Gwynt Glas Offshore Wind Project Strengthens Development And Welcomes New Partner, Sumitomo
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Gwynt Glas.
These three initial paragraphs add some detail.
The Gwynt Glas offshore wind project has today announced a significant strengthening of its joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation joining as an equal partner alongside EDF power solutions UK and Ireland and ESB. Each partner now holds a 33.33% stake, while DP Energy continues to provide critical development support, leveraging its expertise in early stage project delivery and local engagement.
This strategic collaboration brings together three global leaders in renewable energy combining deep expertise in large scale development and delivery. The partnership positions Gwynt Glas to advance confidently through its next phases, reinforcing its role in delivering clean, homegrown energy for Wales and the UK while supporting energy security and economic growth.
Gwynt Glas is a proposed innovative floating offshore wind farm in the Celtic Sea. The up to 1.5 GW project continues to make strong progress and successfully submitted its Scoping Report to the Planning Inspectorate this summer.
Are Sumitomo Involved In Offshore Wind?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Since making its first investment in a European offshore wind project in 2014, Sumitomo Corporation
has accumulated extensive expertise throughout the development, construction and operation phases of offshore wind projects.This marks Sumitomo Corporation’s first participation in a floating offshore wind project.
Are Sumitomo learning about floating offshore wind, by participating in a major project or are they up to something very innovative technically?
In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?, I talked about how Sumitomo’s engineers had taken Highview Power’s ideas for energy storage using liquid-air and downsized it to improve the efficiency of an LNG Terminal at Hiroshima, by adding a 4MW/20 MWh battery.
I just wonder, if some of the steel floats that will support the wind turbines, will also be used for liquid-air tanks as part of one of Highview Power’s batteries. As initially, there will be 66 turbines at Gwynt Glas, the battery could be a monster, but a very environmentally-friendly one!
RWE To Build Large-Scale Storage At Hambach Mine
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from RWE.
These four bullet points act as sub-headings.
- 236 megawatts capacity and 470 megawatt-hours storage capacity
- First battery containers have been delivered; commissioning is planned for 2027
- Large-scale storage system balances fluctuations in the electricity grid in fractions of a second
- RWE currently constructing around 1.7 Gigawatts of battery storage capacity in Germany
This first paragraph gives some more details.
RWE is continuing to expand its battery storage portfolio and is constructing a new large-scale storage facility on the site of the Hambach opencast mine. The battery storage facility is being built near the village of Niederzier in the district of Düren. Preparatory work on a three-hectare site began at the end of 2025. The first of a total of 128 lithium-ion battery containers have already been delivered. The large-scale storage facility will have a capacity of 236 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 470 megawatt-hours (MWh). The facility is scheduled to come on stream in 2027.
Note.
- According to the Wikipedia entry for the Hambach opencast mine, it was used to mine lignite or brown coal.
- The battery will be a two-hour battery.
- The site was originally the Hambach Forest, of which only ten percent remains, as the rest has been cut down because of the mining.
- The pit is 500 metres deep.
- Full cessation of lignite mining planned by 2030 as part of Germany’s coal phase-out.
The site is being gradually transformed into a reclaimed landscape, including the future Hambach lake.
It is well-worth reading the whole Wikipedia entry for the Hambach opencast mine.
On The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomon’
I couldn’t resist using the first line of one of the most famous Scottish traditional songs, as the title of this post.
But a very significant power station project, is to be undertaken in the area.
These are the opening few sentences of the Wikipedia entry for the Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Scheme.
The Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Scheme is a hydro-electric facility situated between Loch Sloy and Inveruglas on the west bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is also within the Arrochar Alps. The site was originally suggested as the location of a huge pumped-storage scheme in 1936 by Edward MacColl, but this was rejected as being uneconomic. After the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was created in 1943, it became the first of their proposed schemes.
This Google Map shows Loch Lomond and Loch Sloy.
Note.
- Loch Sloy is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Loch Lomond is on the Eastern side of the map.
- The red arrow indicates the main buildings of the LochSloy Hydro-Electric Power Station.
