Electrical engineering firm Smith Brothers has secured a hat-trick of senior appointments as the high voltage specialist prepares for the next wave of growth.

John Benson has joined the team as Head of EHV (Extra High Voltage) Projects. With more than 30 years’ industry experience and a number of high profile brands on his CV – including Siemens, Freedom and Anglian Water – he was the perfect candidate to oversee Smith Brothers’ contracts of 66kV and above. This newly-created role has been established in response to the increasing number of enquiries being received for high voltage primary works throughout the country.

Yorkshire-based high voltage power specialist Smith Brothers has added the energisation of two prominent solar farms to its fast-growing success story.

Having been assigned the design and build contract for Wreay Farm in Carlisle by renewables developer Anesco, the team of electrical engineering experts was also enlisted as the independent connections provider by solar giant Ethical Power for Netley Farm, near Southampton.

With work on the Wreay Farm energisation beginning in December last year, the engineers were tasked with laying cabling to connect the site to the DNO, as well as building two 33kV substations – one brick structure for Electricity North West Ltd, and one Glass Reinforced Plastic customer enclosure.

But what started as a straightforward connection project soon became more complex, as the team had to contend with landowner requests which led to new cabling routes. The original 1.8km dig for six cables to be laid grew to 2.6km, incurring a number of road closures, council negotiations and licensing difficulties.

Air Monitors (Tewkesbury) has announced the launch of three new ambient air quality monitoring instruments. “Highly innovative technology is employed within all three monitors,” says Managing Director Jim Mills. “For example, the Spectra-1 from PKL Technologies is a robust, portable open-path TDLAS monitor, capable of monitoring a wide range of target gases remotely. In addition, the Model 211 and the Model 405, both from 2B Technologies, employ USEPA Federal Equivalent Methods for the interference-free measurement of Ozone and NO2 respectively.”

Portable and lightweight, the Spectra-1 can be easily transported from site to site, or left in place as a continuous monitor. The tuneable laser can be set to measure a specific gas from a range of options including HF, CH4, NH3, CO2, CO, HCN, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, H2S and others. Consequently, this instrument is ideal for applications such as landfill, fracking, fenceline monitoring, fugitive emissions, greenhouse gas monitoring and other projects where environmental monitoring is required.

Nigel Grimsley, Managing Director of OTT Hydrometry is urging those responsible for flood prevention and management to take action this summer to ensure they are protected before the arrival of severe weather. “Saturated soil and blocked channels contribute to the severity of flooding, but in many cases it is the location and intensity of rainfall that contributes to the speed with which flooding occurs. Early warning of intense rainfall events or blocked channels is therefore essential. Recent advances in technology mean that it is now relatively simple and low cost to set up advanced warning systems so that appropriate measures can be taken quickly and effectively,” he says.

Last week the UK government released its long-awaited draft Air Quality plan to tackle air pollution.

Ben Kite, Managing Director of EPR, an ecological consultancy that works on behalf of developers and planners throughout the UK, has drawn attention to shortfalls in the ability of the paper to deliver a robust framework that meets both development and ecological needs.

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Today (2nd December) at the 40th BALI National Landscape Awards, BALI Registered Contractor Willerby Landscapes took the Grand Award for an unprecedented sixth time. This incredible achievement recognised the work carried out by the leading landscape contractor on the regeneration of King’s Cross, London.

Held annually at London’s Grosvenor House in Park Lane the BALI National Landscape Awards, in association with Horticulture Week and headline sponsor Green-tech, recognise excellence in landscape design, construction and maintenance, and Affiliate customer service, achieved by registered members of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI). 127 entries were received this year and a total of 102 awards made. This year’s Awards ceremony was hosted by writer, broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth, who was invited back this year to host BALI’s 40th celebratory Awards after his hugely popular hosting of the Awards in 2011. In his inimitable style he addressed the audience of a record-breaking c. 950 BALI members and guests during the luncheon and joined Awards sponsors on the stage to present the Principal and Special Awards to 22 BALI members. The presentation of the Grand Award to John Melmoe, Managing Director of Willerby Landscapes, was made by headline sponsor Green-tech’s Chairman, Richard Kay.