Cable Stripping Truck

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 December 2013

01 June 2014

6 months

£66,000

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

The projects objectives are: In SG1: National Grid write a scoping document and supporting information for a tender exercise, then review and evaluate the tender submissions. National Grid and Utilise will engage with the Environment Agency to ensure environmental needs are met. In SG2: National Grid will choose the most appropriate supplier and build this facility. In SG3: National Grid will trial this equipment on an appropriate cable section. In SG4: National Grid will disseminate and demonstrate this equipment to the industry. Further objective: Provide a business implementation document. This project will be successful if: In SG1: National Grid write a scoping document and supporting information for a tender exercise, then review and evaluate the tender submissions. National Grid & Utilise provide a document detailed considerations needed for the EA to be satisfied, and potential methods of overcoming problems. In SG2: National Grid will choose the most appropriate supplier and build this facility. In SG3: National Grid will trial this equipment on an appropriate cable section. In SG4: National Grid will disseminate and demonstrate this equipment to the industry to prove its value and drive a more competitive market.

When National Grid decommissions cables, it is a standard contractual arrangement that the contractor completing the work has ownership of the cable. Until now, National Grid had no need to change this arrangement, however we now have an opportunity to maximise the value of our decommissioned assets, largely due to the market value of the component materials. Copper is trading in the region of £450-500 per kilogram, with a predicated increase in costs over the next few years. In 1 metre of typical Oil Filled Cable, there is approximately 25kgs of raw copper. We currently have over 4500km of cable in the ground on the NGET system, which equates to £5. 75bn of copper in the ground. We estimate that we lose approximately 40% of the value of this cable system due to the requirements by third parties to process and recycle. Development & Demonstration The method has been proposed by National Grid to build a portable processing plant that can take in whole sections of cable, and then give out separated core components for recycling. Current project cost of £66,000 is for SG1 only. This project will take a stage gated approach to this problem: SG1: Write a scoping document and supporting information for a tender exercise. Review and evaluate the tender submissions. SG2: Having evaluated the tender submissions, we will choose the most appropriate supplier and design & build this facility. SG3: Assuming successful build, we will trial this equipment on an appropriate cable section as the first of a kind in the country. SG4: Assuming successful trial, we will disseminate and demonstrate this equipment to the industry to prove its value and drive a more competitive market.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above

26/04/18