Members of the Sleaford branch of the National Farmers Union visited the Sleaford REP on Monday 10th March. There was a great turnout, with 18 local members attending the event.
Highlights of the visit included a presentation demonstrating the local benefits of the plant, and a walking tour of the site to illustrate some of the key features of the process, and the opportunity to become involved as fuel suppliers. As many local members supply or are involved in the supply of fuel to the Plant, Sleaford REP were keen for them to see what happens to the straw they supply.
Eco2's David McDonald, said:
“We were delighted to meet so many local members and have the opportunity to take them around the plant to see first-hand the scale and operations of the scheme. We look forward to continuing to work with the local NFU as we move into commercial operation.”
Test and commissioning is continuing at the Sleaford biomass plant. The next major event to commence shortly is the test on completion which are the precursor to commercial operations. The plant is now operating 24 hours a day and has been running up to full load (38.5MW) during the testing. The ramp up of operations during the testing and commissioning has proved the fuel supply and logistics system bringing in the straw bales from the fields and holding sites. The delivery to site has been trouble free with up to 35 deliveries a day of straw to the site.
At the plant the civil works to transform it from a construction site to an operational power plant are well underway, with planting of trees around the plant and landscaping works.
The EPC consortium and its subcontractors passed an major milestone during February with the achievement of over 365 days continuous activity with no lost time due to accidents. With over 300 people on site throughout most of 2013 this is an important achievement.
Overall completion of the plant remains well ahead of schedule.
NFU officials and members recently visited Sleaford REP to see first-hand how agricultural biomass is turned into heat and electric power. On a tour of the site, the visitors watched the automatic straw bale sampling and unloading gantry in operation in one of the two storage sheds, and learned the distinction between fly ash (rich in P and K, suitable for land spreading) and bottom ash (too granular for land spreading, sold as aggregates).
The Plant and the NFU have been working closely together to ensure the agriculture industry, especially local farmers, benefit as much as possible from providing the fuel source Sleaford REP needs. This not only means having long term contracts that guarantee income for local farmers but also recognise the impact on other areas of agriculture providing straw to the Plant will have. That is why the straw supplied is excess farm straw or in addition to straw the farmers would otherwise grow. This helps minimise the impact on cost and supply to other areas of the agriculture industry.
Article on NFU and Eco2 agree clarity on straw energy market http://www.nfuonline.com/science-environment/renewables/nfu-and-npa-hail-clarity-on-straw-energy-market/
Front: (From left to right) David McDonald, Operations Director, Richard Leggott – Local arable farmer from Boston area, Geoff Hotchkin – Sleaford arable member and chair of regional sugar forum, Colin Gray – Farmer member
Back - Guy Gagen, NFU Chief Adviser, Combinable Crops, Dr Ceris Jones, NFU Climate Change Adviser, Dr Jonathan Scurlock, NFU Chief Adviser, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Andy Middleton, Biomass Portfolio Manager
Sleaford REP Liaison Panel has help given a £1,000 grant to a new triathlon club in Sleaford which launched with great fanfare and support recently. Sleaford has many novice and experienced athletes who either already do triathlon events or are new to the sport and looking to do their first event in 2014.Training safely, learning the concept of the sport with others and enjoying all 3 disciplines together are a key part of this process and something that did not exist in the area. Many have come from the already existing running, swimming and cycling clubs, which is fantastic and this now provides further opportunity to be involved in what is becoming a rapidly growing sport as a result of the Olympics in 2012.
The club has also received outstanding support from the teams at NKDC, Sleaford Leisure Centre and Carre's Grammar School. With the funding from REP we have been able to provide an Open Day at the LC to bring everyone together and encourage new members, helping the club to grow, be successful and sustainable. The Open Day was a huge success with lots of people attending from a diverse group of experience, ability and age.We started with an early morning swim session, followed by a 'brick' session in the studio [bike/run] and a group bike ride during the afternoon.
Many new members joined on this day and lots more since that day early November. Our Club swim session has 37 on the books with, 26 regular attending. A group bike ride leaves the Craft and Design Centre each week on a Saturday morning for 40+miles and there are now 2 bike/run sessions each week. This is just the beginning and due to the overwhelming response the club will be able to provide a number of specialised workshops in the New Year, a new coached run sessions and are currently planning the launch of the Junior Tri sessions for February 2014.
For more information visit: http://www.tri3.co.uk/sleaford-triathlon-club.php
Sleaford REP Community Liaison Panel recently awarded Sleaford & District Talking Newspapers £1,500 from its Community Fund to help with its running costs and upgrade some equipment in the year ahead.
Barbara Roberts, Chairman of the Sleaford and District said on receiving the funding:
'We were absolutely delighted to receive the funding from the Sleaford REP Community Liaison Panel which has enabled us to continue offering a weekly service of local information from the Sleaford Standard and Sleaford Target to those with visual impairment.
This service was started in 1984 and relies on the generous donations and legacies which enable the service to continue. We loan a digital listening box to each customer and we have five teams of readers team of students from Carres Grammar School. A memory stick is copied in our Studio by our administrative/copying team and delivered each week by the Post Office. Listeners can then drop the yellow wallet with return label into any Post Box and the Panel funding continues to ensure that there is no charge for this service.'
If you know someone who would be interested in receiving this service with a Digital Listening Box on loan, please contact Barbara:
Talking Newspaper on 01529 488488
On 20th October 2013 artsNK successfully ran the Zygote Festival event in Sleaford with help from the Sleaford REP Liaison Panel's Community Fund. The fund granted artsNK £3,000 towards the festival which was a showcase of commissioned performing and visual artists’ pieces alongside artwork that was produced by and with the local community in the public engagement programme.
