Issue 10
Winter 2013
Ž Imtech introduces Nereda This is How it’s Doneinto the UK Inside this issue... Vision: to become the most respected sustainable technical services business in the UK and Ireland
IOSH Award success
Let the wind blow
The next 5 years
Peruse the view
Message from Bruno Speed
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elcome to the Winter issue of our newsletter, ImtechFlow. We have had an interesting and exciting year and the business has faced some tough challenges, but as I look back over the last 12 months I feel very proud of what the team at Imtech Water, Waste and Energy has achieved. As we come to the end of the year, I would just like to highlight some of our more recent achievements. Once again we have had some excellent Award wins this year, with the latest recognition of our achievements being the SHP-IOSH Best Health and Safety Achievement in Construction – you can read more about that on page three. We have also been working on some interesting projects, including chemical-free water treatment at Hall for Anglian Water (see page five) and the largest fully-commercial Gas-to-Grid plant in the UK for Severn Trent Water (also page five). After months of discussion and negotiation, we are delighted to have signed a cooperation agreement with Royal Haskoning DVH to enable us to deliver the innovative Nereda® technology for wastewater treatment in the UK. You can find out how we are keen to introduce this groundbreaking technology into the UK market on page six. In recent months, Imtech UK has been finalising its five year strategy, which we are now rolling out across the business – more information to follow. As the year draws rapidly to a close, I would just like to take the opportunity to publicly recognise the hard work the Imtech team does and wish all our clients, partners and suppliers a very happy Christmas and New Year.
News in Brief Imtech UK launches 5 year strategy Vision: to become the most respected sustainable technical services business in the UK and Ireland
Values:
...It works
Client/Partner Reality Check Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete our 2013 Client/Partner Reality Checks. This annual survey is important to us and helps us to understand where we are and any areas we need to address, to ensure we provide you with the best service we can.
People Survey We introduced our first online ‘People Survey’ this year and in just the first two weeks of it going live, the survey had received an excellent 56% response rate. With a short time left for our team to complete the surveys we are hoping for an even higher final figure. All responses are anonymous and the results, along with those from the Client/Partner Reality Checks, will be used to help us shape the business going forward.
Kind regards Bruno
Bruno Speed Imtech Water, Waste and Energy Managing Director
Contact For further information on Imtech Water, Waste and Energy please contact Duncan Wildgoose on 01543 496600 or by email - duncan.wildgoose@imtech.co.uk Imtech Water, Waste and Energy Imtech House, 5 Newlands Court, Attwood Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 3GF Tel 01543 496600 For editorial enquiries, please contact Clara Hughes on 07702 736763 or by email - clara.hughes@zebra-comms.co.uk
Awards update Industry Awards Industry awards are a wonderful way of recognising some of the innovative work that goes on around the business. Over the last 12 months, we have had some excellent results, including making the shortlist in the Construction News awards. We are currently awaiting the results from the Imtech UK Operational Excellence Awards. Looking ahead we are busy finalising our submissions for the Water Industry Achievement (WIA) Awards 2014 and the Construction News Awards 2014.
and are always looking to encourage innovation to help make our working environment safer. The team at Swansea Bay that designed and developed the device, which was recognised at these awards, have lifted us all with their success.”
Imtech wins prestigious SHP-IOSH award – Honoured for Best Health and Safety Achievement in Construction – Winners announced at evening gala reception attended by over 600 leading industry figures We have recently been announced as a 2013 SHP-IOSH award winner, scooping the Best Health and Safety Achievement in Construction accolade. The annual industry awards took place at a special evening gala dinner at London’s Hilton hosted by author, journalist and BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine, along with the new editor of SHP Magazine, Nick Warburton.
