Northern Powergrid switch to eco-paint will save months in downtime
19 Aug 2020
Northern Powergrid has become the UK’s first distribution network operator (DNO) to adopt a new eco-paint as standard.
The power network operator for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, says the paint formula will reduce the amount of material needed to protect a power asset by a third.
DNOs traditionally use alkyd paints on transformers and pylons. Traditional solvent-based paints can emit more than half the liquid-weight as gases, known as volatile organic compounds (VOC), into the atmosphere during the drying process.
However, the new Greenovoc paint, supplied by Rosh Engineering, is water based and, it is claimed could save more than 5.5 million tonnes of VOCs from being emitted into local air if used across the UK electricity industry.
Northern Powergrid expects the eco-paint to reduce asset downtime by 166 days a year This would also increases network resilience by minimising the risk of power outages, enabling better value for money for customers. The paint is supplied by North East firm.
“Enabling the switch to renewable energy and decarbonising transport are two significant ways we are going green, but this project demonstrates our commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions in every way possible,” said Geoff Earl, Northern Powergrid’s director of safety, health and environment.
The DNO uses 1,000s of gallons of paint each year to protect 1,200 transformers across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. It carried out trials with Rosh Engineering over 20 months from June 2018. The first applications were made on two large power transformers in Darlington Grid and Killingworth Substations.
