Nuclear AMRC and EIC to work together to promote sector
The Nuclear AMRC has signed an agreement with the Energy Industries Council (EIC) to work together to promote global opportunities in the nuclear industry and help UK companies enter the sector.
As part of the agreement, the EIC and Nuclear AMRC will collaborate to produce events which showcase opportunities in the nuclear industry in the UK and around the world, with a strong emphasis on exporting UK capabilities.
The two organisations will also share the use of their state-of-the-art facilities for the benefit of EIC members, which are UK supply chain companies providing goods and services across the energy industries.
Semta Group appoints new chair
Skills organisation Semta Group has appointed Dame Judith Hackitt as chair.
Hackitt will take up her role from 1 April 2017, replacing Allan Cook CBE who stands down after seven years in the role.
She is a chemical engineer by profession and Fellow of the Royal Academy for Engineering.
Offshore capital 'urgently needed' warns report
The offshore sector may face a significant decline in production if fresh capital is not urgently secured, according to the Oil and Gas UK Business Outlook.
The report warns of a major drop-off in production from 2020 without more investment and forecasts a further fall in total capital investment for the next two years.
However, Oil and Gas UK said there were some signs of optimism as efficiencies push down the cost of producing oil.
Rolls-Royce wins autonomous shipping R&D grant
Rolls-Royce has secured a significant research grant from Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation – to enable it to invest further in a research and development centre in Turku, Finland to make remote and autonomous shipping a reality.
The company plans to carry out further development projects there focused on the future development of land-based control centres, and the use of artificial intelligence in future remote and autonomous shipping operations.
Wales hydropower project secures development consent
The government has granted a development consent order (DCO) for the Glyn Rhonwy pumped storage hydropower project in North Wales.
Using two disused slate quarries near Llanberis, the 99MW project will generate electricity, as well as store energy that can be used to help balance the national grid at times of peak energy use. Water will be transferred via a large diameter tunnel between the two reservoirs using reversible pump turbines, both to generate electricity when required at peak times and to use electricity to fill the upper reservoir when power demand is low. An underground power plant will be constructed in a deep shaft next to the lower reservoir.
Construction is expected to start within the next 12 months once the DCO requirements have been discharged.
Nuclear workers vote for new strike action
Workers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment are ramping up their long-running pensions’ dispute with eight more days of strike action this spring.
The workers have renewed their industrial action mandate in a new ballot which saw 80% vote to strike over the new defined benefit pension scheme being the only scheme they can join and also being denied readmission to the Ministry of Defence scheme.
The workers, who are pivotal to delivering the Trident nuclear programme, will strike for 24 hours from 00.01 at AWE’s two sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire on 23 and 27 March; 6, 10, 20 and 24 April; and 4 and 8 May. This will bring the number of strike days since November to 16.
ETI project to develop waste heat recovery system for ships
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has launched a new project which aims to develop and demonstrate a waste heat recovery system for ships that could deliver fuel efficiency savings of at least 8%.
The £3.6 million project will be led by Avid Technology, alongside RED Marine, Royston Power and Enogia to deliver a cost effective waste heat recovery system for use across all types of ships.
The 26-month project should see the waste heat recovery system installed on an offshore support vessel by end of 2018 ahead of a further six months of testing.
Wello Oy's Penguin makes debut
Wello Oy’s wave energy converter (WEC) has been successfully installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney as part of the Clean Energy from Ocean Waves project.
The Penguin WEC was deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre’s grid-connected wave test site at Billia Croo, off the west coast of Orkney.
The installation was carried out by Green Marine, an Orkney based marine services provider.
TWI plans to expand
Research and technology firm TWI has announced plans to expand in south Wales by building an engineering inspection and validation facility in south Wales.
The development is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government, with contributions from industry partners.
The highly-specialised team in Wales use technologies in ultrasonics, radiography and electromagnetics to inspect critical structures such as aircraft, submarines and nuclear power plants.
Atlantis wins Ofgem accreditation
Atlantis Resources' MeyGen project in the Pentland Firth has been granted full accreditation by Ofgem under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order.
Atlantis said the decision had been made in respect of the 6MW tidal stream generating station at the Ness of Quoys in Caithness, which commenced commercial operation in November.
The MeyGen project will now be issued with five renewables obligation certificates for every MWh of renewable electricity generated by the station.