Climate Change Adaptation Plans – Multi Site Operator

Redmore Environmental was recently commissioned to complete a number of Climate Change Adaptation Plans for gas fired peaking power plants throughout the UK. These were produced to address conditions included in the Environmental Permits for the sites.
What are Peaking Power Plants?
Peaking power plants, also known as short term operating reserves (STORs), are power plants that grid operators call on at times of high electricity demand on the National Grid. They typically operate only when there is a spike in electricity consumption that exceeds the capacity of base-load power plants, which run continuously to meet the regular, consistent demand for electricity.
As the UK looks to decarbonise its energy mixture, relying more on renewables, peaking power plants have become essential, providing electricity when weather conditions are not favourable and demand is high.
What is a Climate Change Adaptation Plan?
There are hundreds of peaking power plants throughout the UK and all of them have an Environmental Permit which authorises the activity. The anticipated lifespan of a plant is 60,000 hours of operation. As such, many will experience a certain degree of climate change over their lifetime, which may impact on operation. In order to uphold their permit, the Environment Agency has requested that many peaking power plants have a climate change risk assessment and adaptation plan completed to support ongoing management – shortened to ‘Climate Change Adaptation Plan’.
A Climate Change Adaptation Plan seeks to achieve the following five main goals:
- Identify potential site-based impacts and vulnerability to climate effects.
- Risk assess identified potential impacts.
- Employ appropriate methods, including monitoring and contingencies, to control and minimise potential impacts associated with climate change.
- Prevent unacceptable impacts on site and at nearby sensitive receptors at all times.
- Reduce the risk of impacts or accidents by anticipating and planning accordingly.
Redmore Environmental has completed over 50 Climate Change Adaptation Plans throughout the UK. These have included peaking power plants of varying total generation capacities, located in a mixture of habitats and ecosystems. For instance, some Climate Change Adaptation Plans have particularly focused on risks associated with flooding, due to nearby watercourses, whilst others have emphasised risks associated with fire, due to nearby crops or forests. For every site, the unique potential environmental impact of changes associated with climate change have been considered and appropriate control measures identified to mitigate identified risks.
Climate Change Adaptation Plans Example – Runcorn
An example site where Redmore Environmental completed a Climate Change Adaptation Plan was a peaking power plant in Runcorn. The Runcorn Power Generation Plant is located at Astmoor Industrial Estate, and comprises two-gas fired generators which are operated under an Environmental Permit. These generators provide electricity for up to 3,000 hours per year.
Various sector-based or site-specific climate change risks, including extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves, storms and droughts, were identified that could impact the site. The associated impacts included potential flooding and storm damage.
Nearby sensitive receptors which could be impacted by changing weather patterns at the site were identified. These included residential, commercial and ecological sites. These sensitive receptors, along with the identified impacts, were considered in a risk assessment. The magnitude and likelihood of identified impacts were assessed along with control measures to mitigate identified risks.
The final stage of the assessment emphasized the importance of regularly reviewing and updating the Climate Change Adaptation Plan to adapt to evolving climate conditions and ensure ongoing compliance with environmental standards.
How Can We Help?
If you have a site that needs a Climate Change Adaptation Plan, then get in touch today to discuss how we can assist.
Contact Us
Please use the contact form below to get in touch and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can
