Shoreham Port and MITIE have agreed to work in partnership over the next 10 years to see the port become a centre for low carbon energy and sustainability.
The Port Masterplan, completed last year, highlights the significant opportunities at Shoreham for developing renewable energy. The strategy that MITIE are working on will unlock the potential for energy savings as well as for future local power generation to benefit port users and the local community.
Shoreham Port is a big user of electricity needed to power lighting towers on the terminals, the lock gates and water pumps which are used to keep the water at a constant level. The aim is to meet the port’s own energy needs on site.
The Port Masterplan sets out the long term plans to grow the port and increase its importance as a major employment area in the region. A key part of the plan is to promote renewable energy as a major new business opportunity for Shoreham. It has been endorsed by the local authorities (West Sussex County, Adur District and Brighton & Hove City) and also commended by Department for Transport. It is a realistic and practical plan which brings greater certainty and confidence about the future of the port to port users, investors and community stakeholders.
The Port has considerable advantages due to its scale and location for developing renewable energy projects. As well as the potential for solar energy using the warehouse roofs there is also the possibility of wind turbines on the south side of the port along Basin Road South. This will be further investigated to see how practical this is. Also the opinion of the local community will be sought before any decisions are made. Other forms of energy generation might also be explored at a later date.
MITIE is a leading FTSE 250 support services company with more than 61,000 people, revenues of £1.9bn and a strong reputation in facilities management, engineering maintenance and lifecycle energy management. They have developed energy strategies for a range of clients including the Royal Free Hospital in London and Waitrose. They see Shoreham as offering the opportunity to work across a large geographical area with the benefit of economies of scale.
The agreement is that Shoreham Port will provide the space while MITIE will fund, develop and operate the energy infrastructure. Once completed Shoreham Port, port operators and other businesses based on the port will be able to benefit from locally generated energy and at lower cost. The projects have also the potential to expand beyond the immediate port area into Shoreham, Southwick and Portslade.
Energy service companies (ESCos) will be set up for each project and an energy centre will be established to control and monitor both the energy supply and its use. There will be the opportunity for local firms to bid for the work and it is hoped the projects will create training and job opportunities for local people.
Further information can be requested from www.MITIE.com
For more information please contact Peter Davies, Development Director at Shoreham Port on (01273) 598100.