Jan Chmiel, chief executive of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), said: “It was such an impressive shortlist, because it showed the lengths the health and safety profession is going to, across sectors, to cut work-related injuries and ill-health. There really was some stiff competition this year, so to pick up an award was a tremendous achievement.” The annual awards celebrate practitioners and organisations for whom good health and safety is not only paramount, but also fundamental to how they do their job or run their business. The event offers a unique opportunity to give those working across health and safety the recognition they deserve for the great steps they make in improving health and safety performance. Bruno Speed, Imtech managing director said: “We are extremely pleased with this award. We take health and safety very seriously
Judges for the awards included representatives from leading associations and industry bodies working within safety and health in the UK, such as IOSH, NEBOSH, EEF, RoSPA and HSE, along with key advisors working on the UK’s largest health and safety projects.
What was the lifting device initiative? Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s Swansea Bay Wastewater Treatment Works is a large-scale treatment works serving the urban Swansea area. The structure has been designed and built with a low-level roof, to enable the works to blend in with the local surroundings. Modification work involved significant manual handling, with large quantities of equipment and in some cases very heavy items of pipework and flanges. One particular aspect in the project involved the lifting of 48 stainless steel sieves, each weighing 65 kg, into positions between two walls eight metres in height, within a confined space and with only 2.5m headroom. Due to the low roof level and critical equipment positioned around the tanks, traditional forms of lifting equipment, such as cranes, were not suitable. To safely achieve the installation of the sieves, the Imtech site team designed a bespoke lifting device that could be easily utilised to position the heavy sieves in exactly the correct position, prior to being affixed to the structure.
Project update Ready for wind at Beckton Tamesis JV has installed its first wind turbine at Thames Water’s Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. Thames is showing its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and meeting the EU’s aim to get 20% of its energy demands from renewable sources by 2020 with the installation of this 2.3MW wind turbine. The turbine, an Enercon E-70, stands 64 metres to the centre of the hub and has a rotor diameter of 70 metres. The wind energy converter (WEC), a form of renewable energy, generates electricity by harnessing the power of the wind. The use of a multipole generator within the nacelle of the wind turbine alleviates the requirement for gears and other fast moving components. This makes the turbine more efficient, while considerably reducing wear, noise emissions and the need for gear oil. The turbine, which could potentially power over 1000 homes, is combined with the onsite solar panels and the imminent installation of a 5MW Thermal Hydrolysis Plant (THP) that the Tamesis JV team is now working on. One of the main challenges that faced the Tamesis team during the turbine’s installation was the logistical issues that arose from the sheer size of the components on delivery. The blades, mounted on trucks, had a total length of almost 40 metres each. With a total of nine abnormal loads, including tower sections and nacelle, accepting delivery of these components and manoeuvring them into position took a lot of careful planning and teamwork.
Project completions for Affinity Water Since starting work with Affinity Water in 2011, Imtech has successfully completed and handed over 11 projects. The projects have included Egham PS & PACl, Molewood, Hadham Mill, Clandon, Aston, Whitehall and Hart Lane. We are now in the design and procurement stage on three new packages of work for North, Central and South across 70 sites, which are well underway and we are looking forward to the start of construction in January 2014.
The PACL tank installation at Egham WTW, one of the recent projects for Affinity Water
The new Pump Station at Egham WTW
Imtech working with leading food waste AD facility developer Tamar is the UK’s most prolific food waste anaerobic digestion facility developer. We are working with Tamar on its planning applications and early contract work at sites in Hoddesdon, Bury, Wardley and Gedling. We look forward in working with them further as the projects develop.
Work reaches final stages at Basildon and Cliff Quay
Innovation and Initiatives lead the way at Welsh Water
Process commissioning has proceeded well at both Anglian Water sites, with handover secured at Basildon. The HPH process has proved to be extremely successful, resulting in enhanced gas yield and quality cake at a very early stage.
We have had some significant successes in Wales this year, including Low Energy UV at Swansea Bay, the completion and handover of Five Fords, the Cheshire Six and of course the successful delivery of the ‘Dirty 30’ initiative. In North Wales, construction work is finished and the commissioning process is underway on the Connah’s Quay project. Mold has sectional completion, with the disc filter successfully obtained and the remaining work making good progress.
