UK And South Korea Help Secure Millions For World’s Largest Monopile Factory
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) and South Korea’s export credit agency Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-Sure) have helped SeAH Wind to secure GBP 367 million in Standard Chartered Bank and HSBC UK financing to build the world’s largest wind monopile manufacturing facility.
These three paragraphs outline the story.
UKEF and K-Sure have secured support worth GBP 367 million for South Korean manufacturer SeAH Steel Holding’s construction of a wind tech factory near Redcar, in the Tees Valley.
Issuing its first-ever “Invest-to-Export” loan guarantee to secure overseas investment in British industry, UKEF together with K-Sure has ensured that SeAH Wind UK can fund the construction project – worth almost GBP 500 million – with GBP 367 million in financing from Standard Chartered Bank and HSBC UK.
SeAH Wind UK, a subsidiary of South Korean steel company SeAH Steel Holding, announced its decision to invest and broke ground at Teesworks Freeport last summer.
The article also says.
- This is SeAH Wind’s first such investment outside Korea.
- The factory will make between 100 and 150 monopiles a year.
- The factory will create 750 jobs when it opens in 2026.
- The factory is conveniently placed for transport to the North Sea.
Everybody seemed to have worked hard during the state visit of the Korean President and his wife.
Taff’s Well Station – 22nd November 2023
I took these pictures as I passed through.
Note.
- A depot for the tram-trains is being built.
- The depot looks rather small.
- Four Class 398 tram-trains are lined up in the sidings of the depot.
- The last picture was taken four years ago , before any work started.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the depot.
Note.
- Electrified tracks are shown in red.
- Unelectrified tracks are shown in black.
- There are nine electrified sidings, which from my picture appear to be able to hold two tram-trains each.
- From other pictures on the web four of the unelectrified lines are covered tracks in the depot.
- The final two tracks seem to allow tram-trains to enter and leave the depot and these tracks are partially covered, there could be a washer alongside the building.
- The unelectrified Merthyr Line runs across the South-West corner of the map.
- Tram-trains will always enter the depot from the North.
- Tram-trains will always leave the depot to the North.
It is a slightly unusual layout for a depot, but it seems to fit well into a small site.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Merthyr Line as it passes Taff’s Well Station and Depot.
Note.
- The Merthyr Line runs roughly North-West and South-East across the map.
- The Northern and Southern sections of the Merthyr Line are electrified, but the central section is not.
- Taff’s Well Depot is the red and black wart on the unelectrified section of the Merthyr Line.
- Tram-trains going North go to Pontypridd and then on to the three branch terminals at Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.
- Tram-trains going South go to Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations.
Tram-trains use a mixture of overhead electrisation, battery power and assistance from Newton’s friend for power.
How A Tram-Train Arrives At Taff’s Well Depot
Consider.
- Tram-trains must approach Taff’s Well Depot from the North to enter the depot.
- This shouldn’t be a problem, as there appear to be crossovers at Pontypridd to transfer a tram-train to the right line if needed.
- As they descend from Pontypridd, any braking can be used to charge the batteries on the tram-trains.
- The track layout in the depot appears to allow any entering train to go into any track in the depot.
So depending on the work needed before the next trip, the tram-train can be efficiently placed in the right section.
How A Tram-Train Leaves Taff’s Well Depot
Consider.
- Tram-trains must leave Taff’s Well Depot to the North.
- As the Merthyr Line is not electrified, where the tram-trains leave the depot, they need to leave with enough power in the battery to reach the electrified section of the Merthyr Line.
- Tram-trains can only be charged in the nine electrified sidings.
So do the tram-trains, wait in the electrified sidings until, they have enough power in the batteries to do a circuit of the depot, join the Merthyr Line and go up the hill to the electrification?
If as I suspect, there is a tram-wash behind the depot, they can even take a pass through, so they enter service after a wash.
Conclusion
This could be a very efficient depot.
Crafty Electrification On The Rhymney Line
I was puzzled on Wednesday, when I took the Class 231 train to Caerphilly on the Rhymney Line, when I saw no signs of electrification.
These are pictures I took at Caerphilly station.
These two OpenRailwayMaps show the tracks through Caerphilly.
Note.
- The map on the left shows infrastructure, with the Rhymney Line shown in yellow.
- Caerphilly station is in the top third of the map.
- The white section of the Rhymney Line is the Caerphilly tunnel.
- The map on the right shows electrification, with the sections of the Rhymney Line that will be electrified are shown in red.
- Black sections will not be electrified.
- North of Caerphilly, the Rhymney Line is electrified, but through the station and the Caerphilly tunnel, there will be no electrification.
