Fareham: Welsh Water selects HBS as solar delivery partner

Welsh Water has appointed HBS New Energies, based at Whiteley, near Fareham, as sole contractor to deliver phase 1 of its Glas Advantage Renewable Energy Programme. The awarded contract will see HBS complete the feasibility, design, supply, installation and commissioning of rooftop solar arrays for six of Welsh Water’s operational water treatment facilities.

As one of the largest energy users in Wales with an annual energy bill of £44 million, Welsh Water needs huge amounts of electricity to pump the 800 million litres of water it supplies every day to over three million people across its service network.

To help reduce these increasing energy costs, the company has taken steps to become carbon neutral in its electricity consumption and is planning to be carbon neutral in its gas consumption by 2020 - with ambitions to be energy neutral by 2050. Currently it generates more than 25% of its own energy needs through a combination of solar, wind, hydro and advance anaerobic digestion technologies across 50 of its sites and aims to boost this to 30% by 2019.

Delivering solar electricity for Welsh Water’s operations

With surveys on all sites complete our in-house design team are now at the final stages of providing construction issue drawings. HBS New Energies has started construction at the first water treatment facility and plan to have all solar systems commissioned and operational by end of March 2019.

James Bull, managing director, HBS New Energies, commented: “We’re delighted to be supporting Welsh Water in the delivery of this solar programme to provide considerable energy and carbon savings across their operations. The roll out of rooftop solar installations will help Welsh Water take a step closer to achieving their energy reduction targets and reduce operating costs.”

HBS New Energies has focused on building long-term partnerships with several major water utility companies, including Anglian Water, United Utilities, Bristol Water and Northumbrian Water, helping them harness the commercial benefits of solar electricity. This latest contract award from Welsh Water further demonstrates HBS’ creditability in the UK water industry. 

By unlocking the value of otherwise unused roof space, land or reservoir, HBS can provide a long-term strategy that will increase a water company’s on-site renewable generation capacity and help them combat today’s volatile energy market.