Project Overview and Description
"Dancing acrobats glide through the trees; kinetic sculptures scuttle along a cable, raining water on the crowd below. Gymnasts unfurl from swathes of silk, chrysalis like, spreading their arms to reveal gossamer screens on which projections flicker in swirls of light and fire.”
Zygote was Sleaford’s festival of light, live performances and digital artworks in 2013, celebrating this small market town’s history and important heritage links to the seed industry, including a programme of training and workshops to get there. It had two main elements; the festival for an audience of 3000, with hundreds taking part, and a year long programme of training and workshops, equipping local professional practitioners' to work longer term, with local groups.
Notes to Editors
Zygote enabled artsNK to:
e. g. Sleaford in Bloom, The Nettles Volunteer Group, Sleaford Hub Writers and Sleaford Museum Trust producing new artwork with artists and the artsNK’s Visual Arts Development Team
Facts & Figures
Total number of artists: 12
Total Workshop Participants (schools): 200
Total Workshop Participants (community): 90
Total number of new performances created: 5
Total number of new artworks created: 6
Total Audience attendance: 3000
Moving Forward
Our 2015 festival planning is due to begin in January 2014 and will be collaboration between the NK Arts Partnership comprising artsNK, National Centre for Craft and Design and Design Factory. The overarching theme will be the Magna Carta national celebrations and we intend to use our learning from Zygote Festival; its successes, new artworks and new skills learnt to produce a bigger, more spectacular and wider reaching community arts celebration across NK and the county.
In response to concerns raised online and by some in the locally community, below is clarification of Sleaford REP's fuel sourcing including supporting words from the National Farmers Union.
Mike Harrison, Sleaford REP Communications Manager said:
‘We have a policy of sourcing our straw fuel within a fifty mile radius of the Plant with a majority within thirty miles – we will not and have no need for, biomass that is imported to the UK. Discussions and negotiations have been taking place with local famers and suppliers ever since the Plant began construction last year. A large proportion of our fuel needs are with farmers and suppliers on long term contracts.
The NFU are supportive of our fuel sourcing model and we have taken steps to address farmers’ concerns, reassuring local suppliers and users of straw about our aim to create a steady, predictable fuel demand as was reported and welcomed on the NFU’s website in August (http://www.nfuonline.com/science-environment/renewables/nfu-and-npa-hail-clarity-on-straw-energy-market/).
We are very happy to talk with local farmers further to discuss possible fuel sourcing including one off supplies if they have surpluses in a particular year, as well as any issues they may have.’
Dr Jonathan Scurlock, NFU's chief renewable energy adviser says:
"The development of straw burning power stations is a positive step for arable farmers as it provides a new market for what has traditionally been a by-product of crop production, straw. Crop residues would usually be chopped and go back onto the land after harvest, but with the advent of straw-fired power stations, there is now a growing opportunity for additional income per hectare.
The NFU is pleased that power generators have taken steps to address farmers' concerns, reassuring local suppliers and users of straw about their aim to create a steady, predictable fuel demand, while creating new markets for oilseed rape straw, for which there are few existing uses. The contribution of Britain's farmers to the development of bioenergy sources has been increasing gradually over the last ten years and the benefit of farming's involvement in the renewable energy sector will continue to grow, helping us all to reduce our future reliance on fossil fuels and our impact on the world's climate."
A crucial phase between the construction and full operation of the Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant is set to begin this week. A process known as ‘hot commissioning’ is due to commence this week and will last for a period of approximately six weeks. In essence, this process involves the release of high pressure steam that is necessary to clean the newly built plant system.
Steam will be released through a purposely designed temporary outlet for short periods of 5 to 10 minutes three or four times a day. This will take place between 9am and 6pm Monday to Saturday. The steam blowing will take place in two phases with a break of approximately eleven days in between phases. During these periods it may be possible to hear the release dependant on prevailing weather conditions. This operation is a necessary requirement in the commissioning of any power station and what may be heard is just high pressure steam and shouldn’t be a cause for concern to the public.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Communications Officer, Sleaford REP
NKDC & Grantham College have announced further apprenticeship opportunities thanks to funding by Sleaford REP which was released by the Community Liaison Panel recently. Deadline for applications is Friday 16th August 2013 and details of how to apply can be found below:
Carpentry & Joinery Apprentices
Construction work for the Second Phase of Sleaford Town’s District Heating System is due to commence at the start of August 2013 with all external works completed by Mid-October. The works will see the District Heating main continued from the Leisure Centre under the River Slea to service the NKDC Offices & William Alvey School beyond.
Mike Harrison, Sleaford REP Communications Manager for Eco2 Lincs Ltd, said:-
‘We are delighted to be undertaking the final stage of the District Heating works which in total will provide free thermal energy to five community buildings across Sleaford town. We would like to thank the local community for their patience during Phase I works which involved traffic management along Boston Road. This phase of the work is now drawing to a close.
The District Heating Scheme is part of a wider well-being agreement Sleaford REP has with NKDC that includes a number of local community benefits. Other initiatives totalling £285,000 include a apprenticeships and a community fund. This funding is being administered by the Sleaford REP Community Liaison Panel whose members are made up of community representatives and Eco2 Lincs Ltd. For more information about the construction of the Plant and about the Panel’s work please visit our website – www.sleafordrep.co.uk’