The Anonymous Widower

ENGIE And La Caisse Select GE Vernova For The Next Phase Of The Modernization Of Dinorwig Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant In North Wales, UK

The title of this post is the same as this news item from Engie.

These are the three bullet points.

First Hydro Company – a 75:25 joint venture between ENGIE and La Caisse, has selected GE Vernova for the modernization/replanting of the first two units of the Dinorwig pumped storage hydropower plant in North Wales, UK. 

GE Vernova is expected to replace two 315 Megawatt (MW) units to improve the plant’s reliability, availability and efficiency. 

By the end of the decade, the two new units at Dinorwig will help ensure the continued delivery of the fast, flexible generation that plays a crucial role in supporting UK grid stability.

These three paragraphs add some more detail.

First Hydro Company (joint venture between ENGIE and La Caisse), and GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV), announce the next phase of the modernization/replanting of the Dinorwig pumped storage hydropower plant in North Wales, UK. Under the agreement, GE Vernova is expected to replace two pumped storage units as part of First Hydro’s long-term replanting programme at Dinorwig, to help extend the life of the plant for decades to come, while enhancing the plant’s reliability, availability and performance in support of UK grid stability.

Now over 40 years old, Dinorwig is Europe’s largest pumped storage hydropower plant and is renowned for its rapid response capability, delivering up to 1,320 MW of power within 12 seconds from standby, and up to 1,800 MW in under a minute. With such characteristics, this plant plays a vital role in grid resilience and frequency response, providing a capacity equivalent to power around one million homes in the UK.

As majority owner and operator of the plant through First Hydro Company, ENGIE is making a significant long-term investment to extend its operational life. The wider programme includes the replacement of key plant components across all six generating units, alongside significant infrastructure upgrades.

Note.

  1. According to the Wikipedia entry, Dinorwig power station has a storage capacity of around 9.1 GWh.
  2. It was commissioned in 1984.
  3. The plant was built by an Alfred McAlpine / Brand / Zschokke consortium.

As in 1984, Artemis was very busy, managing projects like this, I’d be very interested to know, if this was a project managed by Artemis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 28, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Murphy Starts Work On £2.5bn Eastern Green Link 1

The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Construction Enquirer.

This is the sub-heading.

Murphy has started work on its first package on the vast £2.5bn Eastern Green Link 1

These two paragraphs add more detail.

The joint venture between SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Transmission will see the installation of a 196km, high voltage, subsea electricity cable between Torness in East Lothian, Scotland, and Hawthorn Pit in County Durham.

Murphy is one of the main works contractors alongside Metlen, GE Vernova and Prysmian.

Murphy’s task seems to be to design and build the new substation, integrate it with the existing one and connect it all to Eastern Green Link 1 and other assets. Work is expected to complete in March 2028.

Google AI predicts that Eastern Green Link 1 will be commissioned by 2029, so it should be up and running before the expected election helping to balance and stabilise Scottish and English wind power at a rate of up to 2 GW day and night.

June 5, 2026 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

GE Vernova To Build Up To 18 MW Offshore Wind Test Turbine In Norway

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

This is the sub-heading.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has granted GE Vernova’s subsidiary Georgine Wind permission to build and operate an 18 MW test turbine in Gulen municipality.

These first three paragraphs add more detail.

The project, which is part of a test programme to advance offshore wind technology, will feature an up to 18 MW turbine, with a maximum tip height of 275 metres and up to 250 metres in rotor diameter.

The turbine is expected to have an annual electricity production of 55 GWh, which corresponds to the annual energy consumption of approximately 2,750 Norwegian households.

The unit is planned to undergo testing for up to five years, after which it will remain on land and generate electricity for an additional 25 years.

Note.

  1. It is the largest wind turbine to be licensed in Norway.
  2. The turbine will be erected atSløvåg, which is a few miles North of Bergen.
  3. It is  the first wind power plant in Norway to be licensed within an existing industrial area.
  4. Research will be done to see how the giant turbine interacts with existing industry.
  5. I can see a lot of research being done during the 25-year lifetime of the turbine to the reactions of those living and working near the turbine.

I do feel that as GE are an American company with worldwide interests, under normal political circumstances, this turbine would have been erected at a site in the United States.

But with Trump in charge and his opposition to renewable energy, it may be that the Norwegian tax regime makes the installation in Norway, a better financial proposition.

On the other hand, the Norwegians may be looking at decarbonising remote rural areas with single large turbines.

 

July 4, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Finance & Investment | , , , | Leave a comment