- Loch Sloy is eight-hundred feet above Loch Lomond.
- The total generating capacity of the power station is 152.5 MW.
The facility is operated by Scottish and Southern Energy, and is normally in standby mode, ready to generate electricity to meet sudden peaks in demand. It can reach full capacity within 5 minutes from a standing start.
This second Google Map shows the power station to a larger scale.
Note.
- Loch Sloy is to the North-West of the North-West corner of the map.
- Loch Lomond is on the Eastern side of the map.
- The red arrow indicates the main buildings of the Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Power Station.
- The four pipes carry water from Loch Sloy to the actual power station.
- The single-track West Highland Line crosses over the four pipes at their South-Eastern end.
The design of Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Power Station is typical of many hydro-electric stations all over the world.
This third map is an OpenRailwayMap of the area.
Note.
- Loch Sloy is on the Western side of the map.
- Loch Lomond is on the Eastern side of the map.
- The yellow track is the single-track West Highland Line between Glasgow and Mallaig via Fort William
- The blue arrow indicates Ardlui station.
The railway goes close to the power station.
A Platinum Celebration for Sloy Power Station!
The title of this section is the same as this must-read web page on the SSE web site, which dates from 2020.
Sloy Power Station Development Plans
This second must read web page on the SSE web site is entitled Sloy Power Station.
This is the sub-heading.
We’re Proposing To Convert Our Iconic 1950s Hydro Station To Pumped Storage Hydro
This is the introduction to the development.
In April 2025, we submitted a planning application to the Scottish Government to convert the iconic Sloy Power Station into a pumped storage hydro scheme.
Our proposals would bolster energy security and help provide the large-scale and flexible renewable energy back-up needed in a future UK net zero power system, helping meet the UK Government’s ambition of Clean Power by 2030.
If approved for delivery, the converted Sloy scheme would be capable of delivering up to 16GWh of long-duration electricity storage capacity.
It could provide firm, flexible renewable energy for up to 100 hours non-stop.
It appears that the upgraded power station will effectively become a 160 MW/16 GWh long duration energy store.
Currently, the UK’s largest pumped storage power station is the 1727 MW/9.1 GWh Electric Mountain in North Wales.
The updated Sloy power station will have less output, but more storage capacity, than Electric Mountain.
Should There Be A Railway Station At Loch Sloy Power Station?
Google AI gives this answer in reply to “Loch Sloy Railway Station”.
There was never a permanent public railway station called Loch Sloy, but temporary private platforms like Inveruglas railway station and Faslane Platform railway station served the area. These stops were built in 1945 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) to haul materials and workers—including prisoners of war—for the construction of the Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric Scheme.
Note.
- Surely, similar reasons to those in 1945 could apply to the development of the power station. Materials and workers could be brought in by rail.
- Given, the power station’s historic significance, I believe that it could become a tourist attraction and/or education centre.It could be a stop for the Caledonian Sleeper.
I believe that as time passes, the power station’s historic significance will increase.
Are There Any Other Hydro Power Stations, That Can Be Upgraded To Pumped Storage Hydro?
Google AI can’t find anything at present.
North-East-Based Turntide Receives Initial Battery Production Order From Hitachi Rail For Arriva’s Grand Central Intercity UK Battery Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Turntide Technologies.
This is the sub-heading.
New batteries to enable greener train operations to remove over 600 engines on existing trains, offering lower cost of operations, more range, and path to zero-emissions travel.
These are the initial three paragraphs, that add more detail.
Turntide Technologies (Turntide), a global leader in electrification and hybridisation solutions and a long-standing North East manufacturer, received its first order from Hitachi Rail to begin production of its next-generation modular battery system for the first U.K.-manufactured battery trains for Arriva’s Grand Central.
First announced on July 2, 2025, this partnership involved an R&D component and has officially moved into production with the potential to support either new battery trains or retrofitting over 600 engines on existing Hitachi Rail U.K. fleets.
