Bridging the power gap for a large science park expansion plan

Our customer, a science park in the UK, reached out to us to power the expansion of a 54-acre site consisting of 84 buildings, with over 500,000 square feet of laboratories and offices. The site had a 5.1MW main power supply, but expansion plans meant this would soon become insufficient. 

Specifically, the building of a new pharmaceutical factory at the park would require the power supply to be increased by a further 3MW. This increased demand would put too much strain on the site’s energy infrastructure and the grid, likely resulting in an interrupted power supply. Such disruption would be unacceptable to the park’s tenants.

Consequently, a temporary bridging gap solution was required to power the new factory while a more permanent option could be developed. The park’s stakeholders were keen to opt for a gas generator solution, due to its ease of availability, environmental factors, and the fact that this would be a long-term installation.

The owners required a supplier that could provide a reliable solution and effective aftercare for a project of this scope and size. Drawn to Aggreko’s excellent reputation and experience supporting similar gas projects, we were contacted to provide a potential solution.

We supplied an 11 kV solution for the site’s supply base load application, allowing for 3.1 MVA base load, pending a planned load study. This project involved a full turnkey solution, supporting from inception through to decommissioning.

Following detailed site inspections, the park’s electrical network was slightly smaller than anticipated. As a result, instead of just one power island package, we provided two separate gas solutions, including single 1120 kW and 310 kW engines.

We successfully supplied the site with a consistent power solution that could be stepped up to cater for the new factory’s gradually increasing power demand. Alongside mitigating any energy shortfall, a key feature of this project was our ability to respond quickly to aid any on-site issue promptly and effectively.

Consequently, the performance of both packages has matched the customer’s expectations throughout, matching the eventual demand for 3 MW. Because of this, the Science Park was able to generate electricity on-site at a cheaper rate than they can buy from the grid, resulting in further efficiency gains.

The customer has complete confidence in Aggreko’s ability to provide and maintain gas power packages. As a result, the company continues to utilise Aggreko to provide temporary generators, while it also reviews existing, permanent power arrangements and infrastructure.