Network

NETWORK / 27 / APRIL/MAY 2020 SPECIALIST SERVICES WITHIN HIGH VOLTAGE SUBSTATIONS John Robson Metals Ltd has been at the forefront of controlled dismantling and demolition of HV substations for 50 years. John Robson Metals Ltd is a privately-owned family firm with over 50 years of substation experience and working exclu - sively in the power industry for the past 30 years. We offer a nationwide service, with staff trained to the highest stand- ards to ensure all work is carried out safely, professionally and effectively. Our operations site has all the necessary licences and permits to handle and process all materials re- moved from site. Whenever possible these unwanted goods are recycled. The use of this recycled material by industry helps to preserve the world's resources. If there is dismantling and demolition work to be done in a substation or power station, the service we offer is compre - hensive. From hazard identification, risk assessment and method statements to final disposal and leaving the site how you want it. Our core services include • controlled electrical dismantling and demolition including work alongside live circuits. • cable de-oiling • high voltage equipment disposal including transformers, switchgear and all associated plant • cable Services • PCB and SF6 gas recovery, disposal and decontamination • specialist demolition of above and below ground structures including diamond wire sawing and diamond drilling. John Robson Metals Ltd Tel: 01772 865272 Stump Cross Works Fax: 01772 861819 Goosnargh Email: John Robson – jrr@johnrobsonmetals.co.uk Preston PR3 2FE Email: Mark Eastham – me@johnrobsonmetals.co.uk www.johnrobsonmetals.co.uk The DNO aims to secure 20MW of capacity under the LV "Sustain" product while the remaining 150MW of capacity included in the tender should come from HV flexibility zones with a mix of "Secure" and "Dynamic" contracts. It's one thing to introduce new product ranges and another thing entirely for potential par - ticipants to understand or even acknowledge them. To tackle the challenge of increasing awareness and educating potential flexibility providers about the ways in which UKPN is developing its local flexibility options, the network now supports an online flexibility "hub" with an array of information (https://smart - grid.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/ flexibility-hub/). Tt also hosts a regular flex- ibility forum and smaller flex- ibility "surgeries" to keep inter- ested parties informed – and to gather feedback. Over the past year or so, UKPN has hosted 60 surgeries and presented to an estimated audience of around 6,500 individuals across its various physical and digital flex - ibility education events. For Georgiopoulos, this engagement work is critical. Not just because it will help UKPN increase its use of flexibility for smarter, more efficient opera - tions and asset deferral, but also for a greater good. "It's important we move to introduce these improvements and understand how we can continuously increase participa - tion in these tenders," he says. "because ultimately flexibility is not only the most trans- formational part of the DSO agenda, but also the one which will bring the most benefits for reaching net zero in terms of bringing the cost down." Dismantling and Disposal Engineers to the Electrical Power Industry KEY FACTS: l UKPN's latest flexibility tender is putting £27m worth of contracts up for grabs, equating to a total capacity of 170MW l For the first time in the UK, low voltage sites have been included in the tender – these have been selected based on propensity for EV clustering l This tender will introduce a range of flexibility products which offer "greater optional- ity" to flexibility participants, including UKPN's new Dynamic Flex product l Based on market feedback, UKPN has also moved to extend the potential duration of contracts issued from this tender. Contracts may now be signed for anything from 1 to 7 years Ones to watch There are a number of other key innovation projects (funded under the NIA) which UKPN hopes will feed into the further development of local flexibility markets and provide foundations for new products which will provide mutual benefits to participants and network operators. Most notably UKPN's EV project Shift and its renewables curtailment project Energy Exchange offer significant potential to boost maturity in distribution level flexibility. Both projects are expected to make major progress in 2020. Shift will bring new understanding of the ways in which smart charging can allow EVs to be leveraged for local energy flexibility and includes participation from over 1,000 EV drivers. Energy Exchange is exploring market-based solutions to manage curtailment of renewable energy generation more efficiently. It could challenge the existing "last in first out" method of managing connection of generators, with the aim of creating a fairer, more cost- efficient way of getting more low carbon energy onto the network. FUTURE OF FLEXIBILITY

• Cover