UK Retailer Strikes Deal with Major Exhibition Site

UK dominant energy retailer Centrica has struck an agreement with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham to supply it with gas-fired generators, it said August 20.

Centrica Business Solutions will design, install, operate and maintain three gas generators, including an 850-kW combined heat and power unit.

The plant will pay for itself through energy savings – the NEC now receives its power from the national grid – and also be available for demand-side response bids on the capacity market. Centrica will be paid for being available to supply power to the electricity supply operator National Grid when the NEC itself does not need it. The NEC will also be more resilient thanks to the additional energy supply.

The partnership with Centrica Business Solutions "will deliver significant energy savings to the NEC. Sustainability is still a primary business focus for the NEC Group and this project will significantly enhance our sustainable working and environmental impact," said NEC.

Centrica said its research found that over a third of businesses rank energy security and resilience as an organisational risk. It said it also helps "customers transition to a sustainable future without needing to find significant capital.” The construction and commissioning of the NEC project is expected to take around 12 months.