at Margam in May will draw its power through a private wire from the biomass plant next door, skipping the grid altogether, in a boom that Senedd researchers say will need more power than Wales’s entire solar fleet.
The Freeport covers Port Talbot and Milford Haven, and its pitch rests on power-hungry newcomers, from the floating wind hub ABP is designing at the docks with £64m of UK Government money to hydrogen and the supply chain behind them.
“Working closely with customers is central to how we innovate,” said Emily Spearman, innovation director at National Grid Electricity Distribution, who said the partnership was a chance to test approaches “that can accelerate decarbonisation, unlock growth and help shape the future energy system”.
The three organisations have yet to sign the memorandum of understanding setting out how they will work together, and have not put a date on the first battery trial or said where the batteries would go.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
GREEN STEEL DELAY: Former Aberavon MS says National Grid should face penalties over delayed electric furnace connection
David Rees on the connection that could push the furnace to autumn 2028.
ENERGY: South Wales could be a clean power giant, so why are bills still high, and what’s holding it back?
The June forum where the grid kept coming up as the wall.
DATA CENTRES: A new industrial revolution is rising on south Wales’s old factory floors, and it arrives hungry and thirsty
The Margam scheme that skipped the grid queue with a private wire.
More energy coverage from Swansea Bay News
Every story on the wires, the pylons and the connections.
Kit Peters is a journalist and the editor of Swansea Bay News, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire since 2020.
#CelticFreeport #electricArcFurnace #energy #NationalGrid #NeathPortTalbot #NetZeroIndustryWales #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #TataSteel
https://www.europesays.com/britain/?p=58843 GREEN STEEL DELAY: Former Aberavon MS says National Grid should face penalties over delayed electric furnace connection #DavidReesMS #ElectricArcFurnace #GreenSteel #Industry #NationalGrid #PortTalbotSteelworks #TataSteel
Over ‘300 skilled jobs’ secured for Port Talbot Steel works green transition plan
Tata Steel say the new jobs in the local supply chain will be part of new contracts signed with Bridgend-based companies Darlow Lloyd & Sons, Wernick Buildings, and Swansea-based business, Andrew Scott Ltd.
Darlow Lloyd & Sons will play a key role in the initial phases of the project, overseeing excavation, recycling, infrastructure, and drainage works essential to the site’s transition to Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steelmaking.
Director, Rhys Lloyd, said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership which will boost employment across Neath Port Talbot and lay the foundation for future growth across the manufacturing sector.
“Our involvement in this transformation is not only a privilege, but fundamental to maintaining our strong presence and heritage at the site.
“This collaboration safeguards our experienced workforce and allows us to appoint local experts with transferable skillsets to this once-in-a-lifetime project.”
AdvertisementCritical infrastructure, including the construction of a new scrap yard to manage the inflow of UK-sourced used steel as a feedstock for the new Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), will be completed by Andrew Scott Ltd.
David Evan Williams, Civil Contracts Director said: “Having worked major on civil and construction projects at Port Talbot since the late 1800s, our involvement in this transformation is not only a privilege, but fundamental to maintaining our strong presence and heritage at the site.
“We have committed to supporting local talent, ensuring that we fill positions with our skilled workforce, alongside experienced former Tata Steel workers and experts in the supply chain. As work progresses, we aim to provide further opportunities for individuals in surrounding communities to help deliver this exciting vision.”
Ben Wernick, Managing Director, Wernick Buildings added: “We are thrilled to bring our wealth of experience in the modular construction sector to deliver the centrepiece of Port Talbot’s contractor village; an 8500 square metre space spanning three buildings, comprised of offices and welfare zones.
“90% of the workers we employ to build this impressive space will be from communities surrounding the steelworks – spanning Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Cardiff – allowing us to nurture and grow regional talent.”
AdvertisementUK Industry Minister, Sarah Jones commented: “Today’s news is a major boost for communities in South Wales, delivering high-skilled opportunities for local people, and will help Welsh steelmaking to drive growth and attract further investment as part of our Plan for Change.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens added: “We have supported Tata Steel with £500m to safeguard Welsh steelmaking and I’m pleased that the company is itself investing in the local supply chain, securing hundreds of jobs and driving economic growth.
“It is fantastic news for the South Wales economy that local firms have secured these major contracts to deliver the transformation of steelmaking at Port Talbot.”
Lloyd Bryant, Head of Infrastructure & Amenities, Tata Steel, concluded: “The expertise of these long-standing contractors is key to the success of our transformation.
“We look forward to collaborating with them, under Sir Robert McAlpine’s supervision, to safeguard the future of sustainable steelmaking in the area, securing jobs and ensuring the long-term viability of steelmaking in Wales for generations.”
Advertisementhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AxsEV-Y1Ys
#AndrewScottLtd #construction #DarlowLloydSons #industry #PortTalbot #PortTalbotSteelworks #steelworks #TataSteel #WernickBuildings
I have also written to the mine themselves via their 'contact us' form to ask if their business is still viable.
#porttalbotsteelworks #westcumbriamining #woodhousecolliery
