Energy
Scarcity of global resources and depletion of carbon fuel sources has been driving the energy sector towards efficiency and alternative sources of energy. The cost inflation in the energy sector have also made more expensive technology relatively more accessible.
This economic driver is twinned with the need to reduce the human effects on global warming, the adoption and ongoing development of technologies to facilitate sustainable energy, power which can be replenished within a human lifetime.
Within the energy sector the generation of power grabs the headlines. Alongside this the upgrading of infrastructure to aid distribution and the need to improve storage are key areas requiring significant engineering and manufacturing. Renewable sources including wind, solar, hydro-electric, tidal all require manufacturing solutions and supply chain opportunities for manufacturers.
In addition, the nuclear energy industry is streamlining to offer small modular reactors (SMRs), moving away from large installations to ‘commoditise’ nuclear generation facilities. This is a major manufacturing challenge and will offer opportunities going forwards.
Manufacturing of substructures, castings, forgings, componentry, turbine blades, substations, cabling, and all elements of the construction process are at the heart of this sector.
Energy News
Net Zero News – Early June 2025
Three-quarters of C-suite executives within UK businesses believe their firm is well-prepared to meet regulatory demands to measure, disclose and manage its Scope 3 (indirect) emissions. However, six in ten admitted that they’re unsure whether their firm is investing sufficiently in the tools and technologies needed to track and reduce those emissions. These are some…
Nuclear News – Early June 2025
Rolls-Royce has won a competition to be the first company to try to build small modular nuclear reactors in the UK, as part of a government effort to push Britain to the frontier of nuclear energy technology. The UK’s Great British Energy on 10 June announced Rolls-Royce as the preferred bidder for the programme, after…
Net Zero News – Late May 2025
Just a quarter of small businesses in the UK expect to reach net-zero by 2050, despite making up nearly half of the nation’s business emissions, a survey has found. This is according to a new report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), released in partnership with Zurich UK, which highlights a growing gap between…
Power Generation News – Late May 2025
Goole-based engineering business, Salko UK, has been awarded the entire mechanical scope of work to create a new open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) at a project in Immingham. This adds to an existing portfolio of 16 clients built up over the last quarter of a century. Over the last 12 months, the mechanical and electrical solutions…
Net Zero News – Late April 2025
Energy firm VPI is calling for urgent government backing to move ahead with a £1.5bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Humber, one of the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial clusters. The company, which powers two major oil refineries and can supply electricity to one million homes via its Immingham plant, wants to retrofit…
Power Generation News – Late April 2025
Ofgem has confirmed major reforms to the UK’s electricity grid connection process, aimed at reducing delays for new energy projects. Under the new rules, projects that are both ready to begin operations and align with national clean energy targets will be prioritised for grid connections. Ofgem states that the first of these projects could be…
Net-Zero News – Early April 2025
The Government has green-lit the £200m Viking onshore pipeline project, clearing the way for the construction of carbon capture infrastructure on the Lincolnshire coast. The project will involve a 55km underground pipeline running from the point of receipt of dense-phase CO₂ at Immingham to the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/2137529-200m-viking-pipeline-project-approved-for-co%e2%82%82-capture-on-lincolnshire-coast?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Yorkshire_11th_Apr_2025_Daily
Nuclear News – Early April 2025
Nuclear research and innovation has been bolstered at the AMRC with the launch of a new group made up of former Nuclear AMRC staff, helping secure the UK’s pivotal role in the future of the nuclear sector and supporting ambitions for growth and net-zero emissions. Based at the AMRC’s South Yorkshire cluster of research and…
Power Generation News – Early April 2025
Power generation from fossil fuels in the UK has fallen to levels last seen in the 1950s, and demand for gas has dropped to its lowest level in more than 30 years. The latest edition of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) quarterly Energy Trends, which covers the final three months of…
Net Zero News – Late March 2025
The Government has today (25 March) been ordered by the High Court to publish an updated carbon delivery plan that would meet the requirements of the Fourth and Sixth Carbon Budgets, after ruling that a previous plan introduced by the Conservative Government was unlawful. In May 2024 the High Court ruled the UK Government’s climate…
Nuclear News – Early March 2025
Rolls-Royce SMR has signed a deal with Siemens Energy to complete a turbine systems package covering, design, manufacture, installation and commissioning for a global fleet of ‘factory-built’ small modular reactor (SMR) power plants. The contract was agreed in Manchester by Darren Davidson, Vice President of Siemens Energy UK&I, who said: “We are very pleased to…
Net Zero News – Early March 2025
Energy-from-waste plant operator Enfinium has announced the next phase of its £1.7bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) pilot programme, with projects set to launch in both Wales and West Yorkshire. The energy-from-waste (EfW) operator will install a CCS pilot at its Parc Adfer facility in Flintshire, North Wales, which it claims to be the only…