Trains will use battery power, where there is no electrification.
This article on Modern Railways gives more information.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification around Cardiff Central and Queen Street stations.
Note.
- Electrified lines are shown in red.
- Unelectrified lines are shown in black.
- The four-platform Cardiff Queen Street station is marked by the blue arrow in the North-East corner of the map.
- There appears to be no plans for electrification in Cardiff Queen Street station.
- The electrified line across the map is the South Wales Main Line.
- The nine-platform Cardiff Central station sits on the South Wales Main Line.
- The main line platforms at Cardiff Central station are electrified, but it appears that Platforms 6.7 and 8. that will serve the South Wales Metro, will not be electrified.
- The line going to the South-East is the branch to Cardiff Bay station.
- The Southern part of this branch appears to be planned to be electrified. so that it can charge the tram-trains before they return North.
This article on Modern Railways says this about catenary-free sections (CFS) in the electrification of the South Wales Metro.
Catenary-free sections are concentrated on areas where it is disproportionately expensive to erect overhead wires. These include the area around Cardiff Queen Street station and the adjacent junction, which has complicated switches and crossings. North of Queen Street, the Cathays area adjacent to Cardiff University and the hospital would present a significant electromagnetic compatibility challenge, so a CFS avoids this complication. Other catenary-free areas will include Pontypridd, where the station features listed canopies and the track is curved, and around the new depot at Taff’s Well, where there will be a significant number of new switches and crossings as well as challenges around highway bridges.
I am in touch with two major electrification companies and I am sure we’ll be seeing a lot more crafty electrification and the use of battery-electric trains.
My First Ride On Class 231 Trains – 22nd November 2023
I had several rides on Class 231 trains on a visit to Cardiff.
Note.
- The trans were running on the Rhymney Line.
- Like Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, they have pop-out steps and a PowerPack in the middle.
- The trains didn’t appear to be using their pantographs to run on electric, where it existed.
They were very similar to the Class 755 train.
South Korea, UK Strengthen Offshore Wind Ties
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the UK have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) concerning cooperation on offshore wind energy
These three paragraphs outline the MoU.
The UK and ROK already have a proven relationship in offshore wind, with large-scale investments in the UK’s supply chain and in the development of ROK’s offshore wind sector.
This MoU emphasises the will to build on this existing cooperation to accelerate deployment, address barriers to trade, and encourage mutual economic development through regular government-to-government dialogue and business-to-business cooperation, according to the partners.
The participants will support the UK and ROK’s offshore wind deployment by sharing experience and expertise from their respective sectors.
These are my thoughts.
The British And The Koreans Have A Long Record Of Industrial Co-operation
My own experience of this, goes back to the last century, where one of the biggest export markets for Artemis; the project management system, that I wrote was South Korea.
We had started with Hyundai in Saudi Arabia, where the Korean company was providing labour for large projects.
I can remember modifying Artemis, so that it handled the Korean won, which in those days, came with lots of noughts.
The Korean, who managed their Saudi projects returned home and luckily for us, wanted a system in Korea.
Paul, who was our salesman for Korea, used to tell a story about selling in Korea.
Our Korean friend from Hyundai had setup a demonstration of Artemis with all the major corporations or chaebols in Korea.
Paul finished the demonstration and then asked if there were any questions.
There was only one question and it was translated as “Can we see the contract?”
So Paul handed out perhaps a dozen contracts.
Immediately, after a quick read, the attendees at the meeting, started to sign the contracts and give them back.
Paul asked our friendly Korean, what was going on and got the reply. “If it’s good enough for Hyundai, it’s good enough for my company!”
The King Played His Part
King Charles, London and the UK government certainly laid on a first class state visit and by his references in his speech the King certainly said the right things.
I always wonder, how much the Royal Family is worth to business deals, but I suspect in some countries it helps a lot.
With Artemis, we won two Queen’s Awards for Industry. Every year the monarch puts on a reception to which each company or organisation can send three representatives. I recounted my visit in The Day I Met the Queen.
For the second award, I suggested that we send Pat, who was the highest American, in the company.
Later in his career with the company, when he was running our US operations, Pat. found talking about the time, he met the Queen and Prince Philip, very good for doing business.
I wonder how many business and cooperation deals between the UK and Korea, will be revealed in the coming months.
This Deal Is Not Just About The UK And Korea
This paragraph widens out the deal.
In addition, participants accept to promote business activities and facilitate opportunities for UK and ROK companies to collaborate in ROK and the UK, as well as joint offshore wind projects in third countries, according to the press release from the UK Government.
An approach to some countries without the usual bullies of this world may offer advantages.
