Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass A practical guide for contractors seeking to enter the biomass civil engineering sector. Contents

01 CONTENTS 02 INTRODUCTION 03 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES TO SHAPE THE WORLD

05 REGULATION & LEGISLATION 07 CONSTRUCTION 08 PILING & GROUND ENGINEERING 09 SHUTTERING, FIXING & CONCRETING 10 STEEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION 10 STEEL TANK CONSTRUCTION

12 SSE/FORTH PORTS 17 ANGLESEA ALUMINIUM 12 E.ON 18 CARRON ENERGY 13 RWE NPOWER 18 DALKIA 13 RES 18 EXPRESS ENERGY 14 HELIUS ENERGY 19 EAST YORKSHIRE POWER 14 GAIA POWER 19 REAL VENTURES 14 ECO2 19 MGT POWER 15 DRAX 20 WATER COMPANIES 16 KEDCO

21 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: CURRENTLY OPERATING 22 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: IN PLANNING/UNDER CONSTRUCTION 23 UK BIOMASS POWER STATIONS: PROPOSED PROJECTS 23 ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE HORIZONS

01 Introduction to the Toolkit

In recent years the challenge for the UK’s power producers Biomass Sub-divisions has been quite simple - how to maintain the level of power the nation requires while replacing our existing fleet of aging, That simple definition of a biomass operation being powered environmentally questionable nuclear and fossil fuel driven using living or recently living organisms becomes rather more power stations. tortuous with a host of add on definitions and sub-sectors within the industry. And with national and international governmental decisions being taken to help reduce our impact on the environment, There are five basic categories of fuel material which are used there has been an increased focus on the use of more in biomass plants they are:- sustainable solutions to help meet our electricity demand. Virgin wood: fuel material sourced from forestry, While the greater focus has been on the provision of on and arboriculture activities or from wood processing offshore wind farms there have also been strides taken to Energy crops: fuel material sourced from high yield crops increase the influence of power production from material grown specifically for energy applications derived from living or recently living organisms – or biomass. Agricultural residues: residues from agriculture harvesting or Carbon used to construct biomass is absorbed from processing atmospheric carbon dioxide by plant life. Plants may be eaten by animals and converted in animal biomass. Food waste: waste from food and drink manufacture, preparation and processing, and post-consumer waste If not eaten it is broken down, releasing the carbon as either carbon dioxide or methane. If burned it is returned as carbon Industrial waste: waste material and co-products from dioxide. manufacturing and industrial processes. Power plants can use both the heat generated by burning biomass or the methane as a fuel to produce electricity.

2 Foreword Environmental Policies to Shape the World

Like many industrial processes in the UK power production Since 2002 the government has used the Renewals now and in the future is shaped by a commitment made by Obligation (RO) mechanism to help incentivise large scale the bulk of the world’s industrialised nations more than 15 renewable electricity projects but under the EMR this will years ago. close to new schemes in 2017. A new mechanism called Contract for Difference will be put in its place. The Kyoto Protocol which the European Union signed up to in 1997 sets binding targets on the industrialised nations to However, the government has said it will not support the reduce greenhouses gases in an attempt to limit the man- construction of new biomass facilities except in situations made interference on the world’s climate. where the proposed facility has a combined heat and power function. Under the protocol those signatories agreed to limit and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in two Projects to be supported under the Renewables Obligation target periods 2008-12 and 20013-20. will also have strict new provisions to ensure the sustainability of their fuel sources. The UK government has also launched its own legislative measures to combat climate change with the introduction With the RO facing an end date of 2037 any accreditations of the Climate Change Act 2008. would receive less than 20 years of RO support if the accreditation time limit were extended. But with the This too commits the country to a reduction in greenhouse CfD set to be introduced in 2017 it is the government’s gas emissions, specifically a target of 80% on 2010 levels intention to start letting CfD contracts in early 2014 so over a series of budget periods ending in 2050. there will be transparency around support levels under It is against this background that the power and energy the CfD in the lead up to 2017. This it argues should help sector has been forced to re-evaluate its dependence on alleviate the concern of some developers but it has not costly and polluting fossil fuel-based solutions and look stopped some of the major clients re-evaluating the sector. toward methods that will still allow us to produce our own Centrica announced in October 2012 that it was pulling out energy while decreasing the impact of that production on of the sector once more as it shelved plans to build new the environment. Under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive the UK has been targeted with providing some 15% of its energy “The power and energy consumption by renewable sources such as biomass, onshore and offshore , wave and tidal power sector has been forced to and solar photovoltaics by 2020. With the renewable supply figure standing at 3% at the time of the directive re-evaluate its dependence it became clear that meeting those commitments would on costly and polluting be achievable but not easy. The government published the Renewable Energy Roadmap which showed how the fossil fuel-based solutions.” UK could meet these targets and, at the same time, its updatable Electricity Market Reform white paper.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Environmental Policies to Shape the World continued