Net Zero News – Late February 2025
New research from PwC has revealed that the proportion of businesses committed to achieving net-zero by 2030 has nearly doubled since its survey last year, rising from 28% to 47%. The study, which surveyed 750 businesses and 50 public sector organisations, also examined the energy challenges faced by companies and their plans for funding energy…
Nuclear News – Early February 2025
The government has announced plans to make it easier to build mini nuclear power stations in England and Wales, as part of its efforts to boost UK economic growth. It said it will reform the “archaic” planning rules which ministers believe have held Britain back in the global race for clean, secure and affordable energy.…
Energy News – Early February 2025
New research has warned that without further investment, the UK’s electricity network will become significantly constrained from 2030 as the economy electrifies. This is according to a new report from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the Aldersgate Group. The research, based on modelling by the University of Leeds, shows that industrial electrification will…
Net Zero News – Early February 2025
The government is committing billions of pounds to an “unproven” green technology for reducing planet-warming gases without considering the impact on consumers’ bills, MPs have warned. Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) facilities prevent carbon dioxide, produced by industry, being released into the atmosphere by capturing and storing it underground. In October, the government pledged…
Nuclear News – Late January 2025
A future powered by limitless clean energy is a step closer to reality, as researchers developing cutting-edge fusion energy receive a record £410 million investment, helping to kickstart economic growth as part of government’s Plan for Change. The funding will support the rapid development of the UK fusion energy sector over 2025 to 2026 with…
Energy News – Early January 2025
National Grid has set out plans to invest up to £35bn in infrastructure over a five-year period beginning April 2026, helping more renewables and energy storage come online. The company is proposing investments of some £11bn to maintain and upgrade existing network infrastructure, including 3,500km of overhead lines. Innovative power control devices and dynamic power…
Net Zero News – December 2024
Peel Ports Clydeport has secured permission for a £150m redevelopment of the Hunterston marine yard in Ayrshire. The former coal terminal at Hunterston is being prepared for renewables infrastructure. The redevelopment works, which are expected to start in early 2025 and take two years, will include infilling the dry-dock basin and the construction of a…
Nuclear News – December 2024
Workers building the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station have installed Britain’s first new nuclear reactor for more than 30 years. The first of two 13-metre-long reactor pressure vessels has been manoeuvred into place at Hinkley Point C by cranes, jacks and gantries. This milestone comes less than 12 months after the huge steel dome…
Energy News – December 2024
Derby-based manufacturing giant Rolls-Royce is set to benefit from a £1bn investment in climate technology into the UK by Qatar. The Government has hailed the “groundbreaking” deal, which it says will create thousands of skilled jobs and see the launch of world-leading climate technology hubs across the UK and Qatar to accelerate development in climate-friendly…
Energy News – Late November 2024
Ofgem wants to introduce a new investment fund of between £5bn and £8bn to help prevent delays to the construction of grid infrastructure that will be crucial to decarbonising Britain’s electricity grid. The regulator is striving to launch the Advanced Procurement Mechanism (APM), which will provide allowances for transmission owners to buy essential equipment further…
Power Generation News – Early November 2024
Turbine blades for ScottishPower’s £4bn East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm will be built in Hull, after the green energy company formalised a turbine supply agreement with Siemens Gamesa worth more than £1bn. The agreement will see Siemens Gamesa supply 64 of its flagship SG 14-236 DD* offshore wind turbines, which have a rotor diameter of…
Net Zero News – Late October 2024
Energy ministers have tasked the newly established National Energy System Operator with creating a strategic spatial plan that maps where net-zero infrastructure such as renewables generation and storage should be located across the UK. Last month, the Government announced the establishment of the National Energy System Operator (NESO), a new publicly owned organisation aimed at…
Nuclear News – Late October 2024
ČEZ Group, the Czech-based power generation conglomerate, has taken a 20% stake in Derby-based Rolls-Royce SMR. Rolls says the move will form a strategic partnership to deploy up to 3GW of electricity in the Czech Republic using Rolls-Royce SMR power plants. On 18 September, Czech Prime Minister Fiala announced that CEZ and Rolls-Royce SMR would…
Energy News – Late October 2024
One of the largest factories in the global offshore wind sector will expand and support even more jobs after UK Export Finance worked with Korean investors to secure new financing. Based in Teesside, one of the world’s largest offshore wind technology factories will become even bigger after new government support for a South Korean investor.…
Energy News – Early October 2024