Has One Secondary Deal Already Been Signed?
This paragraph talks about a recent deal between BP, Dutch company; Corio and the South Koreans.
The news follows the recent announcement from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy that two UK companies, Corio Generation and BP, submitted investment plans for offshore wind projects in South Korea totalling about EUR 1.06 billion.
This deal was apparently signed during the state visit.
There’s A Lot Of Wind Power To Be Harvested
These last two paragraphs summarise the wind potentials of the UK and Korea.
The UK has the world’s second-largest installed offshore wind capacity, with a government target to more than triple this capacity by 2030 to 50 GW, including 5 GW of floating offshore wind.
Back in 2018, the South Korean Government set a 2030 offshore wind target of 12 GW in its Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, which was reaffirmed by the now-former South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in in 2020. Since 2022, it has been reported that the country has a target of reaching 14.3 GW of offshore wind power by 2030.
Note that the UK’s population is almost exactly 30 % bigger than Korea’s.
So why will the UK by 2030, be generating three-and-half times the offshore wind power, than Korea?
Twenty days ago, I wrote UK And Germany Boost Offshore Renewables Ties, where I believe the sub-plot is about long-term power and energy security for the UK and Germany.
Long term, the numbers tell me, that UK and Irish seas will be Europe’s major powerhouse.
Australia’s Offshore Wind Market Could Significantly Benefit from Collaboration with UK Suppliers, Study Says
The title of this section, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A new study has been launched that highlights significant opportunities for the UK to share its wind farm expertise with Australia’s emerging offshore wind market
These three paragraphs outline the study.
The Australian Offshore Wind Market Study, conducted by Arup, evaluates potential Australian offshore wind markets and analyses the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for UK support.
Key findings indicate that the Australian offshore wind market could “substantially” benefit from collaboration with the UK suppliers, given the UK’s 23 years of experience and its status as the second largest offshore wind market globally, boasting 13.9 GW of installed capacity as of 2023, according to the UK Government.
Currently, Australia has over 40 offshore wind projects proposed for development.
I believe that the Australians could be a partner in the deal between the UK and Korea, as all three countries have similar objectives.
Conclusion
The Korean and German deals. and a possible Australian deal should be considered together.
Each country have their strengths and together with a few friends, they can help change the world’s power generation for the better.
- Just as the UK can be Europe’s powerhouse, Australia can do a similar job for South-East Asia.
- Any country with lots of energy can supply the green steel needed for wind turbine floats and foundations.
I would have felt the Dutch would have been next to join, as their electricity network is solidly connected to the UK and Germany. But after this week’s Dutch election, who knows what the Dutch will do?
Cardiff To Reading In A Class 387 Train
Returning from my trip to Cardiff yesterday, it wasn’t the normal Class 80x train, but a pair of Class 387 trains.
The timings from real time trains, weren’t as bad as some would have expected.
- Cardiff Central – 16.54 – 16:56
- Newport – 17:07 – 17:11
- Bristol Parkway – 17:29 – 17:32
- Swindon – 17:53 – 17:58
- Reading – 18:20 – 18:26
Note.
- The first time is the scheduled time and the second time is the actual time of the Class 387 trains.
- The schedule covers the 109.2 miles in 84 minutes, which is an average speed of 78 mph.
- The Class 387 trains covered the 109.2 miles in 90 minutes, which is an average speed of 72.8 mph.
I also arrived in Reading with three or so minutes to catch the Elizabeth Line train.
Are More Elizabeth Line Services Needed To Reading?
In a couple of instances, I’ve waited at Reading for nearly half-an-hour for an Elizabeth Line train.
Currently.
- The two Elizabeth Line trains take 53 minutes between Reading and Paddington.
- The two Great Western Main Line trains, that serve Didcot Parkway take 37 minutes between Reading and Paddington.
- The Great Western Main Line train, that serve Newbury take 25 minutes between Reading and Paddington.
Perhaps four trains per hour (tph) on the Elizabeth Line would be more convenient?
But services wouldn’t be as fast.
Bristol-Based Manufacturer And Centrica Agree Solar Power Purchase Agreement
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on BusinessLive.
These three paragraphs outline the story.
A Bristol-based architectural aluminium manufacturer has agreed a power purchase agreement and long term lease of 7,000 solar panels on the roof of its UK headquarters.
Smart Architectural Aluminium (Smart) agreed the deal with Centrica Business Solutions, which will see the 2.94MW installation provide Smart with green energy for the next 25 years whilst servicing 20% of the sites current energy needs.