This new battery system will allow for lower cost of operations, extended range, and a path to zero-emission travel, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and improving air quality and noise pollution. Turntide’s bespoke batteries are designed to deliver even greater power density in the same footprint of a diesel engine. This battery production is an advanced manufacturing milestone for Arriva’s Grand Central new fleet, which is being built in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham by Hitachi Rail.
In Are Hitachi’s Tri-Mode Trains Exceeding Expectations?, I said this.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post and received this answer.
Yes, Hitachi’s tri-mode (battery-hybrid) trains are exceeding expectations, particularly following successful trials in the UK in late 2024. Trials of the battery-equipped Class 802/2 demonstrated superior performance to initial forecasts, leading to a £300 million order for a new fleet to be delivered in 2028.
Key findings from trials and operational expectations:
Performance Exceeded: The trial, conducted with TransPennine Express and Angel Trains, showed fuel cost savings of 35%–50%, surpassing initial predictions of up to 30%.
Operational Capability: The battery technology enabled trains to reach speeds greater than 75 mph and provided enough range for zero-emission, silent running in and out of stations, significantly reducing noise and improving air quality.
Energy Efficiency: The battery matched the weight of a diesel engine, meaning no extra track degradation.
Future Impact: The success of the trial led to an order from Arriva Group for a new fleet for Grand Central services, which will increase seating capacity by 20% and are expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions.
These trains, designed to run on electric, battery, or diesel power, are part of a push to modernize rail services, with the technology allowing for the gradual elimination of diesel-only operation on certain routes.
In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to these conclusions.
- The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
- A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
- The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.
Hitachi have seen my figures and told me they’re not far out.
As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase
What Battery Range Do Arriva Grand Central Trains Need?
Arriva Grand Central Trains currently run services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland and hope of adding services to Cleethorpes.
All services would go between Doncaster and Kings Cross, with some stopping additionally at Peterborough.
The lengths of unelectrified track on each route is as follows.
- Bradford Interchange – Shaftholme junction and Bradford Interchange is not electrified – 47.8 miles
- Cleethorpes – Doncaster and Cleethorpes is not electrified – 52.1 miles
- Sunderland – Northallerton and Sunderland is not electrified – 47.4 miles
Note.
- Bradford Interchange station is on a tightly hemmed-in site and putting charging infrastructure in the station might be difficult.
- All Bradford Interchange services will soon be passing electrification at Mirfield station, so there may be scope for a quick charge and continue.
- Cleethorpes station is an open-air station with four platforms.
- I believe it is likely, that Cleethorpes station will also be a destination station for other battery-electric trains from LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine, so I would suspect that charging facilities will be installed.
- Cleethorpes station could be an ideal location for one of Siemens’ Rail Charging Converters.
- Sunderland station is underground and has a unique layout where both platforms are electrified for the Metro. It is all explained in the Wikipedia entry for the station.
- The Wikipedia entry shows an open-air siding without electrification. One possibility would be for the Class 820 trains to park there and use their on-board diesel to top-up the batteries, so they could reach Northallerton.
- It appears that Grand Central visit Ryhope Grange Sidings between arriving and leaving for King’s Cross. The trains could have their batteries topped up there if needed.
It does look like a five-car train with a battery range of at least 105 miles would be able to handle these three routes.
The Arriva Grand Central Trains Fleet Are Now Class 820 trains
They have a Wikipedia entry.
The order was for nine trains of five cars.
- Wikipedia describes them as tri-mode trains.
- I believe they will have three battery packs and one diesel generator.
- Three battery packs should give a range of 117 miles.
- Google AI says that on one diesel generator, these trains can limp home at 60 miles per hour.
- Google AI says that the diesel generator will be able to charge the batteries at the destination station?
- From comments on the Internet, it appears that Hitachi have a very clever train control system, that ekes out the available power.
It looks to me that Hitachi have designed a train that can handle an unelectrified branch line of up to 60 miles or 120 miles if there are charging facilities at the destination station.
Did LNER And TransPennine Express Not Want To Be First With Battery-Electric Intercity Trains?
Consider.
- TransPennine and LNER are under government control.
- TransPennine provided the train for the testing, so they must know all the results and their drivers, who were probably involved certainly do.
