About this Solution

In the midst of one of the coldest UK winters on record, local temperatures in Ayrshire went down to nearly -20°C,  we were managing clearance of two meter snow drifts when suddenly informed by our multinational client, that Transco had instructed a “statutory isolation” of their 3 MW natural gas heating supply within 4 hours. The UK was apparently at risk of running out of natural gas. The isolation might be in place for days, or weeks; the clients gas supply only recently been moved from “firm” to “interruptible”, they hadn’t yet developed their contingency plan. We needed to create their plan, dynamically, professionally, safely and compliantly, but urgently.

•  We quickly increased the temperature of all affected buildings, warming them before they would start to cool.
• Then feasibility risk assessments for everything required, from fire safety, oil storage, to methods of operation.
• We located fifteen safe locations for temporary heating plant & oil storage, with duct openings to the buildings.
• Each within temporary fencing, with power supplies, lighting, and space temperature sensing of each building.
• The buildings would be heated by safe, clean, controlled, indirect fired, filtered, warm air, for as long as necessary.

We had planned, risk assessed, communicated, documented and arranged the installation of all fifteen temporary heating plant zones within 24 hours, while asking for all doors be kept closed unless absolutely necessary; the buildings were still warm. All we then needed was thousands of litres of heating oil, for as long as might be required, at a time when the motorway network was struggling to cope with temperatures low enough to freeze road salt, and while almost every other business in the country was attempting to purchase emergency heating oil. We had reacted quickly, almost first in the queue with our fuel supply partner, emergency heating plant supplier, even using our contingency oil supplies for power generation, and of course web searches. As the roads froze, we focused, securing all of the required heating oil, from all over the UK. We had dynamically designed, managed and delivered our clients contingency plan, overseen by our own trusted technicians, on a new 24 hour shift rota, to check and record each location building temperature, fuel levels, barriers, lighting, safety, oil deliveries & spill hazards, security, hours run & fire watch. Within 48 hours of the Transco instruction, our clients buildings were back to operating temperature, they hadn’t dropped below 12ºC, mitigating internal freezing, and they were back in production. Their campus roads and carparks clearer and safer than the public roads.

Within three weeks the emergency was over, the buildings returned to normal. We had procured and delivered around £250k in emergency heating oil, with £200k in equipment costs. Nearly £500k in emergency costs for temporary heating is considerable for any business, however we were reassured that our efforts had mitigated the client from the potential loss of £millions, in lost labour, failed deliveries, and of course incalculable frost damage. Our clients return on investment was significant, and they were immensely grateful. We were relieved.