Multi-Million-Pound Battery Partnership Announced
The title of this post, is the same as that as of this article on Eureka magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Hyperdrive Innovation, the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery technology, today announces a new multi-million-pound 4-year supply agreement with Moffett, part of Hiab and world leading forklift truck manufacturer, to supply state-of-the-art battery packs for zero-emission machinery.
This seems to be a big deal for the Sunderland-based manufacturer, who are also working with Hitachi to provide battery packs for Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train.
Hyperdrive Innovation certainly must be developing some of the best battery technology available.
Nippon Steel Pledges To Be Carbon Neutral By 2050
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on NikkeiAsia.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Nippon Steel has set a goal to reach net-zero emission by 2050, Nikkei learned on Thursday, a move that could nudge other manufacturers to try to meet Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality across the country by the same year.
Nippon Steel, Japan’s biggest steelmaker, will introduce a new way of steelmaking using hydrogen which can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional methods of production. The steelmaker’s new green target will be unveiled in a business plan it is currently drafting which will be published by March 2021.
To my mind, hydrogen is the way to go!
Will INEOS And Rolls-Royce Get Together Over Hydrogen Production?
It has been a busy week for press releases.
8th November 2020 – Rolls-Royce signs MoU With Exelon For Compact Nuclear Power Stations
9th November 2020 – Rolls-Royce signs MoU with CEZ For Compact Nuclear Power Stations
9th November 2020 – INEOS Launches A New Clean Hydrogen Business To Accelerate The Drive To Net Zero Carbon Emissions
Does the timing of these three press releases indicate that there is possible co-operation between the INEOS and Rolls-Royce?
These are my thoughts.
Electricity Needs Of Integrated Chemical Plants
Integrated chemical plants, like those run by INEOS need a lot of electricity.
When I worked for ICI Plastics in the early 1970s, one of the big projects at Wilton works was the updating of the Wilton power station.
- Fifty years later it is still producing electricity.
- It is fired by a variety of fuels including coal, oil, gas and biomass.
- It even burned 110,000 tonnes of cow fat (tallow) from the carcasses of animals slaughtered during the BSE Crisis of 1996.
- It produces 227 MW of electricity.
- It also produces around 4,000,000 tonnes of steam per year for the plants on the complex.
- Wilton 10 is a 2007 addition to the station, that burns 300,000 tonnes of a combination of sustainable wood, sawmill waste and otherwise unusable wood offcuts a year.
- Wilton 11 is a 2016 addition to the station, that burns domestic waste, which arrives by train from Merseyside.
ICI was proud of its power station at Wilton and there were regular rumours about the strange, but legal fuels, that ended up in the boilers.
Integrated chemical plants like those on Teesside can be voracious consumers of electricity and steam.
I can envisage companies like INEOS boosting their electricity and steam capacity, by purchasing one of Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactors.
A Look At Teesside
If you look at the maps of the mouth of the Tees, you have the Hartlepool nuclear power station on the North side of the river.
- It was commissioned in 1983.
- It can generate 320 MW of electricity.
- It is expected to close in 2024.
This Google Map shows the mouth of the Tees.
Note.
- Hartlepool power station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- The Hartlepool site is probably about forty acres.
- Wilton power station is on the South side of the Tees in the Wilton International site.
I can see, when Hartlepool power station closes, that more power will be needed on Teesside to feed the various industries in the area.
Some will come from offshore wind, but could a fleet of perhaps four of Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactors be built on a decommissioned Hartlepool power station site to replace the output of the current station?
If built in a planned sequence to correspond to the expected need, there are savings to be made because each unit can be commissioned, when they are completed and used to generate cash flow.
I can even see INEOS building a large electrolyser in the area, that is powered either by wind or nuclear power, according to what power is available and the various costs.
An Integrated Small Modular Nuclear Reactor And Electrolyser
Some countries don’t have good resources to exploit for renewable power.
Will a small modular nuclear reactor, be pared with a large electrolyser to produce hydrogen for feedstock for chemical plants and fuel for transport?
How Much Hydrogen Would A Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Produce?
Consider.
- One of Rolls-Royce’s small modular nuclear reactors has a power output of 440 MW.
- It takes 23 MWh of electricity to create ten tonnes of hydrogen.
This would create 4,600 tonnes of hydrogen in a day.
That is a lot of zero-carbon chemical feedstock to make fertiliser, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals and fuel for heavy transport.
