The Anonymous Widower

Are Londoners The Tunnel Kings?

I was born in 1947 and it was in the early 1960s, that I started to develop an interest in engineering, which eventually led me to study Electrical Engineering and Electronics at Liverpool University.

Like most Londoners, I was a frequent user of the Underground and for six or seven years, I took the Piccadilly Line many days between Oakwood and Southgate to go to Minchenden Grammar School. Often, after school, I would go on to my father’s print works near Word Green tube station.

But not memories of London’s tunnels were so memorable at that time. One day, we were driving to see my Uncle Bert in Broadstairs and we were held in the Blackwall Tunnel for an hour or so because of an accident.

Perhaps, this is why I can remember a black-and-white video of digging the Western Tunnel of the Dartford Crossing so vividly. But as Raymond Baxter probably explained to BBC viewers at the time, it dug using a Greathead shield under pressure to keep the water out. It was probably the last tunnel dug under the Thames using methods, that would have been familiar to Victorian engineers.

This British Pathe video shows some of the construction of the Western tunnel.

This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the Eastern Tunnel describes its construction.

Construction was approved in April 1971, with an initial expected opening date in 1976. Work was delayed due to a lack of funds, which was resolved by EEC funding granted in 1974. The second tunnel opened in May 1980, allowing each tunnel to handle one direction of traffic, by which time the joint capacity of the two tunnels had increased to 65,000 vehicles per day. Connection of the crossing to the M25 was completed on the northerly Essex side in September 1982 (Junction 31), and to the southerly Kent side in September 1986 (Junction 1a)

The tunnels may be inadequate in terms of capacity, but they have certainly done a reliable job for sixty and forty-three years respectively.

There are other tunnels under the Thames, that have been built in my lifetime.

There are also these tunnels, which don’t go under the Thames

Bank Station Expansion And New Southbound Northern Line Tunnel – 2022

Note.

  1. The date is the opening date.
  2. I am pleased to see that at least some projects were planned, with the software, I wrote in a Suffolk attic.

In my lifetime, at least 27 substantial tunnels have been completed, a very large proportion of which have been on time and on budget, with the possible exception of the Heathrow Rail Tunnels, which collapsed.

So Why Has London Got A Good Record On Tunnelling?

In Millicent And Ursula Prepare To Go Tunnelling, I describe my visit to the Tideway Open Day today to see the tunnel boring machines; Millicent and Ursula before they went tunnelling.

On that Sunday morning, I also chatted with the engineers and tunnelers.

  • All had worked on at least one of London’s previous tunnels.
  • One had worked on the Second Dartford Tunnel, the Channel Tunnel and Crossrail.
  • A couple said, that after the Tideway finished, they would be off to High Speed Two.

Is London’s good record on delivering tunnels safely and on time and on budget, a case of lots of experience and practice makes perfect?

If it is, we should definitely think hard about how we handle large projects.

Wind Farms

Many have been constructed this way.

  • The grid substation and connection to the grid is built.
  • The foundations of the turbines are installed.
  • The turbines are erected.
  • All the turbines are commissioned.

This sequence or something like it can be applied to onshore and offshore wind farms.

  • Most jobs are repeated many times by specialist teams using purpose-built cranes, ships and other equipment.
  • Bigger wind farms, just need more repeated operations.
  • All operations are generally in a small geographical area.
  • I suspect specialist software has been built to project manage, the building of wind farms. If it hasn’t, I have my ideas.

Project management should be relatively easy.

 

 

January 31, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Improvements To Edmonton Green Station

This post on IanVisits is entitled Enfield Council Outlines Possible Rail Station Upgrades.

By reading Enfield Council documents, Ian has found possible station improvements that might happen.

Ian says this about Edmonton Green station.

A proposed redevelopment of the shopping centre could add upwards of 1,000 new homes in time, and fund improvements to both the railway station and the bus station.

I took these pictures of the station.

Note.

  1. The station has lifts to both platforms.
  2. The station has some excellent period features.
  3. I have indicated a couple of possible development sites.
  4. The station does not appear to be listed.

