EBI News for December 15, 2021- U.S. Energy Storage Installation Record
EBI News for December 15, 2021- The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, U.S. energy storage sets installation record, acquisitions, and more!
AECOM to develop first phase of UK carbon capture project
AECOM (Dallas) announced it is leading the effort to obtain consents and permits for the Humber Zero project, which will contribute to the decarbonization of critical industry in the North of England. Humber Zero will integrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology into units at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery and VPI Immingham combined heat and power plant. The Humber region represents 40% of the UK’s industrial emissions and is home to more than 25% of the UK’s refining capacity. By 2030, the project is expected to capture up to eight million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually at source before it is transported via pipeline to permanent storage sites under the North Sea. Carbon capture will integrate specialist technology into the existing processing units and plants, including absorption techniques to capture and recover CO2. AECOM, supported by planning consultants DWD (London, UK), will oversee Humber Zero through the permitting phase, preparing planning and permit applications and supporting the environmental impact assessment; work will also include a detailed review of the impact Humber Zero may have on the local environment and community.
U.S. energy storage sets installation record in Q3 2021
The U.S. energy storage market set a new record in the third quarter of 2021 with new system installations totaling 3,515 megawatt hours (MWh), according to the U.S. Energy Storage Monitor published by Wood Mackenzie in conjunction with the U.S. Energy Storage Assn. (ESA). With market momentum building, Wood Mackenzie predicts it is likely this storage market record will be broken in the fourth quarter. “The Storage Decade has arrived,” said Jason Burwen, ESA’s interim chief executive. “After achieving one gigawatt of annual installations for the first time last year, U.S. energy storage companies just installed one gigawatt of projects in one quarter.” Vanessa Witte, storage analyst at Wood Mackenzie, noted: “Wood Mackenzie expects up to 4.7 GW of utility-scale storage to come into operation in 2021, which means this record-breaking quarter is only the beginning of a wave of major new projects set to come online this year and next.”
Saipem and Novozymes to collaborate on more sustainable CO2 capture
Saipem (San Donato Milanese, Italy) and Novozymes (Bagsværd, Denmark) are joining forces on enzymatic carbon capture. Saipem, which owns an enzyme-based CO2 capture technology, will provide process, mechanical and equipment design. Novozymes will provide enzymes while optimizing the process through enzymes innovation. According to Saipem, enzymatic carbon capture is more sustainable environmentally and more cost-effective compared to traditional CO2 capture processes; it is also more reliable because the carbonates and enzymes, being low corrosion materials, minimize the deterioration of equipment.
EA strengthens presence in Intermountain region
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc. PBC (Hunt Valley, Md.) announced the opening of its Montana office. Located in Helena, the new office will strengthen EA’s partnerships with clients in the Intermountain region. “Establishing this office is a logical step in our business strategy, made possible through several tactical hires and significant contract wins,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Battle. “EA will continue to focus on supporting the region as it addresses legacy contamination, such as that from hard rock mining; works to protect air and water quality for wildlife and future generations; and expands its use of renewable energy in response to climate change.”
Arcadis selected by USACE for environmental remediation
Arcadis (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) announced it is among 12 firms selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Huntsville Center, Alabama, for a $1.136 billion shared-capacity contract for chemical, environmental and munitions remediation at defense sites and other federal sites around the world. The contract has an initial performance period of five years, plus one three-year option period and one two-year option period. Environmental response missions will relate to munitions and explosives and hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste. Arcadis said it would use digital geophysics and real-time data collection tools to locate, identify and manage munitions, in addition to employing robotic technologies. Information will be fed into a digital dashboard allowing USACE to track program progress.
Camarillo doubles potable water supply as desalter plant comes online
The City of Camarillo, Calif. announced the start-up and commissioning of its North Pleasant Valley (NPV) Groundwater Desalter Plant. Designed by Brown and Caldwell (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and constructed by W.M. Lyles Co. (Fresno, Calif.), the $66.3 million desalter project serves around 43,000 people. Groundwater quality in Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basin in Ventura County has declined over many years due primarily to the infiltration of poor-quality surface water. Imported water made up 60% of Camarillo’s water supply, with local groundwater accounting for 40%. The new desalter plant doubles water supply production from local groundwater sources, reducing dependence on imported water and saving customers an estimated $43 million over the next 20 years. The desalter plant uses greensand filtration and reverse osmosis technologies.