Centrica Business Solutions has started construction on the 7,000 solar panel array, across the roofs of three buildings at the manufacturing site in Yatton, near Bristol. The 2.94MW installation is the result of a long -term lease agreement between Smart and Centrica Business Solutions, which will see Centrica lease the roof space, finance the project and agree a power purchase agreement with Smart.
Some cynics will look at this deal and think that someone is getting ripped off.
- But the project starts with a non-productive asset; three roofs, which Centrica cover with solar panels.
- Most of the electricity generated will go to Smart and be paid for, as they would do, if they get it from the grid.
- Smart gets paid for the lease of the roofs.
- Centrica gets paid for any electricity that is fed into the grid.
- The leasing company gets paid by Centrica.
Centrica would appear to be the company taking the risk and if they do their sums correctly, they should make a profit.
Overground To London Bridge Under Consideration
The title of this post, is the same as that of a short article in the December 2023 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the text of the article.
Transport for London is considering introducing London Overground services between Crystal Palace and London Bridge to help relieve overcrowding on the Sydenham corridor during the morning peak.
The move is one of two options outlined in a response to Lewisham’s Public Transport Liason Committee meeting on 4 October. The other is operating additional services on the existing route via the East London Line to Dalston Junction/Highbury & Islington. TfL acknowledges the London Bridge service would ‘represent a new routing for London Overground services that would necessitate significant changes to operational arrangements and driver testing’ and therefore further work is required ‘to establish the feasibility and business case for this change.’ There are no timescales for the implementation of either option.
The overcrowding follows the reduction by Govia Thameslink Railway of its Southern service to two trains per hour last September, when it replaced its East Croydon to London Bridge via Forest Hill stopping service with a Victoria to London Bridge via Forest Hill stopping service. In its response to the committee, GTR says the context to these changes is ‘the continued need to respond to the gap between our costs and revenues’, which it says is in the region of £15 million a year, with both demand and revenue having stabilised at around 80 % of pre-pandemic levels. It says its aim is to make ‘the most efficient use of the resources available to us,’ with the Victoria to London Bridge service designed to provide capacity for journeys to both stations’.
GTR says the current service has sufficient capacity and is lightly loaded outside peak times, and that while it will continue to keep passenger and feedback under review an increase from two to four trains per hour would require an increase in funding.
These are my thoughts.
Transport for London’s Long Term Plans
Plans exist to increase the frequency on various London Overground services and this graphic sums up what was planned a few years ago.
Note the extra two trains per hour (tph) between the following stations.
- Clapham Junction and Stratford
- Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace
- Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction
- Enfield Town and Liverpool St. via Seven Sisters
I think only Route 1 services have been increased.
I know signalling updates are holding up the extra trains on the East London Line, but are more trains needed to fully implement the extra services?
- Routes 2 and 3 services will need Class 378 trains because of the tunnel and these would be transferred from the North London Line.
- Route 4 would need Class 710 trains, as the service already uses them.
So there may be a need for more Class 710 trains.
This plan sees another two trains per hour (tph) running between Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace, which would help to reduce Lewisham’s overcrowding.
Would A London Bridge And Crystal Palace Service Be Easier To Implement?
It looks like the extra Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace services have been held up by two possible reasons.
- The required signalling update on the East London Line, that is needed to increase Crystal Palace and Clapham Junction services has not been performed.
- There are not a sufficient number of Class 378 trains to run the service through the Thames Tunnel. These will be released by running more Class 710 trains on the North London Line.
If two tph were to be run between London Bridge and Crystal Palace, this service would have these advantages.
- The train paths are available.
- The service would not be going through the Thames Tunnel, so the signalling upgrade would not be needed and the trains would not need to be able to evacuate passengers in the tunnel.
- The service could be run by any suitable third-rail trains.
- The service could be run by any length of train, that would fit all the platforms.
I believe the service could be run by eight-car trains to really get a hold on the current overcrowding.
How Many Trains Would Be Needed?
Looking at other services between London Bridge and Crystal Palace, I believe that the journey time would be about 24 minutes.
If the service were run efficiently, I suspect two trains would be needed to provide the required service of two tph.
An eight-car service would required four x four-car trains.
What Trains Could Be Used?
If the numbers are available, then third-rail versions of both London Overground’s Class 378 and Class 710 trains would be suitable.
But this would probably mean a number of Class 710 trains to be manufactured by Alstom. This would not be a short-term solution.
In Liverpool last week, I rode in a Class 319 train and these could be an interesting stop-gap.
- Several will soon be available as West Midlands Trains renews its fleet.
- They are already fitted with third-rail gear.
- They are 100 mph trains.
- Drivers seem to like them.
I believe they could fill in until more Class 710 trains were available.