biomass plants next to its existing facilities in Brigg and Proposed schemes batting around local authority planning Roosecote due to the introduction of the new system and departments for years might also be called in by the what it saw as ‘the likely exclusion of dedicated biomass Secretary of State, adding further time delays and causing projects from the new capacity mechanism.’ uncertainty among investors, uncertainty that has in itself lead to the market not progressing as far or as fast as first And despite winning planning permission to build a new hoped. 150 Mw biomass facility at Portbury Dock near electricity company E.On announced in October 2013 that There are many reasons why funding parties need a level of it had cancelled the scheme. surety in a market and although the biomass sector is far from volatile there are enough variables to make investors Another problem with the development of large scale revisit their calculators. biomass, biogas and waste facilities is one familiar to developers of all major projects across the country. The UK planning system is extremely robust and depending on which side of the debate you are on tilted in favour of the protestor or the developer. Whichever may be the case there is common ground between the two factions. Both complain that the planning procedure in the UK is too onerous and developers and contractors in particular bemoan the length of time it can take to see schemes through to fruition. This is an area that the government has been trying to bring under control but still according to developers the planning process can take so long to come to fruition, particularly on large and mid- scale operations, that companies can be left years waiting for their project to be given the final go-ahead.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Regulation & Legislation

The renewable and biomass energy sector is covered by a The Environment Agency also does not consider untreated raft of regulation and legislation. It is important that those virgin timber as waste. entering the market, including designers and contractors, Research facilities that treat less than 50 tonnes of waste have a solid foundation in the most appropriate. These each year are also exempt. include:- The WID also imposes requirements on the types of waste permitted at a plant, its delivery, reception, operating Environmental Permitting Programme conditions and equipment used. It also underlines emission This created a single regulatory system that integrates the monitoring requirements and limits. Waste Management licencing and Pollution Prevention & Control to create a single system – the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

Waste Incineration Directive The ‘thermal treatment’ of wastes is governed by the WID. There are a number of specific wastes excluded from its scope which include:-

• Vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry • Vegetable waste from food processing as long as the facility includes heat recovery • Fibrous vegetable waste from pulp making providing this happens on-site and the heat is recovered. • Wood waste – except that which has been treated with preservatives or coatings containing heavy metals or halogenated organic compounds • Cork waste

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Building Regulations

Standard building regulations covering the design and construction of structures and buildings will apply. Building Regulations Part J covers combustion appliances and fuel storage systems, fire safety, ventilation and flue design. Clean Air Act

Within smoke control areas only specified manufactured smokeless fuels can be used. Others including wood and pellets can only be burned in tested and approved appliances. Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (England and Wales)

The PPCR regulate the emission of pollutants. Operating within these regulations is allowed through permits that set operating conditions Large Combustion Plant Directive

This applies to all combustion plants with a thermal output greater than 50Mw. Ash dieback regulations

Regulation aimed at minimising the spread of the disease with a primary aim to restrict the importation and planting of ash trees. Importing Wood Regulations

Plant health controls apply to a wide range of imported wood products including material for use as wood fuel.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Construction

In practice there can be a fair amount of movement between some of the biomass fuel sources such as virgin wood and energy crops while sludges from treatment facilities can also be used to fuel power generation as well as combined heat and power plants. Those facilities that use sewage sludge and food waste to create the gas to fuel energy production are often called ‘Bio-gas’ facilities and are generally smaller scale.

Obviously the different type of fuel will have a bearing on the scale of the facilities and the type of civil engineering work required to build those facilities.

In general terms even the most basic wood/waste fired biomass power station will require the construction of a loading and fuel storage facility, boiler house/turbine hall and ancillary buildings such as sub-stations and control rooms.

For smaller scale power plants using food waste or sewage sludge to produce gases to fuel the production process then there will be some extra requirements including the provision of digestion tanks, gas holders and handling systems.

