Documents explain that Nottingham City Council owns and operates the largest district heating network in the UK, delivering heat and power to over 5,000 domestic and commercial customers across the city.
The London Road Heat Station is over 50 years old and continual maintenance and servicing is required to ensure the network operates at optimum availability.
At present there is a need for a full-time scaffolding contractor to have staff on site 5 days per week to construct scaffolding to enable general maintenance duties at the site to be delivered.
It is recommended that a tender exercise is completed for a new contract for an initial three year period with an optional extension for another one plus one years, with a maximum contract length being five years.
Due to the age of the plant, there is a requirement for scaffolding to be erected on a day-to-day basis to ensure the safe maintenance of high-level assets at the plant. Due to the nature of the plant, there is high pressure steam, high voltage electricity areas to be worked on. This requires specialist scaffolding contractors with the relevant certification and skills to deliver this work.
There is now a requirement to procure this specialist contractor which is critical to the current maintenance regime to ensure there is not a major failure occur on the plant or system.
Permanent resource availability enables immediate response to emergency repairs so that downtime is minimised and heat and power supply can be restored in the shortest possible timeframe.
Failure to have this service in place will lead to delays in getting the turbine running after downtime, delays in getting the heat supply back to customers properties and could lead to the network having to be shut down. If the network is shut down, this will mean a loss of income to NCC Enviroenergy.
The council’s recommendation is to approve spend of approximately £700,000 against this contract for the full duration including any extension which will on a 3 years plus 1 year, plus 1 year basis, giving a total contract length of 5 years.
• Former Nottinghamshire school ‘should be demolished’
• 22-storey Nottingham tower block plans reduced after height concerns
