Recycling plant will tackle high energy costs

BAE Systems is installing the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant at Portsmouth Naval Base, which should save its operator, the Ministry of Defence up to £4million per year in energy costs.

“By developing this new facility, we will be able to recycle energy consumption on the naval base as well as deliver a significant cost saving,” said Chris Courtaux, head of engineering and energy services at BAE Systems.

“This underlines our commitment to support the MOD’s drive to create a more modern and energy-efficient naval base for the 21st century.”

Energy and electrical requirements at the naval base are set to increase when the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers arrive in their home port so the CHP is a novel solution.

A CHP system produces electricity and heat from a single fuel source and is able to retain excess heat which would have otherwise been wasted. To create this new facility a former boiler house will be converted and is due to be completed by the end of 2018.

The £12million contract for the CHP facility forms an amendment to the Maritime Services Delivery Framework (MSDF) contract, awarded to BAE Systems by the Ministry of Defence in 2014.

Under the MSDF contract, BAE Systems manages Portsmouth Naval Base on behalf of the Royal Navy, as well as supporting half of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet on UK and global operations.