Contractors looking to work in the biomass power sector will need to be able to prove their expertise in certain areas. These will differ on a project to project basis but there will be some constant requirements, some standard civil engineering, some more specialist.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Piling & Ground Engineering

More often than not locations for biomass or biogas fuelled power stations and combined heat and power facilities will be located on brownfield, post-industrial or reclaimed land within our towns and cities. Given the scale of some of these schemes and the nature of the land on which they are being built there is a likelihood that there will be some element of ground engineering required prior to construction.

The type of work is dependent on the quality of the land but could include significant elements of lime/cement soil stabilisation work or soil treatments including specialist chemical injection. This is often most applicable to former heavy industrial sites as a method of stabilising and treating organic contaminants.

Other ground engineering expertise required on schemes may be the installation of vibro compacted stone columns, a system increasingly being used as a cost effective way of consolidating ground and boosting its bearing capacity. This system has proven effective beneath the lighter ancillary buildings that might be expected on projects, but on large scale schemes clearly the larger structures will need a heavyweight solution.

Piling in contaminated ground should be an area of expertise, particularly large diameter piles. CFA piled solutions may be the most common but other piling systems should not be ruled out, particularly given any potential ground contamination.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Shuttering, Fixing & Concreting

Thanks to the complicated detailing around specialist Concrete pours tend to be large thanks largely to the scale process engineering systems such as shredders, chippers, of the schemes. Other than where local conditions dictate, boilers and flue supports there is a real need for skilled the use of specialist high strength or waterproof concrete is shuttering operatives on biomass projects. Detailing can not required but fibre reinforced concrete has been used in be awkward and intricate around bases for conveyors and isolation on some projects. access/service areas too. Despite the aggressive nature of some of the sewage In sewage and waste sludge digestion systems the concrete effluent and its exposure to concrete in the tank slabs high digestion tanks and gas tank bases may also need specialist acid/alkaline resistivity concrete is not deemed necessary in attention. Bases are normally circular and dished toward the majority of cases. the centre so that any effluent can collect and feed through into the next stage of the gas/power generation system. Sacrificial formwork is often used to help create the discharge detail. Post-tensioning and Pre-stressed Concrete

Depending on the scale of the project experience of jump- Post-tensioning and pre-stressed concrete may sometimes forming could also be an advantage particularly where be used during the construction of biomass and combined large volumes of gas/fluid may be held. In some cases such heat and power plants. The most commonly used is that as the bio-energy sludge treatment digester being built of post-tensioning where the method can be employed to in by ETM - a joint venture partnership between strengthen and reinforce concrete tank walls. AECOM and Galliford Try – for client Yorkshire Water, these tanks are 22m high and 21.5m in diameter. They also feature a cast in-situ reinforced concrete roof requiring specialist formwork and falsework.

Steel reinforcement details and fixing can be difficult thanks to the awkwardness of the concrete base shapes around the processing systems and although in specific areas the concentration of reinforcement can be dense, away from these the general size, shape and density of steel is as would be expected on any major civil engineering project.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Steel Frame Construction

Aside from the large reinforced concrete structures biomass the famous Tinsley Power Station in Sheffield, there are power station construction will in all likelihood involve considerable elements of steel frame, particularly around some element of steel frame construction. Generally these the wood chipping plant and the fuel storage facility buildings are of the ‘crinkly tin shed’ variety, little more capable of handling 4,000 Tonne of waste wood ready to than a shelter for the workforce or complicated fire the station. This is a complicated steel structure typical and routing systems and resembling the sort of structure of these large scale projects that require real experience and routinely seen on business parks around the country. In expertise to erect. some instances these ancillary and welfare buildings are prefabricated, lifted into position in sections and connected Ancillary buildings and those that surround the fuel storage together in less than a day. facilities and boiler house will of course need to comply with the relevant building regulations with Part J covering But on the larger projects such as the £120million 30Mw combustion appliances and fuel storage systems. These waste wood fuelled biomass power station being built for may be beyond the experience of many civil engineering power provider E.On at Blackburn Meadows on the site of contractors and should be closely monitored. Steel Tank Construction

Food waste and sewage sludge installations such as the food waste to energy facility constructed by Finning Power and Energy at Avonmouth near Bristol for client GenEco, feature specially constructed steel tanks which hold the feed slurry before it is passed onto the digester tank. These 5mm thick coated steel tanks are built by installing a steel angle at the set circumference for the completed tank on its concrete base slab. Sections of steel plate are fixed to provide a single ring around the tank before the first lift is jacked up and subsequent lifts installed. This process is repeated until the tank has reached its design height. The steel sections are coated with epoxy resin or FRP to help improve their resistance to corrosion.

Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass Biomass Power Plant Developers & Operators

The nationwide biomass market features a host of different sized schemes of differing proposed final outputs. Although the bulk of the market in the UK seems to be in the middle order of the market with proposed outputs of between 250 Mw down to 50Mw there are those at either extremity of the scale that will also provide a significant share of the UK’s biomass potential, from fully blown, large scale power station conversions to the almost cottage industry scale of the smaller generators and water companies.

There are small scale project specific biomass installations such as a CHP system for new schools but these have been excluded from the study.

The following pages provide a snapshot of the leading biomass power plant developers and operators at the time of writing.

11 Introduction to the toolkit SSE/Forth Ports SSE had been assessing the potential to invest in the conversion of its fired facilities to biomass and co-fired plants.

It has claimed that technical issues with its current facilities, the lack of depth in the biomass market, the amount of biomass fuel needed to produce electricity and the requirement to be involved in the upstream fuel supply market as well as the abandonment of the ROC’s charging system had forced the company to ditch any plans to develop biomass based operations at its coal fired power stations. It has announced though that it is progressing with its multi-fuel facility at Ferrybridge in Yorkshire.

Under a strategic venture with Scottish port operator Forth Ports it is continuing with plans to develop 100Mw capacity wood fuelled biomass plants at three sites near Dundee, Grangemouth and Rosyth. These plants will also be capable of producing 260Mw of heat energy. It dropped plans to develop a fourth, similar sized facility at Leith last year.

For further information visit: www.sse.com E.On

Operating one of the country’s largest dedicated biomass plants near Lockerbie, the electricity giant has shown its commitment to the biomass market in the past. Alongside the Lockerbie operation it has also converted its coal burning power station near Ironbridge, Shropshire to run on wood pellets until the end of its operating licence in 2015. It does not intend to re-licence the facility as a dedicated biomass plant after that though, citing high investment costs. It is currently developing the 30Mw Blackburn Meadows biomass power plant in Sheffield and has planning permission to build a new 150Mw facility at Portbury Dock near Bristol. It has however since cancelled the Portbury Facility. For further information visit: www.eon-uk.com

12 Introduction to the toolkit RWE npower

German group RWE has switched its Tilbury B coal fired power station in Essex to run on 100% biomass fired using sustainably sourced wood pellets and was looking at the possibility of continuing biomass power production at the site beyond the end of its operation licence in 2015. However, it has since closed the entire facility following a failure to secure government support.

Its dedicated renewable energy arm RWE npower Renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, is building a 50Mw CHP in Fife, Scotland. This new plant will be fuelled by 90% wood waste and 9% virgin material. Another similar sized plant is planned in Lincolnshire.

For further information see: www.rwe.com RES

RES has plans to deliver two biomass power station developments at North Blythe in Northumberland and Alexandra Dock in . In July 2013 development consent was agreed for the Blythe scheme, a £250 million project to create a 100 MW facility. Construction is reported to be due to commence in 2014 for a two-and-a-half year building period.

For further information visit: www.res-group.com

13 Introduction to the toolkit Helius Energy

A dedicated biomass energy development company it has schemes at Avonmouth near Bristol, Southampton and Speyside in Scotland.

For further information visit: www.heliusenergy.com

Gaia Power

Gaia Power has planning permission to build a proposed 45Mw power station on the site of the former coal fired North Tees Power Station at .

For further information visit: www.gaiaheat.com

Eco2

Eco2 is a renewable energy specialist developer focussed on initiating, developing and operating facilities throughout the UK and Europe. Has four biomass facilities at operation, development or consent stages in Eastern England.

For further information visit: www.eco2uk.com

14 Introduction to the toolkit Drax

The north Yorkshire based company plans to transform itself into a predominantly biomass fuelled electricity generating company by converting three of its six generating units to run on biomass. In a rolling programme of conversion it expects its first to be converted by the end of the first half of 2013 and the second a year after.

For further information visit: www.draxpower.plc.uk Kedco

Renewable energy specialist Kedco has plans to identify, develop, build and operate plants in the UK and Ireland. It plans to start construction on a 12Mw waste wood fuelled plant in Enfield, North London by the end of 2013.