Work has begun on a £4.3bn five-year electricity infrastructure project which will deliver clean energy to around two million homes in the North of England. At peak periods of construction, the project is expected to support hundreds of local jobs in Yorkshire, through supply chain and construction activity. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/2129554-construction-starts-on-electricity-superhighway-between-scotland-and-yorkshire?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Yorkshire_30th_Sep_2024_Daily UK coal-fired electricity production will stop…
Nuclear News – September 2024
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Holtec, the United States’ largest nuclear components exporter, have signed a formal partnership agreement. It will see them collaborate on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and large-scale nuclear fusion in civil and defence sectors. AMRC and Holtec have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for “Co-operation…
Energy News – September 2024
The government has awarded nine offshore wind farm contracts after last year’s auction failed to attract any bidders at all. The contracts are part of a wider slate of green energy projects the government has announced that include tidal and solar power which, it said, will be enough to fuel the equivalent of 11 million…
Nuclear News – Early August 2024
Rolls-Royce has taken another step towards introducing mini nuclear power stations in the UK after its reactor designs were submitted for consideration by the Government. The Nuclear Industry Association has applied for a justification decision for Rolls-Royce SMR’s reactor design. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/eastmidlands/news/2088333-rolls-royce-edges-closer-to-nuclear-goal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EastMidlands_31st_Jul_2024_Daily
Energy News – Early August 2024
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has applied to expand its wind turbine factory in Hull. Planning documents show the move would create an additional 40 full-time jobs at the plant at Alexandra Dock. A multi-purpose manufacturing building is proposed along with a small staff welfare building. Hull City Council will decide whether to grant permission for…
Power Generation News – Late June 2024
A project is to develop the use of low CO2 steels from Tata Steel’s Port Talbot site to build platforms for floating offshore wind structures and strengthen local supply chains has won nearly £1 million of innovation funding. The Launchpad project is a collaboration between Marine Power Systems (MPS), Tata Steel UK, Swansea University, Associated…
Power Generation News – Early June 2024
National Grid is starting work on a new 275kV substation on IAMP to enable new gigafactories and other businesses on the site to plug directly into the electricity transmission network. IAMP is a scheme being brought forward thanks to a joint venture between Sunderland and South Tyneside Councils. The Hylton Castle substation will provide a…
Power Generation News – Late May 2024
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched a new innovation grant funding competition that will see a total of £1m awarded to supply chain companies to develop new products and services for the sector. Click here to read the full article
Energy New – Late May 2024
In a significant boost for the UK green energy supply chain, Sumitomo Electric has commenced construction of its state-of-the-art subsea transmission cable factory in the Scottish Highlands. The factory will supply critical elements for the reinforcement of the UK electricity transmission grid and for connecting renewable energy production facilities to the grid. Click here to…
Power Generation News – Early May 2024
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched a new innovation grant funding competition that will see a total of £1m awarded to supply chain companies to develop new products and services for the sector. Click here to read the full article
Energy News – Early May 2024
In a significant boost for the UK green energy supply chain, Sumitomo Electric has commenced construction of its state-of-the-art subsea transmission cable factory in the Scottish Highlands. The factory will supply critical elements for the reinforcement of the UK electricity transmission grid and for connecting renewable energy production facilities to the grid. Click here to…
Nuclear News – Late April 2024
Rolls-Royce has secured additional funding from the UK Space Agency to advance nuclear-powered projects within the space industry. Some £1.2m has been allocated to Rolls-Royce Submarines and BWX Technologies, a US-based nuclear supplier to utilise fission nuclear systems for space exploration missions. Click here to read the full article
Power Generation News – Late March 2024
The University of Nottingham has secured more than £70m to establish new world-leading and open-access research facilities and programmes that will decarbonise future transport. The funding is secured based on a £14m award from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). This is augmented by both public and private co-investment that will allow the university…
Energy News – Late March 2024
The National Grid’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) has unveiled a new £60bn investment plan to fast-track Britain’s transition to a net-zero power grid by 2035 by boosting clean energy jobs and growing the offshore wind sector. The new £58bn investment plan proposes a set of financial levers that would enable the electricity grid to meet…
Nuclear News – Early March 2024
In a historic day for the UK’s energy security, Great British Nuclear (GBN) is buying land for new nuclear development from Hitachi at both Wylfa in Ynys Môn/Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire. GBN also announced today that the six companies in Great British Nuclear’s (GBN) Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Technology Selection Process can now access…
Power Generation News – Early March 2024
