WET News

Grontmij UK rebrands as Sweco • Sweco UK boss says a resurgent UK construction market presents a multitude of opportunities. E ngineering consultancy Grontmij UK has been rebranded as Sweco, marking the completion of its acquisition by the Swedish architecture and engineering consultancy. Grontmij was acquired last October by Sweco, which has its headquarters in Stockholm. Sweco has 14,500 employees, sales of approximately SEK 16 billion (£1.3BN) and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. In the UK, the company employs 800 people with offices in Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Maidenhead, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough and Solihull. Commenting on the rebrand, Sweco UK managing director, Max Joy, said: "Our rebrand represents the next step of our successful integration of Grontmij into Sweco." Joy continued: "We are Europe's leading engineering consultancy and are already providing our UK clients with the benefits that this combined News+ MAY 2016 WET NEWS 7 Biogas innovation brings energy self-sufficiency closer • Recent estimates indicate that the water industry could be self-sustaining for electricity by harnessing the 11 billion litre annual flow of wastewater. T he wastewater industry could move closer to its goal of energy self- sufficiency by adopting new technologies that increase the generation of renewable energy, according to Veolia. By significantly increasing the power derived from the anaerobic digestion of sludge, it said its latest development aims to boost sustainability, reduce carbon emissions and lower costs. Wastewater treatment plants process large amounts of sludge through anaerobic digestion, AD, with the resulting biogas used to generate electricity using combined heat and power, CHP, plants. Veolia's new system reduces the amount of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in the biogas output from the AD process and the pilot project has now demonstrated a 14% increase in renewable electricity generation. With estimated pay- back on investment of less than two years, it is also commercially better than technologies requiring biological or chemical dosing systems. By moving towards energy self-sufficiency it will also have the further benefit of reducing the electricity demand on the UKs stretched electricity grid. Commenting on the development, John Abraham, chief operating officer, water at Veolia, said, "Recent estimates indicate that the water industry could be self-sustaining for electricity by harnessing the 11 billion litre annual flow of wastewater. Our application of technology to this process demonstrates how we can help deliver greater sustainability for the industry using wastewater to energy systems, and also meet water industry carbon reduction targets. By providing an additional 14% of renewable energy from an existing resource it also takes a further step towards the circular economy objectives recently agreed in Davos." Around 190 UK wastewater sites now produce biogas to generate electricity which is used on site or exported to the national grid. To maximise the efficiency of this form of generation Veolia's team has developed an existing technology, used in the processing of food waste, to increase the quality of the biogas and derive more renewable electricity and heat. The fully automated system accurately tracks biogas quality parameters to treat the sludge, and this process results in an 80% reduction in H2S, helping increase the output and maintain the efficiency of connected downstream energy plant. ESI-led alliance resource management work A n alliance led by ESI Consulting has secured a leading role in delivering on Severn Trent's commitments to water resource management. The hydrogeology con- sulting firm has won a place on Severn Trent's AMP6 Water Resource Planning Framework, in an alliance including APEM and Hydrologic Services as its main partners. Running for a minimum of three years, with an option to extend for a further two, ESI will lead an alliance of expert teams to manage water resource management, hydro- logy and hydrogeology projects. Work conducted under the framework will include hydrogeology, borehole design and optimisation, groundwater modelling, test pumping, water features monitoring, environ- mental monitoring and impact assessments, Water Framework Directive ground-water impact assessments, abstraction licence support, groundwater quality catchment modelling and risk assessments, hydrology, flow gauging, aquator modelling and coding, runoff modelling and hydroecology. "Severn Trent places great emphasis on the role of the supply chain to deliver its business needs," said Adrean Chavira, lead category specialist at Severn Trent. "We select and work with providers in the delivery of real cost- effective solutions, with the fundamental principle of providing the right product or service for the process or application every time. "We look forward to meeting our statutory requirements and implementing further enhance- ments to our water resource management plan to the benefit of our customers." Mike Streetly, director of the Water Group at ESI Consulting, added: "We are very pleased to be awarded this framework which is a testament both to the value that we have delivered to STWL over the previous decade as well as our team work and proactive approach to engaging with the environmental challenges that STWL is facing in its current business planning cycle." Airli•ing in pipework to feed hydroelectric power station H ikers that visited the picturesque Scottish Highlands recently may have caught a glimpse of the rather unusual sight of Polypipe's Ridgistorm-XL large diameter piping system being airli©ed up the mountainside of the Arrochar Alps to Loch Sloy. The mountainside is home to the Loch Sloy Dam and Sloy Reservoir, whose combined catchment area of 31 miles2 is collected to supply Scottish and Southern Energy's (SSE) Sloy Hydroelectric Power Station. Located on the banks of Loch Lomond, the power station converts energy generated by water travelling down the mountainside from Loch Sloy above in pipework, which is then turned into useful electricity, feeding homes across Scotland. Polypipe's Ridgistorm-XL came to use during repair works to the existing pipework at Sloy Reservoir, which was originally installed in 1946. The system replaced part of the original pipework to collect excess water from the catchment area of the reservoir to feed the power station. Working closely with SSE, Polypipe devised a system comprising two RIDGISTORMTrap Catchpits and five lengths of the company's Ridgistorm-XL large diameter pipe in 750mm diameters, offering storage for excess water from the catchment area. Standing at 3.45m high, the RIDGISTORMTrap Catchpits in 1,500mm diameters were selected to provide effective separation of silt and debris from water entering the system – a vital consideration given the remoteness of the site. The location of the site meant that traditional vehicle access was impossible, leaving SSE with no option but to li© the system into place by helicopter. knowledge and experience brings. "The UK construction industry is resurgent and presents us and our clients with a multitude of opportunities. "Sweco has a distinct, intelligent approach to the way it consults which is insight- driven and dedicated to planning and designing the communities and cities of the future. We are confident this formula will prove as successful here as it does throughout mainland Europe and the world." Sweco announced its intention to acquire Dutch group Grontmij back in June and said "the acceptance level for the offer was met with a good margin". Tomas Carlsson, president and chief executive of Sweco, said: "With one move, we have become the European leader. We now have a more prominent role in planning and designing the communities and cities of the future. Sweco and Grontmij complement each other perfectly. The acquisition of Grontmij is meticulously planned and is a natural next step aiming to benefit our customers, our employees and our shareholders. "Both businesses are known for a strong customer focus and recognised expertise. Geographically, we operate in different markets, and this is a crucial platform for continued growth opportunities." Following the acquisition, Sweco now has about 14,500 employees across 15 European countries. Potential synergies achieved by combining the two groups produce an annual saving of €27M in operational improvements, of which 90% will be realisable within four years. Sweco has completed approximately 100 acquisitions over the past ten years and, on average, has doubled its sales every five years. Sweco's acquisition strategy is based on the aim of being able to offer the right expertise for every project. The services of a helicopter were used as vehicle access was impossible

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