Day: October 16, 2018

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BS EN ISO 6185-3:2018 Inflatable boats Boats with a hull length less than 8 m with a motor rating of 15 kW and greater

Inflatable devices
Water transport engineering
Components
Adhesion tests
Safety measures
Buoyancy
Tear tests
Marine safety
Shipbuilding
Rated power
Inflatable boats
Performance testing
Strength of materials
Chemical-resistance tests
Safety devices
Design
Water transport engineering components
Stability
Boats
Temperature
Low-temperature testing
Load measurement
Working range
Ratings

Link: BS EN ISO 6185-3:2018 Inflatable boats Boats with a hull length less than 8 m with a motor rating of 15 kW and greater
Source: BSI Standards

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Press release: Green initiatives from Britain’s abandoned coal mines

The Coal Authority outlined how this legacy is now playing its part in the drive for green energy, clean growth and sustainability.

A number of initiatives are now helping to save costs, generate income and support sustainable energy as part of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy.

Lisa Pinney MBE, Chief Executive, Coal Authority, said:

We’re delighted to support Green GB Week and committed to working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to promote the government’s Clean Growth Strategy and Heat Networks Investment Project.

We’re committed to changing our mind set from one focused on dealing with the problems of Britain’s mining legacy to one that focuses on the opportunities of our mining heritage.

To fully realise these opportunities we’re thinking differently, working with others and being bold in our approach.

Low carbon energy and water supply resilience

Work is already underway to make the most of these opportunities for the nation. In a surprising role reversal, abandoned coal mines are now being considered as a potential new low carbon heat source.

Exciting developments such as ground based solar installations and power efficiencies on former
colliery sites are also saving the Coal Authority £0.7 million this year alone.

Water from mine water treatment schemes, and water stored in abandoned mines, could play an important role in balancing water supplies for consumption or the environment in future: mines themselves could play a role in storing water during flood conditions.

Innovations in mine water treatment

New uses for by-products from coal mine water treatment are also among the ‘green’ innovations developed by the Coal Authority.

Ochre used to be classed as waste but has been developed as a pigment for the fine arts market. It can also be used to remediate contaminated land.

Iron removed from mine water during the treatment process is also being used to remove phosphorus as part of the sewage treatment process. This helps to improve water quality and support river ecology.

Claire Perry, Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, said:

The UK has led the world in cutting emissions whilst growing our economy – with clean growth driving incredible innovation and creating hundreds of thousands of high quality jobs.

Ten years on from the Climate Change Act, the first ever Green GB week is a time to build on our successes and explain the huge opportunities for business and young people of a cleaner economy.

I’m delighted to see how many more businesses and organisations such as the Coal Authority are seizing this multi-billion pound opportunity to energize their communities to tackle the very serious threat of climate change.

Discover more

Coal mines may no longer be the feature of Britain’s landscape that they once were, but their legacy is now revealing new opportunities for our generation to explore.

The Coal Authority will publish its latest Sustainability Report soon, which highlights its sustainability performance in 2017-18, during which time it:

  • recycled over 3,700 tonnes of reedbed waste, reducing the environment impacts associated with landfill
  • increased its portfolio of solar arrays, taking its renewable generating capacity to 712 kW
  • reduced its carbon footprint, as part of its efficiencies programme
  • won a prestigious edie Sustainability Leaders Award 2018, for its work in finding new ways to reuse waste products, and was shortlisted for Sustainable Business of the year

Find out more about the Coal Authority

Link: Press release: Green initiatives from Britain’s abandoned coal mines
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: City slickers rub shoulders with public sector as thousands of civil servants leave Whitehall

  • Over 6,000 civil servants to move into Canary Wharf as part of an effort to save money and reduce Whitehall office buildings.
  • Public-sector staff from eight departments are now operating from UK financial district including HMRC, OfGem and MoJ.

The UK Government officially opened its Canary Wharf Hub today as part of its long-term Civil Service transformation to reduce fragmented government office buildings from 800 to 200, by 2030.

Moving departments into the new Canary Wharf hub will result in £24 million of savings per year. Furthermore, the average cost per sq/m in the Canary Wharf building is £700, compared to £950 for Whitehall buildings.

The Government Property Agency is expected to deliver £3.6 billion worth of savings over 20 years. Of which, £2.5 billion will be delivered by the Hubs Programme. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the largest occupier of the Government Hub, with 2,000 of its people benefiting from the flexible, collaborative work environment.

Oliver Dowden, Minister for Implementation, said:

It’s great to see public and private sector staff rubbing shoulders here in Canary Wharf. This hub is one of 14 across the country already announced which will use cutting-edge design and innovative technology to deliver smarter public services that reduce vacant space across the government estate.

The government has saved £300m per year in running costs, through the disposal of over a thousand properties since 2014. By the end of this Parliament, we will have established a network of around 20 multi-agency government hubs across the UK that utilise efficient smarter working practices and are accessible to the communities they serve.

The Canary Wharf building had previously been used by Barclays PLC and was selected as a Government Hub due to its excellent transport links, which will be further enhanced by the opening of Crossrail in the future.

Steven Boyd, HMRC’s Estates Director, said:

I am pleased that HMRC is delivering Phase 1 of the Government Hubs Programme, including being commissioned to deliver the Canary Wharf Hub with Government Property Agency. More than 2,000 of our London-based people are already benefitting from the facilities the hub has to offer; including modern, flexible workspaces with great IT and excellent transport links. Bringing our teams from across London together in Canary Wharf is already showing the benefits of collaboration and modern ways of working.

Through smarter property management, and the uptake of modern, more efficient working practices, vacant space has been reduced across the government estate by 73% since 2014.

This forms part of the Government Estate Strategy, published earlier this year, which seeks to provide a government estate that works for everyone. It aims to drive growth and opportunity by moving government jobs to centres of excellence in areas across the UK with particular strengths and skills, to house the Civil Service in modern, flexible workspaces. This will open up the workplace to a more diverse Civil Service that better reflects the people it serves and the places where they live.

Note to editors

  • For more information please contact the Cabinet Office Press Office on: 0207 276 7545.
  • The hubs programme is part of the government’s broader SmarterGov campaign, launched to drive innovation, savings and public service improvement across government and wider public sector.

Link: Press release: City slickers rub shoulders with public sector as thousands of civil servants leave Whitehall
Source: Gov Press Releases