The boss of a Hull turbine manufacturer has said the UK is not moving fast enough to build offshore wind farms. Darren Davidson, head of Siemens Energy, said with the present speed of development, the target of 50 gigawatts of offshore power “won’t be achieved”. The firm employs 6,000 people across the country, including more…
Energy News – Early March 2024
The UK needs to build new, gas-fired power stations to ensure the country’s energy security, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday. The new stations would replace existing plants, many of which are aging and will soon be retired. But the government says the plans do not include measures for climate change-limiting carbon capture. That…
Nuclear News – Late February 2024
Sheffield Forgemasters has signalled a global leap in welding technology with completion of the first full-sized Small Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear vessel demonstrator assembly. The firm has pioneered the industrialisation of Local Electron-Beam Welding (LEBW), and complete weld-assembly of the vessel marks a pivotal moment in global welding development, taking less than 24 hours to…
Energy News – Late February 2024
H2H Saltend has been granted planning permission by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, strengthening its case in forthcoming Government competitions. Equinor’s H2H Saltend is a 600-megawatt low-carbon hydrogen production plant with carbon capture, one of the first of its kind and scale to be granted planning permission in the UK, helping to establish the…
Power Generation News – Late January 2024
Energy Security and Net-Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho has approved Drax’s £2bn plans to install carbon capture and storage technology at its power plant in Selby, Yorkshire. Drax’s power station was originally completely coal-fired but, over the past ten years, the facility’s six generating units were converted to run on biomass. The final two units were…
Energy News – Late January 2024
Greater Manchester has signed an agreement to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology with Japanese tech giant Panasonic. Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and Mitsutoshi Shigeta, Managing Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation, Chief Green Transformation Officer (CGXO), signed the agreement on Monday (15 January). They were joined by representatives from SSE Energy Solutions, Electricity North…
Energy News – Late January 2024
Greater Manchester has signed an agreement to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology with Japanese tech giant Panasonic. Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and Mitsutoshi Shigeta, Managing Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation, Chief Green Transformation Officer (CGXO), signed the agreement on Monday (15 January). They were joined by representatives from SSE Energy Solutions, Electricity North…
Nuclear News – Early January 2024
The UK will become the first country in Europe to launch a high-tech HALEU (high-assay low enriched uranium) nuclear fuel programme, strengthening supply for new nuclear projects and driving Putin further out of global energy markets. The landmark £300 million investment is part of plans to help deliver up to 24GW of clean, reliable nuclear…
Energy News – Early January 2024
Up to 500 jobs are set to be created through the construction of a waste energy plant in Walsall. The Walsall Energy From Waste facility will be built, owned and operated by energy recovery specialists Encyclis on eight acres of derelict land on Fryers Road. It will work alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)…
Power Generation News – December 2023
The King’s Crown Estate has set out details for huge floating windfarms of the coast of the South West. The royal landowner said floating turbines are to be deployed on a commercial scale for the first time in the Celtic Sea. The organisation, which owns the seabed around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, said the…
Power Generation News – Late November 2023
The price paid to generate electricity by offshore wind farms has been raised by 66% as the government tries to entice energy firms to invest. It comes after an auction for offshore wind projects failed to attract any bids, with firms arguing the price set for electricity generated was too low. The government has lifted…
Energy News – Late November 2023
Billpayers, charities and businesses are being urged to give their views on daily standing charges on energy bills, as part of a review. Regulator Ofgem said it wanted to open the debate over the charges, including opinions on how to change the system. Currently, energy customers pay a fixed daily charge covering the costs of…
Nuclear News – Late October 2023
Thousands of people across the UK will have the chance to train for careers in innovative fusion technology, under government plans unveiled today (Monday 16 October). Speaking at the IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Nuclear Minister Andrew Bowie set out details of the new £650 million Fusion Futures Programme – part of the UK’s updated Fusion…
Power Generation News – Late October 2023
Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farm has begun operating at full capacity, removing emissions from power supply. Seagreen, off the Angus coast, can generate enough electricity to power two-thirds of Scotland’s households. The £3bn project, comprising 114 giant turbines, has been more than a decade in the making. But operator SSE says the consenting time needs…
Energy News – Late July 2023
The Prime Minister will today (Monday 31 July) confirm that Scotland will continue to be at the forefront of UK Government plans to strengthen the UK’s long-term energy security. During a visit to the North East of Scotland, the Prime Minister will highlight the crucial role that the region will play in enhancing and delivering…
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