The Energy Challenge on the Estate
Energy resilience is an issue on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. Power distribution to, and around, the Estate is antiquated and unreliable, with the power lines to the Estate (pictured right) originally erected in the 1950’s.
There is little spare power capacity to attract new, hi-tech businesses to the Estate, and without significant costly and lengthy upgrades, even existing businesses might find their ability to expand is hampered by a lack of power availability.
Presently, power on the Estate is distributed by Scottish Power Energy Networks from the National Grid, with businesses paying for this delivery via their power bills.
Businesses have no choice over how or where your power is generated.
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Our solution
We are planning an Estate-based, highly efficient power station, supported by strategically placed solar panels. The precise generating capacity for this new facility will be decided in response to identified demand, however we already have consent in place for a power station with the capacity to generate upto 299 MWe.
Our commitment would be to convert the station to low carbon operation by 2035, making this a key part of the decarbonisation story in North Wales.
We will also develop a new private wire network across the Wrexham Industrial Estate, enabling us to deliver locally generated electricity directly to our customers – and at a lower cost than you are currently paying with long-term certainty.
Depending on demand, a heat network – in the form of hot water or steam, (a by-product of the electricity generating process) - can be provided. In addition to providing process and accommodation heating this can be used in certain cooling technologies to reduce the running costs of air conditioning and chiller equipment.
The new private wire network, can also provide power directly to a local network of strategically positioned electric vehicle charging points.
We could significantly improve digital and telecoms infrastructure across the Estate, by including high speed optic cables within the ducts and we will provide battery storage capabilities, alongside our power station and solar generation.
A mixed energy future
The station will be designed with conversion to low carbon operation at its core. This will happen no later than 2035 coming in well ahead of the Welsh Government's target for net zero by 2050.
Initially the new energy centre will be gas powered providing a secure and reliable source of energy to ease the transition to net zero. As renewable sources of energy continue to expand gas powered stations are important to even out the peaks and troughs which are a feature of renewables.
There will also be the opportunity, in this first stage of the centre's life, to source the fuel used in the power station from renewable sources immediately cutting its carbon footprint.