- LNER must have the best initial route in King’s Cross and Lincoln, where only the last 16.6 miles, between Newark and Lincoln is not electrified.
- Surely, both companies should have been given at least one of the first batteries, so they could start training staff in how to use and service the batteries.
I have also totalled how many existing diesel power-packs are in existing Hitachi trains and it is 759.
This figure surprised me, as the sub-heading in the Turntide news item said the number of engines in existing trains was over 600. But then East Midlands Railway are still introducing their fleet of 33 x Class 810 trains, which have a total of 132 engines, and 627 could be described as over 600 engines.
How Much Would A Turntide Battery-Pack Cost?
Consider.
- This is a bespoke product for Hitachi.
- Hitachi have stated that the weight is the same as a diesel-pack, so that track-access rules and charges won’t change.
- As a Control Engineer, I wouldn’t be surprised, that the battery-pack is designed to tell the train control system, that it is a diesel power pack. So it acts just like one!
- In the 1960s, I was designing, building and installing transisterised control systems to replace electronic valve and relay equipment in a rolling mills. The two generations of control systems were interchangeable. Are diesel-packs and battery-packs the same?
- Why did Hitachi choose a small supplier in Gateshead, rather than one of a number of capable companies in Japan? You don’t go halfway around the world, if the quality is available locally.
- Deployment of these trains, will avoid the cost of scores of miles of overhead electrification.
- A lot of routes won’t even need chargers at the remote destination, as the range will be sufficient for an out and back journey from the current electrification.
- Fuel cost savings of 35%–50% were achieved in development testing.
- I have ridden in three battery-electric trains. All were mouse quiet. Will that increase ridership?
I believe these batteries are no ordinary batteries. So they won’t come cheap!
I wouldn’t be surprised that the cost of each battery-pack between a half-a-million pounds and a million pounds, with support.
Will These Trains Create Growth In The Economy?
I have ridden in all current variants of the Hitachi Intercity Express Trains, with the possible exception of the Class 805 train and as each version has been introduced, they are no worse, but often better than previous versions.
I have had two or maybe three return trips to Nottingham and Sheffield in the latest variant, which is East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 train.
This is without doubt the pick of the bunch.
I therefor believe that if this continuous improvement carries on, that the new Class 820 train, that has been ordered by Grand Central will be even better.
- My experience of battery-electric trains, says it will be quieter.
- The environment of stations will be improved.
- Train fuel costs will be reduced.
- I believe that ridership will be increased, as people will be intrigued by a 125 mph train running on batteries.
- The trains will have the ability to divert via Lincoln using the GNGE Diversion on the East Coast Main Line during engineering works.
- Because of their regenerative braking, the trains should be able to do very quick extra stops at intermediate stations.
- New routes will be developed.
- Less ugly electrification will be erected on scenic routes like Settle and Carlisle, and across the Highlands of Scotland.
I believe strongly, that at the end of the day, that battery-electric trains will increase the profits of operators and Network Rail, and reduce the cost to the taxpayers of the railways.
Grand Central’s New Trains Will Improve Services
All these stations will be served by the new Class 820 trains.
- Barnetby
- Bradford Interchange
- Brighouse
- Cleethorpes
- Doncaster
- Eaglescliffe
- Grimsby
- Habrough
- Halifax
- Hartlepool
- Low Moor
- Mirfield
- Northallerton
- Peterborough
- Pontefract Monkhill
- Scunthorpe
- Seaham
- Sunderland
- Thirsk
- Wakefield Kirkgate
- York
Passengers should notice the following from the new Grand Central trains.
- A quieter ride.
- Less vibration.
- Slightly faster services due to faster stops at stations.
- No diesel smoke and much less noise from trains in stations.
Note.
- Cross Country, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo, TransPennine Express and other operators will come under pressure to follow suit.
- Batteries, will not have the power for freight trains, so will we see a new generation of hydrogen freight locomotives?
But will the improved services bring that exclusive growth to the economy?
Only time will tell!
Private And Public Operators
In the UK, we have.
- Private open access operators like Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo, who can buy trains on a loan from a leasing company.
