CBI boss praises £25m Liverpool renewable energy project
The head of the UK’s bosses’ organisation, the CBI, has praised a £25m Liverpool energy scheme aimed at helping the nation meet its zero carbon targets.
Tony Danker, CBI director general, visited the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park, in Tuebrook, which is operated by Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy.
It is one of several UK projects helping to remove fossil fuels from the energy supply, maximising the amount of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, that can be distributed through the national grid.
Using technology from Warrington-based ABB, the site will mimic the spinning turbines of a traditional power station, providing the high inertia that grid operators rely on to maintain grid stability.
To ensure round-the-clock support, Statkraft has signed a 10-year services contract with ABB, where ABB’s UK field service team will provide the full range of operational and maintenance services.
Construction of the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park began in 2021, with contractors NRS Group having carried out all works to date. The site is expected to be fully operational in autumn 2022.
Tony Danker said: “This project is of significant strategic importance to the decarbonisation of the country, acting as the fulcrum between the power created by renewables and the demands of homes and businesses. I’ve been left hugely impressed by both the scale of what I have seen at the Lister Drive site, and with the technological and engineering expertise that has been vital in its creation.”
Guy Nicholson, head of grid integration UK at Statkraft, said: “Finding ways to stabilise the national grid without the use of fossil fuels is integral to the UK’s ability to achieve its zero carbon ambitions. Utilising ABB’s technology, our Greener Grid Park will help provide a solution to this problem – maximising the amount of renewable energy being generated in Great Britain and distributed throughout Liverpool.”
David Hughes, UK managing director for ABB, said: “We all feel a great sense of pride at what is being achieved at the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park. Our innovative technology, combined with the long term vision of Statkraft, will play a crucial role in adding renewable generation as the UK transitions to a more sustainable future.”
