We are thrilled to have successfully agreed a deal on behalf of our client (Flintshire County Council) with their tenant (Triton Power) for the re-use of Deeside Power Station, a former 500MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine generating station mothballed in 2018.
The deal, overseen by our Head of Sustainable Energy, Darren Edwards, will see the two gas turbines on site adapted to provide National Grid with vital system support services. It is believed to be the first conversion of a gas turbine rotor to provide standalone inertia and stability services anywhere in the world.
Our team of energy experts have over 20 years’ industry experience including land deals across a broad range of energy technologies. In this instance they undertook a comprehensive review of the existing contractual relationship between the two parties before advising the client on appropriate terms for allowing the physical changes on site to be implemented. As a result of the deal new employment will be brought to the region and there will be widespread delivery of cost savings to energy consumers under National Grid’s stability pathfinder programme. Working with the Council’s legal team, a Deed of Variation to the existing 99-year lease was agreed on much improved terms.
Darren said: “As traditional coal and gas plants are phased out from Britain’s energy system; the transmission network is becoming less stable. It is impossible to control when and how much electricity renewable technologies like wind and solar are generating, creating supply and frequency issues. As the Electricity System Operator, it is National Grid’s responsibility to keep the grid stable to ensure that they deliver safe and reliable electricity supplies into the distribution network. They are also preparing to operate at zero-carbon by 2025 so inertia schemes like Deeside, delivered under the Stability Pathfinder Programme, will become increasingly common and critical to the operation of the grid.”
To find solutions to challenges in the electricity system, which is carrying increasing amounts of energy generated from renewable and low carbon sources, the National Grid need to find new providers to help support the system. Their Pathfinder 3 programme is now underway and will see them market participants who want to host a non-synchronous development on their land. Services that help control the stability of the network support our transition to renewable energy, and ultimately a zero-carbon network.
Neal Cockerton, Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council said “When our tenant approached the Council proposing a new, innovative use of the site at Deeside, we knew we had to engage with a forward-thinking agent with a detailed understanding of the energy sector. Working with Darren and the team at Fisher German has ensured we have not only successfully concluded a deal but quite literally given a new lease of life for years to come to a key industrial site within our authority area.”
Find more information about the sustainable energy advice we can offer here.