A good architect and some good craftsmen could improve this station substantially.

January 31, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

Wrightbus Nears Completion Of First Hydrogen Buses For Continental Europe

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.

This is the first paragraph.

UK bus manufacturer Wrightbus announced through a Linkedin post it is in the final stages of completing its first batch of left-hand-drive single-deck hydrogen buses, known as the Kite Hydroliner, destined for Germany and adhering to full VDV compliance. In May 2022 Wrightbus secured an order from RVK Cologne for 20 fixed and 40 optional orders.

This paragraph is also significant.

The buses come equipped with stated range of 1,030 kilometers, a fully flat saloon floor, rapid refueling in under 8 minutes, and are crafted “using key components from tier 1 global suppliers”.

A 1030 kilometre (640 miles) range is enough to go between London and Carlisle and back.

January 31, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

The Long Platforms At Liverpool Street Station

I was on Liverpool Street station today and I took these pictures.

It got me thinking.

  1. I was standing On Platform 1 and on Platform 2 was a pair of five-car Class 720 trains coupled together.
  2. The pair of five-car Class 720 trains would be 244 metres long, which mean that the platforms could handle nine-car Class 800 or Class 345 trains.
  3. There would appear to be plenty of platform space in Liverpool Street station.
  4. In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I talked about how LNER were checking an Azuma train could use the route to Cleethorpes.
  5. In London North Eastern Railway Runs Trial Train To Liverpool Street, I talked about how LNER had ran a train into Liverpool Street.

The general consensus seems to be, that points 3 and 4, are about several things.

Adding Grimsby and Cleethorpes to LNER’s list of destinations.

Possibly adding Spalding, Sleaford, Market Rasen  and Barnetby to LNER’s list of destinations.

Providing a faster service between London and Grimsby/Cleethorpes.

Providing a diversion route because of engineering or blockades on the East Coast Main Line.

Nearly twenty years ago, I used to play real tennis, with a guy, who was on a committee, that planned the future of the Cambridge region.

  • One of the things he said was that Cambridge was full and there is not enough lab space, factories and housing.
  • He felt that Peterborough would make an excellent satellite for Cambridge.
  • However, transport links and especially the trains are not the best between Cambridge and Peterborough.
  • I wonder, if Cambridge’s overcrowding is spreading the Cambridge Effect into Lincolnshire and the number of rail passengers between Lincoln and Cambridge is growing.

So have LNER taken the bull by the horns and are planning to run a London Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service via Cambridge?

  • It might perhaps run at least six trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
  • Stops could include Stratford, Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, March, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
  • Trains could be a five-car Class 800 train.
  • The route is fully-electrified between London and Ely.

Note.

  1. The London King’s Cross and Lincoln service could be discontinued.
  2. Connection between Cambridge and Lincolnshire is much improved.
  3. The developing energy powerhouse in North-East Lincolnshire gets a connection to Cambridge and London.
  4. There could be same-platform interchange at Peterborough for passengers between Cambridge and the North.
  5. By going via Cambridge, one less train needs to use the bottleneck over the Digswell viaduct.

LNER are trying to get the most out of the new December 2024 East Coast Main Line timetable and I do wonder if a London Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes servce is part of that exercise.

 

 

January 31, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

That Was Close!

I took this picture in Liverpool Street station on the Elizabeth Line.

Note.

  1. The timings of the first two trains.
  2. The Shenfield train did arrive before the one for Abbey Wood.

How did it manage that? It looks like a another Fujitsu moment in the display to me!

January 30, 2024 Posted by | Computing, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 3 Comments

Amazon Books Over Half Of Moray West Offshore Wind Capacity To Power UK Operations

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Amazon has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) for a total of 473 MW of Moray West offshore wind farm’s generation capacity to help power its operations when the project becomes operational later this year.

These are the first two paragraphs.

The technology giant signed the CPPA with ENGIE, which owns the Moray West project through Ocean Winds, the 50-50 joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables.

The 473 MW Amazon secured through the agreement is enough to power the equivalent of more than 650,000 UK homes annually and is more than half of the total installed capacity of the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm.

