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SSE Energy Solutions to build first electric HGV charging hub

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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SSE Energy Solutions will build its first fully electric charging hub for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham in the West Midlands.

The hub, located near the busy A45 in the east of the city, will accommodate up to four electric HGVs at a time and house powerful 360 kW chargers capable of dispensing up to 300 kilometres of charge within 1-2 hours, depending on the type and size of the vehicle and battery being charged.

With just 0.3% of HGVs on Britain’s roads currently electric, the project is a key milestone in SSE’s strategy to help decarbonise the road freight sector. It is estimated that diesel-run HGVs account for 17% of all road transport emissions in the UK despite making up just 5% of vehicles on its roads.

SSE has already partnered with a number of transport solutions and logistics businesses across the UK, including global logistics firm DHL, to accelerate the transition to battery-powered HGVs.

The company plans to build 500 ultra-rapid charging hubs for electric cars and commercial fleets powered by traceable, renewable energy in the UK and Ireland by 2030, with a number of sites already operational.

Established in 2010, Tyseley Energy Park is owned by the Webster and Horsfall Group and is home to the UK’s largest hydrogen refuelling station and a 10 MW waste-wood biomass power plant which generates enough electricity to power 17,000 homes.

SSE’s charging hub at the site will include a canopy which is to be formed from a combination of galvanised steel and sustainable timber and will incorporate a rainwater harvesting system to capture surface rainwater and irrigate a living green wall within the site. This means a living habitat for insects, bees, birds and bats.

Ben Brickwood, EV project development manager at SSE Energy Solutions, said: “The development of our first all-electric HGV charging hub at Tyseley Energy Park is a crucial step for SSE as we continue to enable the decarbonisation of Britain’s transport infrastructure and industries. Drawing on our expertise and experience with bus depot electrification and the roll out of EV passenger car hubs, this project demonstrates our commitment to accelerating the transition to electric for all vehicles and building the framework needed to support their rollout.

“We believe that through investments like this, and by working closely with partners like Webster and Horsfall, we can play a leading role in driving down transport emissions and building a net zero future in Birmingham, the West Midlands and beyond.”

David Horsfall, Director of Property, Tyseley Energy Park, said: “We are delighted to welcome SSE to Tyseley Energy Park and see the launch of their ambitious new HGV charging hub. This will be an enormous boost for the area which was recently re-branded as the Green Energy Innovation Quarter for Birmingham. This first of a kind HGV charging station will complement the clean fuels already on offer at TEPs low and zero carbon refuelling station and is a major step forward in the region’s efforts to improve air quality and decarbonise.”

SSE focuses on Cleaner air for UK & Irish buildings with ionair

 1024 682 Stuart O'Brien
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SSE Enterprise’s distributed energy business is targeting improved internal air quality in mechanically ventilated buildings with the help of a proven technology that utilises the principle of bipolar ionisation. 

Independent studies have highlighted that bipolar ionisation can markedly decrease the concentration of contaminants in indoor air, lowering the risk of respiratory infections and creating a far healthier breathing experience.

As we enter a difficult winter period and economies are looking forward to a post-pandemic recovery, SSE says the need to reassure workers of a safer working environment is crucial, particularly at a time when flu outbreaks may become common. 

SSE Enterprise’s distributed energy business has secured an exclusivity deal covering the UK and Ireland to sell and install the product range offered by Swiss company, ionair, into buildings, such as offices, airports, shopping malls, care homes, hotels, sports facilities and more. 

Poor internal air quality (IAQ) is strongly correlated with low productivity, allergies and general illness. More seriously, chronic exposure to airborne pollutants is linked to respiratory diseases like flu, asthma and lung cancer. Furthermore, evidence is emerging that persistently low air quality is associated with increased risk of dementia. 

Kostas Papadopoulos, Head of Smart Cities Solutions Development at SSE Enterprise, said: “We have decided to back this tried and tested technology, working with a high quality manufacturer, not only because we truly believe that it is superior to all other air purification options currently on offer, but also because the pilot installation in one of our offices in England has demonstrated a dramatic improvement across several air quality metrics.”

“We are approaching that time of year where coughs and colds begin to surface, so we want to help our customers reduce the risk of infection in their buildings. It is important that any return to work is as safe as possible. We want this technology to provide reassurance to businesses and their employees that they are working in a healthier indoor environment, known to improve well-being, productivity and comfort.”

ionair’s air quality system has shown to reduce odours by around 50%, germs, bacteria, fungi and pollen by more than 95%, fine particles by 30% to 50%, and several other airborne pathogens by more than 90%. 

It can be retrofitted into a building’s existing air handling unit, continuously monitoring and improving air quality. SSE says it is also cost-effective, requiring very low maintenance. Complementing SSE’s Mayflower Smart City Platform, SSE can offer a fully funded solution which can combine significant air quality improvements with a suite of smart building options.

SSE calls off Npower merger plan

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The SSE plc board has decided it is not now in the best interests of customers, employees or shareholders to proceed with the proposed merger of its retail business with Npower.

In a statement, the company said it had decided that other options for SSE Energy Services should now be considered, including a standalone demerger and listing on either the premium or the standard listing segment of the Official List, a sale or an alternative transaction.

The statement read: “While the Board believed strongly in the new company’s potential to deliver benefits for customers and the wider market, it does not now believe the new company would be in a position to meet trading collateral requirements in a sustainable way; and does not now believe the new company would be capable of listing on the premium segment of Official List and Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.”

The transaction has been impacted by multiple factors including the performance of the respective businesses, clarity on the final level of the default tariff cap, changing energy market conditions and the associated implications of these for both the joint business plan and the market in which the business would be operating.

SSE says these implications meant the new company would have faced very challenging market conditions, particularly during the period when it would have incurred the bulk of the integration costs.

SSE Energy Services is expected to be profitable and cash flow positive in 2018/19 and 2019/20 and continues to deliver strong performance for customers, across a wide range of measures. These include ranking second of 34 suppliers in the most recent Citizens Advice energy supplier performance rankings, industry-leading performance on Guaranteed Standards and ranking best for complaint handling in Ofgem’s 2018 customer satisfaction survey.

SSE believes that SSE Energy Services will be best positioned to build on this strong performance in a future outside of the SSE group. With that in mind, SSE will continue to build on the significant work done to date to separate SSE Energy Services as an independent, self-sufficient entity within the group, in preparation for its future outside it.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE plc, said: “This was a complex transaction with many moving parts. We closely monitored the impact of all developments and continually reviewed whether this remained the right deal to do for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. Ultimately, we have now concluded that it is not. This was not an easy decision to make, but we believe it is the right one.

“SSE Energy Services remains a profitable business with a strong track record, a customer-centric culture and an excellent team that has enabled it to be a market-leader for many years. We will build on this while continuing with separation activity in preparation for its long-term future outside the SSE group.

“We are now exploring all the available options with a view to delivering this future in the best possible way. In this, the interests of our customers, employees and shareholders remain paramount. In the meantime, we remain strongly committed to high standards of service for customers and delivery of our five-year dividend plan for shareholders.”