Conclusion
I will be very surprised if INEOS were not talking to Rolls-Royce about using small modular nuclear reactors to generate the enormous quantities of electrical power and steam, needed to produce chemicals and fulfil their ambition to be a world leader in the supply of hydrogen.
Dereliction On Teesside – 28th October 2020
The Tees Valley Line between Middlesbrough and Redcar is lined with derelict steel works.
I don’t think there’s an area of such industrial dereliction, in the UK.
UK Records A 16% Increase In New Tech Startups
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on ITPro.
It’s not all bad news out there.
As someone, who started a business in the recession of 1977, and was very successful, now is probably a good time to start the right business.
Scotland seems to have had the largest increase.
Whitby: Hundreds Of Jobs Created At Woodsmith Mine
The title of this post, is the same as that article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Two hundred jobs are being created by a company developing a huge potash mine in North Yorkshire.
I have been watching this project for some time and I’m rather glad, that Woodsmith Mine seems to be past its troubles. This is an extract from the first paragraph in the Wikipedia entry.
The mine is expected to have a life of 100 years and has been labelled the biggest mining project in Britain for decades; its twin shafts will be the deepest commercial mineshafts in Britain. The project is expected to generate over £100 billion for the UK economy over a period of 50 years.
When the project is up and running, it will be the deepest mine in Europe and have the longest tunnel in Great Britain.
I also feel that Woodsmith Mine, shows that mining don’t have to ruin the landscape.
Tory London Mayoral Candidate Wants Sponsorship Deals For Tube Station Names To Raise TfL Cash
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Telegraph.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Underground stations could be renamed under plans put forward by the Conservative London mayoral candidate for a £100 million a year sponsorship deal to bolster investment in the capital’s public transport network.
I think it could be an idea worth pursuing, as due to Sadiq Khan’s bribe of a fare freeze to get elected Transport for London’s finances are in a terrible state.
The article says, that Dubai, Madrid and New York already use similar ideas to raise money.
Remember, London already has one station, where name was changed for a local business; Gillespie Road station was renamed Arsenal in 1932.
Let’s Be Creative!
I also think, if we are creative, we could make the stations much more passenger-friendly, with respect to services nearby.
Imagine a board, with Alight Here For at the top and slots for local shops and businesses below. Each slotted-in advert would be a perhaps a foot wide and four inches high, saying something like. “Boots 100 metres” or “Costa Here!”
Preliminary Sampling Indicate Significant Lithium Grades In Geothermal Waters At United Downs Project, Cornwall
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Think Geoenergy.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Cornish Lithium releases announcement on finding “globally significant” lithium grades in geothermal waters at the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power Project in Cornwall, UK and is now preparing for work on a pilot plant.
The article gives a full explanation.
There is more on this press release on the Cornish Lithium web site.
BP And Microsoft Form Strategic Partnership To Drive Digital Energy Innovation And Advance Net Zero Goals
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Authority.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The companies intend to work together to develop new technology innovations and digital solutions to help meet their sustainability aims, including reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
I find this an interesting and possibly very important partnership.
It is an article that is well worth a read.
Conclusion
Strategic partnerships like this might be one of the moves, that will improve the world.
ARM: Can ‘Crown Jewel’ Of UK Technology Be Protected?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
The UK government is “looking at options” to protect and ensure future investment in Cambridge-based ARM Holdings, which is being bought by US tech giant Nvidia from Japan’s Softbank.
This is a much more relaxed attitude than the government took when Softbank bought the world-leading chip designer in July 2016. At that time, Softbank announced it had agreed to legally binding commitments to increase investment, headcount and preserve its headquarters in the UK.
It is not too late for the government to impose conditions, but conversations on whether to impose them or what they might be have not even started.
Some of the original founders of ARM Holdings, would appear to be not very happy.
I have followed the company for a number of years, as I was in the same class at Liverpool University with Robin Saxby, who was ARM’s first CEO.
At great surprise to myself, I made a nice sum of money by investing in the shares at the right time.
I am less unhappy, as I think two opposite outcomes would be good for the UK.
- It all goes pear-shaped and large numbers of talented engineers in Cambridge create several children of ARM.
- Nvidia decides that the ARM model and location is better and moves the headquarters of the group to the UK. Trump and his policies could make this likely, by picking fights with countries where Nvidia and ARM have large markets.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
The Anonymous Widower 