Imtech awarded contract for largest fully commercial Gas-to-Grid plant in UK
Chemical-free at Hall WTW Anglian Water’s Hall Water Treatment Works (WTW) is due for completion in June 2014 and will have 20 Ml/d treatment capacity for water abstracted from the River Trent. The project has been developed on a greenfield site, on ground above a ‘1 in 1000 year’ flood level. The new treatment works will use no chemicals, so wastewater can simply be settled and returned to the river, or alternatively recycled to the raw water reservoir. The civil element to Hall WTW is complete and the settlement lagoons are near completion. Mechanical and electrical installation is underway, with the bulk of the installation due to be completed prior to Christmas. The team is now gearing itself up for the commissioning period, which has already commenced with the successful turn of flows into the service reservoir.
We are working with Severn Trent Water to construct the Minworth Gas-to-Grid plant, the largest fully commercial Gas-to-Grid plant to be built in the UK to date. The contract, awarded in June 2013, is worth an estimated £6.4 million and the project will run for 60 weeks.
We worked closely with the client in the lead up to the contract win, ensuring our plans matched the client’s requirements, including specifying a technology package from Malmberg Ltd. Laing O’Rourke is completing the civil work and the project, once completed, will enable Severn Trent Water to purify up to 1500m3/hr of biogas, produced at its largest sewage treatment works, to enable injection into the National Gas Grid. This project has only been made financially viable following the recent introduction of the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. It has also provided an opportunity for job creation, with a number of new team members employed specifically for this high-profile project, including project management, QS and engineering positions, as well as several general site staff jobs. The project represents another key milestone in the development of the Waste and Energy business, along with our work to develop the Wakefield AD Biogas plant with Shanks Waste Management, as part of the RRIJV. The Wakefield scheme is part of a wider agreed plan to reduce the landfill diversion rate of Wakefield District waste by 90%.
Feature article Royal HaskoningDHV and Imtech to deploy Nereda® wastewater technology in the UK Wastewater treatment in the UK goes Dutch In October, we visited Amersfoort in the Netherlands to sign a cooperation agreement with Royal HaskoningDHV, an international engineering and project management consultancy, for the delivery of Nereda® technology for wastewater treatment in the UK. Nereda is a revolutionary wastewater treatment technology, which operates through a unique aerobic granule process, heralding a new, more sustainable wastewater technology. Nereda saves 20-30% energy and up to 75% in land use. Our aim is to build five to eight Nereda wastewater treatment installations in the coming years. Bruno Speed, managing director at Imtech explains: “Deploying Nereda in the UK will be a significant step forward towards sustainable high-quality wastewater service. We are delighted to be part of this revolution in wastewater treatment and proud to be cooperating with Royal HaskoningDHV on this newly-developed technology and practice.” Sustainability The UK market for wastewater treatment plants is first and foremost an upgrade and refurbishment market: existing wastewater treatment plants need to be modernised and expanded. Bruno Speed continues: “Nereda is ideally suited for these upgrades. With its small physical footprint, it is very cost-effective, while at the same time its energy-efficiency and high treatment capabilities offer the highest standards of sustainability”. High market demand Imtech recognises some exciting potential for opportunities across the UK. Royal HaskoningDHV’s Global Director for Water Products and Innovation, René Noppeney, said “There was no better moment to start this partnership, as demand from the British market is high. We are receiving regular enquiries from UK water companies interested in our Nereda technology. A significant number of the wastewater treatment plants in the UK are due for renewal in the coming five to 10 years.”
Nereda in a nutshell Nereda is a sustainable and cost-effective biological wastewater treatment technology that purifies water, using the unique features of aerobic granular biomass. Nereda plants require a quarter of the area of traditional installations, the process consumes much less energy and is entirely based on natural ingredients. The award-winning technology was invented by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and developed in a unique public-private partnership between the University, the Dutch Foundation Feed/discharge
In
Aerobic zone: • Biological oxidation • Ammonium oxidation to nitrate
Out
Anoxic / Anaerobic zone: • Nitrate reduction to Nitrogen gas • Phosphate removal Air
Settle
React/aeration
for Applied Water Research (STOWA), the Dutch Water Board and Royal HaskoningDHV. After 20 years of research and development, this innovative biological solution is now proving itself as the next leap forward in wastewater treatment technology. Currently there are 12 plants in operation and more than 20 projects under development and construction throughout the world, including in the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Brazil and Poland.