Note.

  1. In Google Buys Scottish Offshore Wind Power, I talked about how Google had signed a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement to buy 100 MW from the Moray West offshore wind farm.
  2. This would mean that there’s still 305 MW of capacity to allocate.
  3. I would assume you wouldn’t sell hundred percent of capacity to give yourself leeway.

But what do you do, if your wind farm isn’t producing the 573 MW you need to satisfy the CPPAs you’ve sold? I suspect you have to buy it on the market.

If And When Do Amazon Think About Batteries?

My twenty-five-year-old self could have developed methods to calculate the answer to that question, as it would have been a simple calculation for the analogue computer, that I was using at the time; a PACE-231-R.

They really were magnificent machines.

 

 

January 30, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Black Cab With Cushions

I must have used thousands of black taxis in my life.

But last week, was the first one with cushions.

Even at seventy-six, I still get new experiences.

January 30, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

Pension Power Backing For New Battery Energy Storage Plant

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Nation.Cymru.

These paragraphs outline the project,

A new battery energy storage plant at the site of a decommissioned power station will be funded by Welsh pensioners.

The plan for the facility at the former Uskmouth B Power Station at the Gwent Wetlands on the edge of Newport, was approved by the city council’s planning committee this January.

The batteries will store excess power during times of “excess supply” and then put that electricity back into the grid when demand is higher.

The Greater Gwent Pension Fund, which manages the retirement savings of more than 65,000 members from Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire Newport and Torfaen councils as well as 52 other active employers in the Gwent region, has revealed it is investing in the project.

According to their Wikipedia entry, the Uskmouth power stations have had rather a chequered history and both appear to be currently non-productive.

  • The original coal-fired Uskmouth A has been demolished and the site is now occupied by an 832 MW gas-fired CCGT power station. Currently, it is in a ‘dormant’ state, after its owner entered administration.
  • The original coal-fired Uskmouth B has been converted and now can generate 363 MW on a mixture of biomass and waste plastic. Uskmouth B is currently being demolished.

This press release from Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners is entitled Quinbrook To Build Large-Scale Battery Storage Project At Uskmouth, South Wales.

This is the sub-heading.

Uskmouth will be one of the largest storage projects in the UK and will directly support the UK’s energy transition.

These first two paragraphs outline the project.

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (“Quinbrook”), a specialist investment manager focused on renewables, storage and grid support infrastructure has acquired the exclusive development rights for one of the UK’s largest battery storage projects to date.

The planned 230MW / 460MWh Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”), will be located at the site of the former Uskmouth coal fired power station in south Wales (“Project Uskmouth”) and will seek to utilise existing power transmission infrastructure and provide a new lease of life to the area. Uskmouth was acquired from Simec Atlantis Energy Limited (“SAE”). Quinbrook has partnered with Energy Optimisation Solutions Limited (“EOS”) in the origination and development of Project Uskmouth, which represents a major anchoring project in the planned re-development and regeneration of the Uskmouth site into a Sustainable Energy Park that will support innovative future industry. Quinbrook considers these types of regeneration projects as key to making meaningful contributions to delivery of the Government’s Levelling Up ambitions.

Note.

  1. The battery can supply 230 MW for two hours.
  2. It looks like the battery will replace the older of the two power stations and work with the relatively-modern 832 MW gas-fired CCGT power station.
  3. Will they act as backup to renewables?

As there are very few renewables in the area, will this work with the wind farms being developed in the Celtic Sea or are Quinbrook anticipating wind farms South of Newport in the Bristol Channel?

I have a few thoughts.

Will Uskmouth Work With Hinckley Point C?

This Google Map shows the relative locations of Uskmouth and Hinckley Point C.

Note.

  1. Uskmouth is just South of Newport, in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. I estimate that Uskmouth and Hinckley Point C are 24.7 miles apart.

A cable across the Bristol Channel would surely increase the energy security of South Wales.

Will There Be Wind Farms In The Bristol Channel?

I feel that this is inevitable.

This document on the Welsh Government web site is entitled Future Potential For Offshore Wind In Wales, was written by The Carbon Trust.

