Year 2011 news
We saw an increase in design work this year with protection studies at all voltages between 11 kV and 380kV. The sophistication in modern multifunction protection relays is amazing, even to us, and all of it is realised in software. We commissioned 4 new generator sets and 4 repaired generators this year on 6 sites and provided technical support and maintenance at many other sites at home and abroad.
We visited Luxembourg, Spain, Russia, Egypt and Sark. We continue to do work for the electricity distribution companies, as we have for the past 20 years and at CHP installations throughout the UK.
We blame the Arab Spring for a very slow start to our overseas business in 2011. A series of revolutions resulted in corrupt dictators being ousted in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and, as a result, oil and gas projects throughout the Middle East were virtually closed down for much of the year. The trigger to the first of these revolutions was the shocking self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, which followed the confiscation of his tea urn and copper cups by a rude and officious woman, an employee of a government ministry in Tunis. Various dissatisfied Arab groups were angered and motivated to protest and this became an unprecedented movement that built up massive momentum. The movement crossed borders and every country in the Middle East was affected. Syria is still in turmoil. Major reforms were introduced in a number of Gulf states. Much of our work is on oil and gas industry projects and so we stopped as well.
The increased cost of energy faced by every company and every person in the UK and in many other countries, is a concern to us all. A part of this is due to market supply and demand forces and we have no reason to grumble about that. In the UK, however, and throughout the EC, there is another factor. In essence, electricity and gas energy is now subject to taxation, which is being used to subsidise a variety of green projects ranging from solar PV panels on your neighbour’s roof to giant wind turbines in the North Sea. All this is supposed to help reduce our carbon emissions and you might be pleased. We are not. Even if there is a grain of truth in the carbon reduction benefit, the increased cost of energy is very detrimental to our economy and every other economy that has the same practice. Our industries, faced with increased costs, are less competitive when facing companies located in lower energy cost countries.
It would be a hopeless task for us to try and persuade governments to change the policy of using taxation to achieve carbon reduction targets. Instead, we put forward a proposal to reduce electricity costs by building local power stations that send energy to consumers locally instead of via the National Grid. These many small power stations which will use gas, a fuel with a fairly stable price, will have an overall efficiency at the customers terminals of about 58% which is twice the efficiency of large thermal power stations feeding customers via the National Grid. Being small, these power stations will have lots of cheap heat available convenient for use in local industries and even private housing, which will be very good for the economy. Do we mean half price electricity and free heating for swimming pools? Yes we do. Our view is that mistakes were made 60 years ago when our present generation and transmission system was planned because, at the time, fuel efficiency was not a major concern. Now we have a chance to put it right and to restore some of our industry at the same time. If you would like facts and figures and advice about how to benefit your company and your country and yourself, please contact us.
The directors of the company thank all our staff and our clients and consultants and friends
for their loyalty and trust during 2011.
We wish them all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
John Sanderson, Director, 13 December 2011