Water & Wastewater Treatment

NEWS 6 Water & Wastewater Treatment February 2014 wwtonline.co.uk Energy costs concern big water users Delay to SuDS legislation 'unacceptable' Four Scottish Water plants hit zero Higher energy costs are a source of concern for a number of major energy consumers in the UK, which includes water utilities. That is the finding of a report from NPower following closure of the government consultation on Electricity Market Reform (EMR). NPower analysis, which followed a round table with business representatives in November, shows that the contracts for difference (CfD) and capacity mechanism (CM) elements of EMR may add £30/MWh to the cost of wholesale electricity by 2020. The report reveals the policy concerns of a number of major energy consumers within the UK, most notably around higher energy costs and their ability to forecast them. Wayne Mitchell, director of industrial and commercial sales & marketing at Npower, said, "It is therefore crucial to understand from a business context the impact of DECC's policy proposals around EMR. Whilst there is a strong need for UK investment in energy infrastructure, it has become clear from businesses that EMR may come at the cost of UK plc competitiveness. "What's required is greater certainty for businesses to be able to forecast costs and budget accurately." The head of energy supply at a major utilities company commented, "As a big energy consumer, it is critical that we have the ability to plan ahead. We would like to see greater visibility of charging for CfD costs under EMR, the minimum transparency being that prices are set in the November or December of the preceding year. "We appreciate that may not be possible with all the variabilities, but look forward to further consultation with NPower and DECC to ensure such options are properly explored." An industry focus group on sustainable water management has warned that delays to legislation to make sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) compulsory for new developments in England and Wales are "unacceptable". Members of the British Water (BW) trade association say delays to the stakeholder consultation have been exacerbated by "an overly- idealistic interpretation of SuDS as natural, above-ground drainage features." Hydro International's Alex Stephenson, chair of the BW Sustainable Water Management Focus Group, said technology is key. "It's time to go back to the first principles of what we are trying to achieve in sustainable surface water control, as well as treatment of pollutants from runoff, in particular from highways." Stephenson said that the key principle of SuDS is to mimic natural drainage paths and processes and to deal with rainwater as close as possible to where it falls – by infiltration where possible. "By doing so, the unsustainable outcome of directing surface water into the over-burdened sewer network is avoided." He urged a pragmatic approach: "It was 2007 when devastating surface water flooding first prompted the Pitt Review which led to the Flood & Water Management Act. Six years later, after persistent delays and repeated calls for action by politicians on the Efra committee, it seems unbelievable that we are still waiting. Technologies are already available that can deliver a satisfactory compromise." Despite another period of devastating flooding, Defra has confirmed that plans to make SuDS compulsory for developments over one property in April 2014 have been pushed back again to take account of the outcomes of consultations with industry stakeholders. A new date for implementation has yet to be confirmed. • WWT's Surface Water Flood Forum takes place on 11 February in Birmingham. For more information, visit www. wwt-flood.net. Four water and wastewater treatment works around Scotland are now producing more energy than they use, according to public utility Scottish Water. Water treatment works at Turret in Perthshire, Lintrathen in Angus and Castle Moffat in East Lothian, along with Tannadice wastewater treatment works in Angus, are now considered self-sufficient – in that they generate more energy than they consume over the year. Hydropower is a major component of the achievement, which has also involved renewable technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines on Scottish Water land to power as many of its sites as possible. Scottish Water turbine installation for hydropower AMP TRACKER Major infrastructure award from Severn Trent NMCNomenca has been awarded a £400-500M contract to deliver Severn Trent Water's (STW) next phase of upgrade and improvement works. The contractor has been appointed as the design and build partner for STW across both clean water and wastewater frameworks in AMP6. This builds on work Nomenca has already completed for STW under the AMP5 framework and includes projects on water treatment plants, sewer lines, storage facilities, flood alleviation, sewer upgrades, combined sewer overflows, storm water and wastewater management. Stuart Proud, managing director at NMC Nomenca said, "Securing such an important framework is a fantastic way to end 2013 and a significant contract win for the business." 7 February 2014 Water & Wastewater Treatment Prof. Elise Cartmell, Head of Cranfield Water Science Institute at Cranfield University commented: "The research round-up feature will be invaluable in supporting academic and industry research, communication and engagement, which will help deliver innovation into the sector. WWT has listened to its readership and is providing really exciting and informative new content, which will only enhance the publication going forward." WWT is changing. 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