This paragraph is the document’s assessment of wind farms in the Bristol Channel.

Despite high energy demand and good infrastructure, environmental conditions in the Bristol Channel
makes this area challenging for offshore wind development. In addition to lower average wind speeds,
the Bristol Channel has complex seabed, including areas of hard rock, and is exposed to strong tidal
currents from the Severn Estuary. Seabed conditions and tidal currents were the main drivers behind
cancellation of the Atlantic Array project and it is considered unlikely that a developer would look to
revive this site in the near-term, particularly given competition with other more favourable UK sites.

That doesn’t seem very promising.

But this is the document’s assessment of wind farms in the Pembrokeshire Atlantic area.

Exposure to the prevailing south-westerly Atlantic wind and swells means that the waters off
Pembrokeshire have excellent wind speeds, often exceeding 10 m/s, but also a harsher wave
environment than elsewhere in Wales. Significantly, water depths quickly increase to over 50m,
suggesting that floating foundations are likely to be required, particularly if projects are located
further from shore, which is likely given constraints from environmental impact and seascape near to
the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Grid infrastructure is constrained for thermal generation but should not be a barrier to new
renewables. The Greenlink interconnector could also support the addition of new capacity. The region
has good port infrastructure at Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, which is already actively pursuing
upgrades to future proof the port for potential offshore wind deployment.

That is a lot more promising.

  • Some demonstration wind farms are under development.
  • Hopefully, the steel would be available at Port Talbot.
  • I can see this area, having almost 50 GW of floating wind.

I do feel though, that once the sea off Pembrokeshire is full of wind farms, that developers will turn their attention to the more difficult waters of the Bristol Channel.

Is The Uskmouth BESS A Good Investment?

The Nation.Cymru article discusses this and what they say is well worth reading.

My feelings are that the BESS will be very busy balancing electricity on the South Wales Coast and to and from Ireland using the 500 MW Greenlink Interconnector, which opens this year.

These electrical systems are relatively easy to model and I suspect Quinbrook wouldn’t be investing, if the BESS was not going to generate a substantial income.

January 30, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Finance & Investment | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

BlueFloat, Renantis And Ørsted Move Forward With 1 GW Scottish Floater

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Stromar Offshore Wind Farm Limited, a joint venture between Ørsted, BlueFloat Energy, and Renantis, has submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) scoping and habitats regulations appraisal (HRA) screening reports for the 1 GW floating offshore wind farm in Scotland.

These are the first three paragraphs, which outline the progress that has been made so far.

The reports for the project, which is located approximately 50 kilometres from the Port of Wick, were delivered to the Marine Directorate and Aberdeenshire Council.

The EIA scoping reports outline the plans for the development, addressing both onshore and offshore considerations while the HRA screening reports outline the key protected sites and species of relevance to the Stromar development area. The HRA screening reports also present how impacts will be assessed in more detail at the next stage, the developer said.

The project team will now schedule several community consultation events in Spring 2024 to ensure stakeholders are fully informed and that their views are considered in the site selection, design, and development of the project, according to the developer.

This map shows the various ScotWind leases.

 

Note.

  1. The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
  2. 10 is now Stromar
  3. This is the Stromar web site.
  4. One of the partners; Falck Renewables changed its name to Renantis in 2022.
  5. The next stage is to be awarded a Contract for Difference.

The Internet is suggesting a completion date of 2028.

 

 

 

 

January 29, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ScottishPower Makes Hydrogen Aviation Pact

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on reNEWS.biz.

These two paragraphs outline the project.

ScottishPower has partnered with ZeroAvia to explore the development of green hydrogen supply solutions for key airports, with the aim of seeing the decarbonisation of air travel take off.

The collaboration will allow the companies to explore the hydrogen infrastructure for airports to support hydrogen-electric flight and other potential uses.

There is no point of having zero-carbon hydrogen-electric aircraft without the ability to refuel them.

This picture comes from ScottishPower’s original press release.

I can see a system like this having applications in industries like buses, farming, heavy transport and mining.

 

 

January 29, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , | 2 Comments

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