International Compost Alliance launches on World Soil Day
Compost organizations from around the world have established the International Compost Alliance. By pooling expertise, the Alliance seeks to maximize the recycling of organic wastes and advance the manufacturing of certified, high quality compost. Founding members include: The United States Composting Council; Assn. for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology in the UK; and the Australian Organics Recycling Assn., in addition to organizations from Canada, Europe, Ireland and New Zealand. “We hope the International Compost Alliance helps usher in a new era of global collaboration on this issue to ensure that compost, and its role in soil health and food security, is central to the efforts in tackling climate change,” the Alliance stated.
Tetra Tech wins $300M FEMA flood risk management contract
Tetra Tech Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the company, as part of the Advancing Resilience in Communities (ARC) joint venture, an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $300 million for up to five years. The ARC joint venture will provide technical support services to assess and manage flood risks in the northeastern United States. Tetra Tech’s engineers and GIS specialists will use advanced analytics and predictive modeling to assess risks from flooding, including coastal storm surges. The ARC joint venture includes team members from Michael Baker International, Wood, Moffatt & Nichol, Freese and Nichols, and NV5 Geospatial.
Stanley Consultants chosen by NV Energy for Dry Lake Solar project
NV Energy (Las Vegas, Nev.) has selected Stanley Consultants (Muscatine, Iowa) to perform owner’s engineering for the Dry Lake Solar photovoltaic facility—one of NV Energy’s three recently approved large solar projects. Located 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Dry Lake Solar includes a battery storage system capable of storing 400 MWh and delivering 100 MW for a four-hour period. The solar and battery project will be executed as two separate engineer-procure-construct (EPC) contracts. Stanley Consultants will assist in reviewing environmental permitting and photovoltaic and battery storage design, as well as monitoring the project during construction, commissioning and performance testing. Partnering with Stanley are ArcVera Renewables and BEC Environmental.
Gradiant secures five DBOOM projects in Asia
Gradiant (Singapore), a global cleantech water treatment solutions provider and project developer, announced the award of five design-build-own-operate-maintain (DBOOM) water treatment projects in Indonesia and Vietnam. Gradiant will provide end-to-end water and wastewater treatment using a proprietary suite of technologies for industrial and municipal clients. Since its inception in early 2020, Gradiant’s Vietnam team has achieved substantial headway in the region with a growing pipeline of projects contracted or in late-stage negotiations, according to the company, noting its technologies are “an apt fit for the value-driven Vietnamese market.” Gradiant recently announced a major funding round to accelerate growth.
Riviera Beach chooses Haskell-CDM Smith for new water plant
The city of Riviera Beach, Fla. has selected a joint venture between Haskell (Jacksonville, Fla.) and CDM Smith (Houston) to design and construct a $100-150 million state-of-the-art water treatment facility. The new facility will replace Riviera Beach’s 63-year-old plant and is expected to take 36 months to design and construct. The joint venture will work with local partner, Brown Electrical Solutions, and has pledged to break the project into smaller bid packages to allow wide distribution among local subcontractors, along with a community outreach plan that includes mentor-protégé programs.
New NOAA tool pinpoints natural disaster risk down to county level
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has released a mapping tool that provides county-level information on natural disaster hazards across the United States. This new feature provides significant enhancements to the state-level data on NOAA’s Billion-Dollar Disasters website. Developed by NCEI with data from NOAA, FEMA and academic institutions, the interactive NOAA mapping tool provides detailed information on a location’s susceptibility to weather and climate hazards that can lead to billion-dollar disasters—such as wildfires, floods, drought and heat waves, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Universal Engineering Sciences strengthens Midwestern footprint
Universal Engineering Sciences (Orlando, Fla.), a firm specializing in geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, compliance and inspections, and environmental consulting, has acquired GSI Engineering, an environmental, geotechnical, drilling and materials testing firm based in Wichita, Kansas, with additional offices in Topeka and Kansas City and Grand Island, Neb. GSI’s 70-person team operates throughout Kansas and Nebraska as well as Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Recent projects include redevelopment and remediation of Crete Carriers property, and design, construction, and consolidation of smelter waste at an orphan site for the State of Kansas. GSI joins the Midwest Division of UES; the existing GSI leadership team remains in their roles.
Trinity acquires DiSorbo Consulting
Trinity Consultants (Dallas) has recently acquired DiSorbo Consulting LLC, an environmental consultancy located in Houston and Austin, Texas, strengthening Trinity’s leadership in air quality consulting. Founded in 2013, DiSorbo provides multi-media environmental support to facilities in the chemical, refining, and terminals sectors. DiSorbo’s staff of over 30 consultants is largely focused on providing air quality support to complex industrial facilities throughout the Texas Gulf region. The DiSorbo leadership team will remain in place, and the teams will merge offices both in Houston and Austin.
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