Page 47 - Gi February 2019 - flipbook

LEAPING INTO ACTION

By Thomas James,
Welsh Section Chair

IN NOVEMBER, members of IGEM’s
Welsh Section visited the Green Frog
peaking power site at Westfield
Industrial Park, Swansea.
The site generates up to 40MW of
electricity for the national grid. With
27 engines, the natural gas sites can
start and be online within 30 seconds.
And, just as importantly, they can be
started and stopped repeatedly
without an impact on the equipment.
The UK government has a strong
commitment to sustainable energy Visting the Green Frog peaking power station
sources. However, solar, wind and
other renewable energy forms are impact that any work can have on the During the tour, the engines were
prone to unpredictable drops in operation of the gas engines, such as started and run for a very short period
output, such as when the wind maintenance undertaken by the of time. It was amazing how quiet
suddenly falls or clouds cover the sun. electric or gas networks. they are when in full operation and
When this happens, the grid needs The flexible and affordable solutions the Wales & West Utilities System
replacement energy to plug the gaps that Green Frog provide enable the Operations team was able to see the
and keep the lights on. This site (and low carbon revolution to continue drop in pressure associated with the
others like it) is just one of a number apace, while addressing rising concerns draw on the distribution network.
of solutions to enable the transition around future energy security. The visit was well attended with 13
to cleaner energy. The calculations to determine the people from a variety of
The tour included a discussion on best times for the operation of the backgrounds. Thanks must go to the
Green Frog Power, their UK sites and gas engines and generation of managers and engineers from Green
a look at the onsite engines. electricity are highly complex and Frog who showed us the site and
A major area of discussion was the depend on multiple factors. answered our questions. ■

IGEM PRESIDENT AND CEO VISIT HONG KONG

By Jonathan Ng, FEDS Membership Manager

IGEM PRESIDENT Steve Edwards and for the UK guests.
CEO Neil Atkinson made their way to In the evening, IGEM FEDS organised
Hong Kong in November to meet the a presidential talk at HKCG’s HQ, in
IGEM FEDS and explore the gas which Steve spoke about gas and the
industry in the region. gas network as a key part of a resilient
Their first stop, a luncheon with energy system. After this, certificates
representatives from City University were awarded to three newly-joined
of Hong Kong’s School of Energy and EngTech members and also IGEM’s
Environment, led to some fruitful Vice President Duncan Wong, who was
discussion about future collaborations. recently elected as a Fellow.
City University has long been a A meeting between IGEM and the
supporter of IGEM and the institution Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
has accredited one of the energy (HKIE) saw Ringo Yu, President of the
school’s Masters courses. HKIE, join Steve and Neil in an and customer service centre as well as
Next, they moved to the Tai Po exchange about the promotion of the Towngas Engineering Academy.
Plant belonging to the Hong Kong and professionalism in the gas industry Finally, Steve and Neil were cordially
China Gas Company Ltd (HKCG). This and ways to strive for excellence. invited to join a symposium arranged by
facility is the main gas production After the meeting, the two guests got the Electrical and Mechanical Services
plant in Hong Kong. Chris Man, Plant the chance to take a closer look at Department of HKSAR (EMSD),
Manager, conducted a comprehensive HKCG’s headquarters. They visited the meeting a number of experienced
introduction as well as a guided tour Towngas Hall of Innovation, grid control professionals in the field. ■

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