Enfield, Grain, and Taylor’s Lane sustainability improvements

Uniper’s three power stations located in Southeast England – Enfield, Grain, and Taylor’s Lane (EGTL) –  support security of supply, deliver reliable and efficient energy to the UK,  and  will contribute to the development of  a future Net Zero economy. In August, Uniper launched its new strategy, with an ambitious aim to generate more than 80 percent of its installed power capacity from carbon-free sources, by 2030.  In the UK, we have identified potential decarbonisation solutions for  EGTL assets including hydrogen fuel blending, and post combustion carbon capture for Grain, and the potential use of alternative fuels such as biofuels for Taylors Lane. In addition, we are continuing to work on many plant efficiency improvements which will lead to lower CO₂ emissions. For example, the Grain Heat Transfer Asset (HTA) enables utilising Grain Power Station in CHP (Combined Heat and Power) mode. 

This saved 588 GWh of heat energy in 2022, equivalent to the yearly energy required to heat 240,000 homes using natural gas or 500,000 tonnes of CO₂. Operating in this mode increased the power plant’s efficiency from 58% to 73% during 2022. Playing our part in protecting the planet is important to Uniper and in our strategy we have also set out our vision to be carbon-neutral (Scope 1-3) across the entire portfolio by 2040, ten years earlier than originally intended.  Our people are  at the heart of what we do, and health, safety and wellbeing are paramount for us. Our policies and frameworks not only provide guidance to help minimise the risks to our people, but also encourage a “true learning” culture where we openly share and learn from our successes and mistakes. 

In 2022, the EGTL team attended 177 training days, not only ensuring the competence they need in their roles is maintained, but also helping people continue their professional development. However, it is not just about classroom training alone – with the 70/20/10 learning module approach, we are also committed to on-the-job training. This approach enables the team to grow and advance their operational knowledge and is especially beneficial for the apprentices on site. We’re proud that our approach has led to 59 internal promotions during 2021 and 2022.

Being part of the local communities around our sites is also important to us and we work with schools and universities nearby, to encourage and support the development of young people in the community. The team at EGTL has attended a number of local careers fairs, school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) events, and hosted students on site for work placements. During 2022, EGTL also made a small difference by supporting the communities in Medway and Enfield with donations to the local foodbanks. Grain Power Station for example, donated 39.1kg of food to the Medway foodbank.

Finally, as you would expect, responsible governance is critical to us; it guides our decision-making and helps ensure that we achieve success responsibly, compliantly, and sustainably. Our Generation Management Instruction framework (GMI) and our Legal compliance has never been better for Enfield, Grain, and Taylors Lane, running at 98% compliance throughout 2022. And we never operate in isolation; working with key stakeholders such as Natural England to understand our biodiversity impact is also an important part of what we do. For example, a biodiversity plan for Grain is being produced, and we are consulting with biodiversity experts to ensure any current and future activities, projects, and plans, continue to pay due regard for our habitats, species, and the local flora and fauna.