- Public operators like LNER and TransPennine Express, who probably have to get sign off from the Treasury.
- Several companies like Great Western Railways and East Midlands Railway, who are soon to be taken over by Great British Railways, who are stuck in a sort of limbo.
My late friend ; David, who rose to the highest level in banking in the UK, would have come up with a solution.
He would probably have said, that there’s is very little difference between the groups of operators.
- The train services they offer vary only on destinations and prices.
- The ticketing system is now unified, so if you turn up at the last minute and want to go to Newcastle and Lumo and LNER both have tickets, you are offered a choice and you can pick the one that’s best for you.
- All services will soon be running similar battery-electric trains, fprobably from the same Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe.
- Food and beverage service is not competitive and could be improved.
- Staff are probably on similar employment agreements.
So why shouldn’t Great British Railways be able to lease trains and even battery packs from companies like Angel Trains, who are funding the trains for Grand Central?
It might get more battery trains running on tracks all over Great Britain sooner than it appears they will now!
Does BYD Stand For Bet On Your Destination?
Today I came back from Walthamstow Sainsbury’s to my home in Hackney, using two BYD electric buses on route W15, a diesel bus on route 488 and a Reliable Routemaster on Route 38.
Both the BYD electric buses stopped short of their final destination.
I also changed early to the 38, so I could have a Diet-Coke in a cafe that looked friendly.
It was!
- As you can see, it was right by a bus stop, where luckily for me, 38 buses called.
- I have written a few posts about the horrid BYD electric buses on route 141, but London shouldn’t be made to suffer an inferior product.
- If Manchester and Leeds can have UK-built buses by Wrightbus, that are delivered as diesel and converted at an appropriate time to zero-carbon, why can’t London and the rest of the country?
London’s fleet of a thousand Routemasters, which were built by Wrightbus, a few years ago, seem to have found a new niche in the world of advertising and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an experimental fleet of zero-carbon Routemasters.
Here’s a few images of Routemaster paint schemes.
I like them. I wonder, if a bus has gone missing to have a special makeover, if England get to the latter stages of the World Cup?
Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm
This is a wind farm off the Isle of Man, that I missed as it is not on Wikipedia’s List of Offshore Wind Farms In The United Kingdom.
But it does have a web site, which has this handy map.
Note.
- The wind farm will have a capacity of 1.4 GW.
- Ørsted is building the web farm.
- It has planning permission.
- The operations base for the proposed Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm will be located at Douglas Harbour on the Isle of Man.
- The Port is Owned By The Isle Of Man Government.
- Anticipated operational start date is the mid 2030s. I’ll assume 2035.
- According to the web site, connection will be to Douglas on the Isle of Man and Penwortham, Lancashire in the UK.
- Penwortham is part of Preston.
- Penwortham substation already has a 50 MW/50 MWh BESS and may get a bigger one.
- Current fossil-fuel power stations on the Isle of Man, include a number of diesel power stations and a 64 MW CCGT. They also have a 23 MW steam generator.
It looks like Mooir Vannin is large enough to give the island a carbon-free energy supply, backed up, by the UK National Grid at Penwortham.
I asked Google AI, “If The Isle of Man Was Going Into The Data Centre Business”, and received this reply.
The Isle of Man is actively positioning itself as a premier hub for data centres, tech firms, and AI companies. The government is utilizing its robust infrastructure, strong regulatory environment, and competitive tax policies to attract high-value data businesses to the island.
It also looks like they have a water system, that has a hydro-electric power-station.
Ørsted Is Danish
Ørsted is Danish and all of those countries to the North East of the UK have lots of islands.
So I asked Google AI, this question.”Does Denmark Have Any Islands With Power Stations?”, and received this comprehensive answer.
Yes, Denmark has several islands with power stations, ranging from natural islands utilizing large wind and biomass facilities to massive, pioneering “Energy Islands” built specifically as offshore power hubs.
Key Examples Include:
Bornholm (Baltic Sea): Designated as a major green “Energy Island” hub. It functions as a massive collection and distribution point for surrounding offshore wind farms, routing renewable energy to both the Danish grid and neighboring countries like Germany.