Crystal Palace Station
This Open RailwayMap shows the platform layout at Crystal Palace station.
Note.
- Platforms 1 and 2 cross the South-West corner of the map and handle services like London Bridge and Beckenham Junction, London Bridge and London Victoria, and West Croydon services.
- Platform 3 is a little used bay platform, that can terminate trains from the East London Line or London Bridge.
- Platform 4 handles services between London Bridge and London Victoria.
- Platform 5 is a bay platform, that can terminate trains from the East London Line.
- Platform 6 handles services between London Victoria and London Bridge.
- Platform 7 is a disused bay platform.
These pictures show Crystal Palace station.
Crystal Palace station has an adequate number of platforms.
Conclusion
A service between London Bridge and Crystal Palace looks to be a sound plan.
Could Extra Passenger-Handling Capacity Be Added At St. Pancras International Station?
This article in Railway Gazette International, which is entitled Start-Up Announces Amsterdam To London And Paris High Speed Train Ambitions, has this opening paragraph.
A proposal to launch high speed train services from Amsterdam to London and from Groningen to Paris has been announced by Dutch start-up Heuro, while Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is also reported to be looking at competing with Eurostar on cross-Channel routes.
This other paragraph also gives more details of Branson’s plans.
Heuro’s announcement comes after Spanish start-up Evolyn announced plans in October for a Paris – London service, while on November 11 British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Sir Richard Branson and Phil Whittingham, former head of Virgin Trains and Avanti West Coast, were also drawing up plans to compete with Eurostar and had held discussions with infrastructure managers.
As in the past, German and Italian rail companies have expressed interest in running services to London, I don’t think it will be long before capacity at St. Pancras International will need to be increased.
There are six International platforms at St. Pancras International station and as it generally accepted that one well-managed platform can handle four trains per hour (tph), this means that the station has a theoretical limit of twenty-four tph.
Currently, services into St. Pancras International include.
- Up to 19 trains per day between London and Paris.
- Up to 10 trains per day between London and Brussels.
- One train per day between London and Amsterdam.
If we assume that trains can leave between 05:00 and 20:00, that is only about two trains per hour (tph).
There would appear to be plenty of space for the proposed 16 trains per day, that Heuro have said they will run.
My worry is will Customs and Immigration be able to handle all the extra passengers?
This Google Map shows King’s Cross and St. Pancras International stations.
Note.
- St. Pancras International is the station on the left of the V.
- King’s Cross is the station on the right of the V.
- The new corrugated roof covers the Northern ends of the trains in the platforms at St. Pancras.
These pictures show the Northern end of the International and domestic HighSpeed platforms.
Note.
The pictures taken on the platforms were taken from the Southeastern HighSpeed platforms.
The Continental trains appear to be wholly in the dry either under the classic or the new roof.
The noses of the Continental trains appear to peek out from under the new roof by a few inches.
The air space above the platforms to the North of the new roof appears to be unobstructed.
This Google Map shows the Northern ends of the platforms at St. Pancras.
Note.
- The new roof is in the bottom-right of the picture.
- The platforms are numbered 1-13 from left to right.
- Platforms 1-4 are for East Midlands services, which are arranged in a 1-2-1 formation.
- Platforms 5-10 are for Continental services, which are arranged in a 1-2-2-1 formation.
- Platforms 11-13 are for Southeastern HighSpeed services, which are arranges in a 1-1-1 formation.
- Any trains in the station seem to be mainly under cover, although I think a couple of noses are just about visible.
- I am fairly certain, if more passenger-handling capacity were to be needed in the distant future, it could be built above the platforms.
I’ve never seen it said, but did the architects and structural engineers leave this space for future expansion of the station?
- The foundations could have even been designed to support a future vertical extension.
- But at least there is nothing of importance in the space above the exposed Northern ends of the station except a few pigeons.
- With two passenger-handling areas, one could be for departures and the other for arrivals.
- Escalators and lifts could give access to the three wide island platforms for Continental traffic.
Was this station designed to be expanded if required?
I also believe that that much of the work to add any new floors above the platforms could be carried out whilst train services were still running.
Alistair Lansley
According to his Wikipedia entry, the architect of the station was Alistair Lansley, who is not a well-known name or a celebrity architect, but an architect from British Rail’s Architect’s Department, who was also lead architect for Stratford and Ebbsfleet International stations.
So did he leave a space for the extension, that he knew from former experience would be needed?
























































































