Sphere No.48 (Jan 2020)

Sphere #48 2020 09 >> She got to meet with Paul Smiles, the area manager for central London, and the engineers installing a new substation that supplies the iconic lights of Piccadilly Circus. He leads teams that conduct maintenance, install infrastructure and monitor performance all through the night. “Our night teams focus on finding the exact locations of cable faults beneath the pavements of London, getting customers’ power restored quickly and safely, repairing any damage to our equipment, and inspecting work on underground cabling – which across London as a whole totals 30,000 km and 17,000 substations. We also carry out checks ahead of major public events to ensure the lights remain on.” London is growing quickly, and maintaining UK Power Networks’ ability to provide the most reliable and lowest-cost electricity in the UK is a challenge. The company is investing £1.5 billion from 2015 to 2023 in London’s electricity network, including nine new substations. The city – more specifically, the Night Czar – has taken note. She says, “The UK Power Networks’ engineers are among the many hard-working people who keep London thriving at night. It was a privilege to see the infrastructure that keeps the capital’s heart beating and meet the staff who help make London a truly 24-hour city.” City of London and the major entertainment districts of Covent Garden and ‘Theatreland’ that sit at the heart of London’s globally renowned West End. It is a legendary centre of theatres, transport and shopping, and is the crown jewel among London districts. The City’s broader night-time economy is worth over £26 billion and employs over 700,000 workers. It is so important to the city that the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has appointed a special Night Czar, Amy Lamé. A famous author, BBC Radio personality, entertainment entrepreneur and a former ceremonial Mayoress herself (Camden, 2010/2011), she was appointed in 2016 to, in her words, “... make sure that the capital works for everyone at night – whether you’re working, running errands or enjoying your spare time. London’s economy doesn’t just stop at 6pm. The night-time economy plays a huge role in the capital’s success – employing a third of the capital’s workforce and contributing billions to the economy. In fact, the economy is growing faster at night than in the day.” While the glitz and glamour of live theatre and fancy restaurants are easy to see, she has time and respect for those making sure the electrons arrive so that electricity can make those businesses prosper. She visited some of the 100 staff from UK Power Networks who work after midnight – on their time: night-time. Midnight flow On the other side of the world, another 24/7/365 business is run by Dampier Bunbury Pipeline (DBP), part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group which is a member company of CK Infrastructure Holdings. It sends gas 1,600 km down the west coast of Australia from the northern extremities at Dampier, through Perth and down to Bunbury in the south. From Australians using gas to cook at home and electricity producers serving millions to industrial users in mines and factories, DBP has to consistently alter the flow of gas through the pipe to maintain consistent pressure and flow even as demand rises and falls at myriad points along its length. Energy producers are big customers with peaks and ebbs impacting the flow of gas needed. Policy in Australia has led to the widespread implementation of renewable energy and particularly the use of solar energy. While many residential homes generate their own electricity during the day, they take more off the grid when the sun goes down. DBP supplies the power generators that have to step up the electron flow to homes at dusk. It often has peak loads into the evening as solar power tapers off. The use of wind power is also in the mix but has variable output as and when the breeze blows, further complicating matters.