SamsØ (Kattegat strait): Known globally as a renewable energy island.
It is entirely powered by local onshore and offshore wind turbines and uses a mix of solar and battery storage systems to manage its energy needs, including marina charging.
North Sea Energy Island (VindØ): This is a colossal artificial island project (located roughly 80–100 km off the coast of Jutland) designed to act as an offshore power plant.
It acts as a hub to harvest and convert wind energy from hundreds of surrounding turbines.
Are Ørsted and Highview Power Still Talking?
In Highview Power, Ørsted Find Value In Integrating Offshore Wind With Liquid Air Energy Storage, it appeared that they still were.
As it appears that Highview Power’s Liquid Air Energy Storage can be sized to the application, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of their batteries on an island powered by Danish wind turbines.
In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?, I describe how a Highview Power application, that uses cold, solar panels and a small Highview Power battery to increase the efficiency of a CNG Terminal.
How Many Of The UK’s Power Stations Are On Islands?
I asked Google AI this question and I received this answer.
There are three major, conventional thermal power stations on the UK’s offshore islands (two in Scotland and one in the Channel Islands), alongside several small-scale community-owned renewable plants that operate entirely off-grid.
The main island-based power stations include:
Lerwick Power Station (Shetland): A 66-73 MW diesel-fired plant commissioned in 1953. It provides a baseline of electricity for the Shetland mainland.
Sullom Voe Terminal Power Station (Shetland): An independent gas-fired station (roughly 92 MW capacity).
Its primary purpose is to serve the Sullom Voe gas terminal, but it also supplies the Shetland grid.
Queen’s Road Power Station (Jersey): A multi-engine facility in the Channel Islands that uses a mix of gas turbines and diesel generators to maintain island capacity.
(Note: Major UK islands, like the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Isle of Skye, are physically connected to the mainland electricity grid via subsea cables, so they do not house their own large-scale, standalone power stations).
Beyond these conventional thermal stations, several smaller Scottish islands run on micro-grid, renewable-only power stations.
For instance:The Isle of Eigg: Powered entirely by a micro-grid of hydro, wind, and solar, completely disconnected from the UK grid.
It looks to me, that the Isle of Man, Shetland and Jersey, are the three most likely islands to get upgraded power systems and it also looks like Ørsted have the experience to make a good fist of it.
Conclusion
I have asked the question, I asked for the UK for a range of countries and I have received some interesting answers from Google AI. But the general trend seems to be to use appropriately-size medium-size and upwards, zero-carbon power stations with microgrids as on the Island of Eigg in the UK.
But I do believe that applying the technology that Ørsted, Highview Power and others are rolling out, that we can give the remote islands and places of Buckminster Fuller’s Spaceship Earth, the zero carbon power they need.
At Least 90 Dead In Chinese Coal Mine Explosion, State Media Reports
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
At least 90 people have been killed in a coal mine blast in northern China, according to the country’s state media.
These two paragraphs add more detail.
The gas explosion happened at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, run by the Tongzhou Group, in Shanxi Province.
Hundreds of rescuers have been sent to the site. Footage from state media showed paramedics carrying stretchers at the site, with ambulances in the background. More than 100 people are said to have been taken to hospital, with rescue work at the site still under way.
It does seem that if you deep mine coal, you are going to get accidents. Does Opencast Coal Mining Have Less Accidents?
I asked Google AI, my question in the previous line and received this answer.
Yes, opencast (or open-pit) coal mining generally experiences significantly fewer fatal accidents than underground mining.
The primary reasons for this include better natural ventilation, better visibility, easier evacuation routes, and the absence of high-risk confined-space hazards like cave-ins, roof collapses, and toxic gas accumulations.
However, while fatal and catastrophic accidents are rarer, opencast mining introduces its own set of occupational risks:
Heavy Machinery Incidents: The use of massive excavators and haul trucks means that collisions, vehicle rollovers, and reversing accidents are leading causes of injuries.
