The project has planning consent (achieved Dec 2007 through Section 36 of the Electricity Act) and is now pushing on with engineering, financing, procurement and environmental work in order to achieve a commercial operation date by late 2013.
Barking Power is a 1000MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant based in east London constructed between 1992 and 1995 and was the first major generating station in London for many years. The existing facility has been successfully operating for over 10 years and is a fundamental part of the power supply infrastructure for London and the South East, generating 2% of the peak electricity demand in England and Wales.
Barking Power is now developing an extension to the facility to increase the overall capacity to 1500MW, a 50% increase and studies are underway to plan the next phases.
Balfour Beatty Management are providing pivotal skills into the Development team and helping shape the project through the concept development phase and now the detailed development. Balfour Beatty Management’s Engineering Manager is instrumental in optimising the plant configuration, dealing with site constraints and optimising the design for the new extension while further input is provided in areas such as planning, procurement, risk and financing.
A key milestone was achieved early in 2009 when the project team gained approval from the Barking Board to progress into detailed development and engage with banks, power off-takers and fuel suppliers as well as the procurement of the construction.
Transportation
In this complex and extremely broad-ranging sector, we focus on rail, major highways and multi-modal hub & spoke transportation systems. Within these areas our highly experienced team work through the entire development cycle; from feasibility and design right through to construction and delivery into service. This often requires a multidisciplinary approach, where we combine building, civil, M&E and rail engineering expertise with our project and commercial management skills to deliver in constrained and demanding environments.
We’re currently involved in some truly high-profile projects, including the King’s Cross Redevelopment – a hugely complex station redevelopment valued at around £800m – and BAA’s Terminal 5 Rail Link. We’re also playing a lead role in the upgrading of London’s Underground network, providing services to London Underground Ltd and its PPP partners through our dedicated Metro delivery team.
Above ground, we’re part of the Regional and City Airports (RCA) consortium - the Balfour Beatty Group’s specialist airport investment and development group. In 2007, our technical expertise developed the business model and capital expenditure plans that enabled RCA to successfully acquire Exeter and Devon International Airport Ltd.
Exeter is already one of the fastest-growing regional airports in the UK, but now it will be substantially redeveloped with new terminal facilities, an aircraft stand and (in the longer term) further terminal capacity, stand and taxiway development. It’s the kind of project that will require strong development, management and asset management skills. All of which we have in abundance. Our project history to date has clearly demonstrated expertise in airport master planning and development solutions, long-term capital investment planning, as well as operational skills in the aviation market, so we firmly believe we have much to offer.
Building
Heery’s strengths and track record have provided an excellent foundation in this area. Offering services across a range of sectors including commercial development, public amenities, education and healthcare, we work closely with customers to understand their needs, provide solutions for complex projects, and, in doing so, create maximum value on each project.
Some of the truly inspirational projects we’ve helped to deliver include turning Kempton Racecourse into an all-weather, all-year round facility, and completing the Playfair Project in Edinburgh, where we’ve refurbished the Royal Scottish Academy building and linked it, underground, to the National Gallery of Scotland. Heery have also been selected as Construction Manager for the two-year Cutty Sark Conservation Project, involving both repair and conversation for the ship herself, together with creating an improved visitor environment. A key national heritage project, our selection for this reflects our strong track record within this field.
And it doesn’t stop there. Current projects include the relocation of Queen Margaret University College (Scotland’s first entirely new higher education campus development for 30 years); seven new buildings across the UK for the NHS Blood and Transplant Service; and the 1,000,000sq ft, £170m Silverburn retail development centre in Glasgow.
Utilities
Drawing on our extensive experience in water, gas, electricity and telecoms networks, we’re able to manage a wide range of multi-utilities projects. Our projects include the rehabilitation and renewal of networks, where we handle every aspect of the planning and design to the management of utility diversions for major building and infrastructure projects, dealing directly with the utility companies and other stakeholders. We also have an established track record working with companies such as Three Valleys Water to reduce leakage from water networks.
A good example of BBM’s utilities activity is our alliance with National Grid on the North West Gas Alliance. We’re working together on the abandonment of iron gas mains across the distribution network in the North West of England – replacing the iron pipes, where necessary, with non-metallic materials. It’s a strong partnership that focuses on working together, sharing knowledge and getting the job done. BBM play a key role on the alliance management team and our staff on the project include commercial managers, programme planners, designers and network planners. All of the project’s targets have been met and we’ve also made considerable safety improvements. As a result of this success, we are now an alliance partner with National Grid working on the analogue to digital switch over programme and upgrading National Grid’s transmission infrastructure.
Other key customers include Merseytravel, for whom we managed utilities diversions to prepare for the Merseytram lines running from Liverpool to Kirby.
The work we do in this sector is supported by the latest technology, including GIS vector mapping and bespoke applications that we’ve developed using a variety of software, including Java.
Industry
Industry is a new and growing market for BBM, in which we’ve recently won substantial and challenging contracts.
Take, for example, our £24m construction management project with Kodak at Harrow – the first step in a programme of similar work right around the world. Kodak is streamlining its business to take advantage of new technology and reorganising its facilities and assets on the 40-acre site in North-West London. The modernisation process poses a number of technical challenges for BBM. For instance, the work must be carried out while the facilities are still operational and some of the buildings involved contain various quantities of asbestos.
We are also working on a number of PetroChem contracts. Lucite International have charged us with managing maintenance, turnaround and engineering projects on their site at Cassel Works, Teesside, and we also look after Q8 Petroleum’s site in Europoort, Holland.