For further information visit: www.kedco.com Anglesea Aluminium

Plans to construct a biomass wood pellet fired power station on land adjacent to its smelter in Holyhead, Anglesey. It will generate up to 300Mw of renewable energy and will import fuel through its own jetty at the Port of Holyhead.

For further information visit: www.angleseyaluminium.co.uk

15 Introduction to the toolkit Carron Energy

The trading arm of private energy group Carron Energy has submitted proposals to build a £140m wood chip and energy crop fuelled power station on a 10 acre brownfield site at Newport Docks in South Wales.

For further information visit: www.carronenergy.com

Dalkia

An energy management joint venture between EDF and Veolia Environment. It has built a facility near Bishop Auckland and has plans to develop an energy centre including biomass facility near Pollington, Yorkshire.

For further information visit: www.dalkia.co.uk Express Energy

The renewable power generation specialist has plans to develop a portfolio of biomass fuelled operations. It currently has permission to build a 60Mw scheme at Tilbury Docks in Essex and is hoping to gain approval for a 30Mw scheme near Wolverhampton.

For further information visit: www.tilburygreenpower.com

16 Introduction to the toolkit East Yorkshire Power

This company has plans and outline planning permission to develop a 15Mw plant at Gameslack Farm on the outskirts of Wetwang and Fimber in the Yorkshire Wolds.

Real Ventures

The renewable energy company has plans to develop five renewable energy centres in the UK. The first two on its schedule are to be 100% virgin wood fuelled 50Mw biomass plants in Immingham and Hull. It has yet to announce its preferred location and energy production type for the three remaining centres.

For further information see: www.realventures.co.uk MGT Power

An independent British company focussed on large scale biomass projects which use sustainable forestry as a fuel supply. It has plans to develop the 300Mw Tees Renewable Energy Plant near Teesport, Cleveland.

For further information see: www.mgtteesside.com

17 Introduction to the toolkit Water Companies

Given the easy access that water companies have to sewage sludge with which to produce methane gas for biogas and CHP plants, it is unsurprising that most of the major companies are planning/have facilities under construction or already operating.

Anglian Water has a strategy to use biosolids as fuel and expand the use and production of methane as fuel at its CHP’s while Southern Water has revealed a £30m investment to produce around 10% of its annual electricity consumption through the use of biogas installations. Similarly Thames Water plans to invest £250million into and associated processes. It aims to self-generate 20% of its total needs by 2015. It is installing additional CHP’s, digesters and sludge incinerators to help meet this target.

United Utilities is another water company that hopes to boost its use of renewable energy through its own sludge processing. At present 14% of its business consumption is through renewables but there are targets to increase this amount.

Yorkshire Water is investing in a new sludge treatment and bio-energy digester at its Blackburn Meadows facility while Severn Trent Water produces much of its electricity at its Stoke Bardolph site in .

18 Introduction to the toolkit UK Biomass power stations: Currently Operating

List of both currently operational biomass power stations (≥2 MWe) and those currently in various stages of planning or construction, in the UK, as of March 2013.New projects are constantly appearing, and not all of those planned will make it through to fruition.

Project Location Company Fuel Output

Balcas Timber Enniskillen, NI Balcas Wood 2.5 MWe Balcas Timber Invergordon Balcas Wood 8 MWe Eccleshall Biomass Eccleshall, Staffs Miscanthus 2.6 MWe Ely Ely, Cambridgeshire EPRL Straw 38 MWe Eye Eye, Suffolk EPRL Poultry litter 12.7 MWe Glanford Scunthorpe, N Lincs. EPRL MBM, Poultry litter 13.5 MWe Goosey Lodge Northants Biomass 16 MWe Grainger Sawmill Enniskeane, Ireland Wood 2 MWe Newry Biomass Newry, NI Kedco Wood 2 MWe (+2MWe) PDM Group Widnes, Cheshire PDM Group Food residues 9.5 MWe Slough Heat and Power Slough, Berks SSE Wood + fibre 35 MWe +12 MWe Stevens Croft Lockerbie, Scotland E.ON Wood 44 MWe Thetford Thetford, Norfolk EPRL Chicken litter 38.5 MWe Tilbury B Tilbury, Essex RWE Wood pellets 750 MWe Tyrone Strabane, NI Tyrone Energy Recycled wood 2.1 MWe UPM Caledonian Irvine, Scotland UPM Paper mill residues 26 MWe UPM Shotton Shotton, Wales UPM Papermill sludge 20 MWe Westfield Fife, Scotland EPRL Chicken litter 9.8 MWe Western Wood Energy Port Talbot, Wales Eco2 Wood 14 MWe Wilton 10 Middlesborough SembCorp Wood 30 MWe