Slope and Bench Failures: Unstable pit walls or overburden dumps can collapse, resulting in severe equipment damage and worker injuries.
Blasting Hazards: Routine use of explosives carries inherent risks, such as accidental detonation and flying rock (flyrock).
Environmental & Dust Exposure: Workers in open-cast mines can be heavily exposed to respirable silica and coal dust, which poses long-term respiratory health risks like pneumoconiosis.
It appears to me, that if you want to work in mining, you’re best option is probably to work for someone like JCB making mining equipment.
Conclusion
But then some countries put a lower value on human life than others.
I believe that what finished deep coal mining in the UK was the Aberfan Disaster in 1966, which is described in this Wikipedia entry. This is the first paragraph.
The Aberfan disaster (Welsh: Trychineb Aberfan) was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry, killing 116 children and 28 adults as it engulfed Pantglas Junior School and a row of houses. The tip was the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB), and the subsequent inquiry placed the blame for the disaster on the organisation and nine named employees.
Let the Aberfan Disaster be a warning from the Welsh Valleys of the dangers of coal mining.
It is the sixieth anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster this year, so should an appropriate international ceremony be held to press home to the world, that coal mining is a disaster for the whole human race and all the other species we share our planet with.
Centrica Buys Severn Gas Power Station In South Wales
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The owner of British Gas says the plant, acquired from the troubled Calon Energy for £370 million, will help secure supplies during the green transition
These three introductory paragraphs add more details to the story.
The owner of British Gas has acquired the troubled Severn gas power station in south Wales for £370 million after issuing a less than positive future profit guidance.
The combined-cycle gas turbine plant was owned by Calon Energy, which had gone into administration shortly after the start of the pandemic in 2020 when the power station was, for a while, mothballed.
Centrica said it acquired the plant to shore up its energy generation resources and secure electricity supplies during the UK’s green transition.
I think there a lot more to this story, than initially meets the eye.
The Location
The Google Map shows the location of the Severn Power station on the River Usk, to the South of Newport in South Wales.
Note.
- Severn power station is indicated by the red arrow in the South-West of the map.
- The River Usk enters the sea to the West of the site.
- The RSPB Newport Wetlandsare South of the site.
- The long rectangle in the middle of the map is the former Llanwern steelworks, which is now a CAF train factory.
- Newport is also a major station on the main line between London Paddington and Cardiff.
This second Google Map shows the power station site at a larger scale.
I wouldn’t be surprised, that Centrica could fit other equipment on and around the power station site.
- Centrica and/or National Grid might want to put an interconnector across the Severn Estuary.
- There might be a need to connect to wind farms in the Severn Estuary.
- Centrica are building a bunkering facility for ships running on low carbon fuels at Grain LNG Terminal. Will they build one here?
- Centrica could build a HiiROC electrolyser to create hydrogen for difficult to decarbonise industries and bunkering ships.
The site has a lot of potential.
How Not To Resurface An Intersection
I took these pictures in the City of London at the North end of Moorgate this morning, where the road is crossed by Eldon Street and Ropemaker Street.
Note.
- I had only gone to the area to get a 141 bus to travel home and found that no buses were running on Moorgate.
- There was no information or signs displayed to help travellers.
- The Marks and Spencer’s store appeared to be completely cut off.
- I believe that this road is the responsibility of the London Borough of Islington, not the City of London.
- Luckily, Leon was unexpectedly open, so I popped inside to have a delicious Full English, gluten-free breakfast and a cup of tea, before my walk.
- Also, one of their staff was tall enough to see over the road works and ascertain, that the buses were running in Finsbury Square.
With difficulty, I was able to walk to the next bus stop on Finsbury Square and get safely home.
I have a few thoughts.
This Was Mushroom Management At Its Worst!
All it needed was a few signs on the bus stop by Moorgate station and dotted around the site to explain the situation, but no-one took the responsibility to provide the information.
Surely, This Is The Type Of Site, Where Hydrogen Powered Construction Equipment Should Be Used!
- It would provide better atmosphere for workers and passers-by.
- Some equipment would be quieter.
The Anonymous Widower 