#tatasteel — Public Fediverse posts
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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
Author
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 -
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
Author
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 -
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
Author
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 -
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
Author
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