Total: 1,090.2 MWe

19 Introduction to the toolkit UK Biomass power stations: In planning/under construction

Project Location Company Fuel Output

Avonmouth Avonmouth Helius Pellets 100 MWe Billingham Teesside Gaia Power Recycled wood 45 MWe Blackburn Meadows Sheffield E.ON Wood 30 MWe Brigg North Lincolnshire Eco2 Straw 40 MWe Drax Yorkshire Drax Pellets 2,000 MWe Dundee Dundee Forth Energy Wood 100 MWe Enfield Biomass London Kedco Wood 12 MWe CHP Ferrybridge Nr Castleford SSE Multifuel, RDF 68 MWe Grangemouth Grangemouth Forth Energy Wood 100 MWe Holyhead Holyhead Anglesey Aluminium Wood 300 MWe Ironbridge Ironbridge E.ON Pellets 1,000 MWe Rosyth Rosyth Forth Energy Wood 100 MWe Mendlesham Mendlesham, Suffolk Eco2 Straw 40 MWe Nevis Power Newport Welsh Power Biomass 50 MWe Pollington Pollington Dalkia Bioenergy 52 MWe Rosyth Rosyth Forth Energy Wood 120 MWe Rothes Distillers CoRD Rothes, Moray Helius DDG 7.2 MWe CHP Sleaford Lincolnshire Eco2 Straw 40 MWe Stallingborough Stallingborough, Lincs. Helius/RWE npower Wood 65 MWe Tansterne Hull GB Bio Straw 12.5 MWe Tees REP Middlesborough MGT Power Wood 300 MWe Tilbury Green Power Tilbury Express Energy Biomass & SRF 60 MWe Markinch CHP Fife RWE npower Wood residues 49.9 MWe CHP Wetwang Yorkshire E Yorks Power Wood & straw 15 MWe

Total: 4, 706.6 MWe

20 Introduction to the toolkit UK Biomass power stations: Proposed projects

Project Location Company Fuel Output

Blyth Blyth RE Systems Wood 100 MWe Claycross Derbyshire Kedco Wood 12 MWe CHP Drakelow Drakelow E.ON Wood Greenpower.54 Wolverhampton Express Energy Biomass & SRF 30 MWe Hull Hull Real Ventures Wood 49 MWe Peterborough Peterborough P’borough RE. Agricultural waste 66 MWe Southampton Southampton Helius Pellets 100 MWe Thetford Wood Thetford EPRL Wood 40 MWe

Total: 397 MWe

21 Introduction to the toolkit Infrastructure Horizons

Infrastructure Horizons online About CECA CECA’s Infrastructure Horizons: Biomass guide represents an The Civil Engineering Contractors Association is the overview of the sector and its relationship with its civil representative body for companies who work day-to-day to engineering supply chain at a given point in time. deliver, upgrade, and maintain the country’s infrastructure. With more than 300 members split across eight regions, Given the fast pace of change in the sector, it is essential CECA represents firms who together carry out an estimated that this guide is updated regularly to detail the latest 70-80 per cent of all civil engineering activity in the UK, in developments that occur, whether it be in terms of new the key sectors of transport, energy, communications, waste opportunities coming to the market, changes in the existing and water. client base, or new thinking in relation to any of the issues covered by the guide. www.ceca.co.uk For this reason, CECA wll be reproducing all of the CECA Infrastructure Horizons series online at: About the CITB www.ceca.co.uk/infrastructurehorizons. The CITB is the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the UK’s construction industry, working with This will allow appropriate updates and amendments to be industry, for industry, to deliver a safe, professional and made as and when they occur. fully qualified UK construction workforce. The CITB works Access to the website will be free to the public. with construction companies to help them improve skills, For further information, please contact CECA director of increase their competitive edge, and respond to the many external affairs Alasdair Reisner on 0207 340 0454, or challenges employers face - from the low-carbon agenda, e-mail [email protected]. through to reducing costs on-site and recruiting the best and brightest talent for their sector. Infrastructure Horizons is a series of guides prepared by CECA to provide contractors with a snapshot of emerging www.cskills.org markets in the UK. The series has been undertaken with the generous support of the Construction Sector Skills Council the CITB.