Garmerwolde WwTW - 140,000 PE Nereda plant
For further information on Nereda in the UK, please contact Duncan Wildgoose, Imtech Business Development Manager on 01543 496600 or duncan.wildgoose@imtech.co.uk
People news Welcome to our team As our business continues to change and develop we are continually looking to recruit new people to our team. As part of the induction process we invite our new starters to a Group Induction. They have the opportunity to meet other new colleagues from across the business and many of our senior management team, as well as to find out more about Imtech and how we work. The latest Group Induction took place in Cannock on Tuesday 15 October and was attended by 18 new starters.
Driving tips - Be ready for winter Did you know? 50% of all reported road traffic collisions happen at night in wet conditions. Throughout the winter traffic accidents increase by a third between 3 pm and 6 pm. Give your vehicle a complete winter check before the bad weather really kicks in: • • • • • •
Check your electrics – battery, ignition, lights Check and clean your exhaust Make sure your wipers work and the blades are undamaged Check the fluid levels in the heating and cooling system Make sure the radiator has plenty of antifreeze Keep your fuel tank topped up, especially on long journeys.
And, if you have to drive in severe weather, keep in mind these safety measures:
I N G H E A LT
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BE WELL
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Our new Be-SHARP brochure sets out how the programme works and what it covers. If you would like a copy of the brochure please contact David Nicholas, health and safety manager at david.nicholas@imtech.co.uk
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Be-SHARP is our Behavioural Safety Hazard and Accident Reduction Programme, which supports our one-day HSE Leadership Workshop for the executive and project teams. Our clients and the supply chain are also actively encouraged to take part in the Be-SHARP training.
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In 2010 Imtech tasked an in-house team, alongside an external consultant, to look for new approaches to health and safety, which resulted in the development and introduction of Be-SHARP.
Introducing Behavioural Wellbeing - the healthy way to work
BAC
Be-SHARP brochure launched
However, if weather conditions are too severe, please investigate alternative methods of transport, or even delay or postpone your trip.
SA
ITSL have agreed as a group to develop an in-house bespoke training course for members of the sustainability teams. Imtech is working with the Ben Vivian partnership to develop a programme of sustainability training that will further develop the concept of sustainability and embed sustainability within the groups. This programme is due for implementation in early January 2014.
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A lesson in sustainability
• Make sure you have 100% visibility from all windows • Drive with dipped lights to improve visibility in rain or snow • Brake gradually and gently to gain extra time on slippery surfaces • Slow down in plenty of time for bends and corners • Drive in a higher gear than usual.
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We all know how to be healthy – it’s easy right? Eat well, take exercise, don’t smoke, keep an eye on how much alcohol you drink, get plenty of fresh air and walk rather than drive when possible. But with our busy lives, putting the healthy theory into practice is sometimes not as easy as we think. In September we introduced our latest health and wellbeing initiative, Behavioural Wellbeing Everyone Lives Longer (Be-WELL). Be-WELL has been designed to encourage changes in behaviour and engender healthy habits throughout our teams. Under the umbrella of the Be-WELL initiative heading will fall several different initiatives, including our staff Pedometer Challenge.
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People news Charity update Our team works hard, but they are also committed to giving something back to charities and their local communities too. Every year members of staff from across all of our offices take part in fundraising for local and national charities – having fun and raising thousands of pounds in the process. WaterAid is also well supported, both through our annual Imtech Summer Ball and also through the corporate donations we make to many of our clients’ fundraising events. The following photos give you just a flavour of some of the things the Imtech team has done over the year.
DIARY DATES 2013 20 December 2013 - 2 January 2014 Christmas shutdown
28 January
Water Industry Asset Management Conference, Birmingham
31 January
Deadline for Construction News Award submissions
22 March
World Water Day
1 April
WIA Awards Dinner, Birmingham
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