ESB Carrington Power Station

Said to be one of the most efficient thermal plants in the UK at 58% efficiency, it is located on the site of a former coal-fired power station and generates four times more electricity than the previous coal plant. Carrington is the first new large-scale high efficiency gas plant to come onto the British electricity grid since 2013. Able to power more than one million homes and businesses in the Greater Manchester area, the Carrington plant allows the flexibility to switch to renewables such as wind and solar at any given time, supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. 

A 10-week turnaround was planned from June - August 2020 to allow essential maintenance work to be carried out. During this period, sub-contractors came to site to repair and maintain equipment within the power station to ensure it continues to run as efficiently as possible. 

The Challenge

During the turnaround period, ESB needed support to provide specialist equipment and temporary accommodation for the sub-contractors visiting site and carrying out maintenance activities. This was even more of a challenge as the turnaround took place during the COVID-19 pandemic so extra precautions needed to be made. Companies were invited to tender for the equipment supply and ESB selected the winners based on factors such as quality, track record, safety, price and effective communications. 

The Solution

ESB was happy with the wide range of products and services that Sunbelt Rentals could offer for hire, as well as our experience of providing equipment and expertise for industrial turnarounds. We provided a total of 112 accommodation units to provide welfare facilities for the sub-contractors visiting site during the 10-week shutdown, as well as 30 chemical stations. All electric and plumbing work was carried out by Sunbelt Rentals, so we could provide a full turnkey solution. 

We also provided three Eco Tower Lights to provide extra illumination in the temporary accommodation area at night. As the Tower Lights are environmentally advanced, they offered inherent benefits such as lower fuel consumption and reduced noise pollution.  

To support ESB’s comprehensive precautionary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, we also provided a Temperature Thermal Image Camera System. This allowed every visitor on-site to be scanned to detect if they had a temperature. Scanning was carried out instantly on entry to the site, so there was no disruption to workflows. ESB also purchased a total of five extinguisher trolleys from Sunbelt Rentals. 

The Results

We were able to provide ESB with a temporary accommodation complex, chemical stations and lighting to provide facilities for all visitors to site and to allow the turnaround to be completed as efficiently as possible. Our Temperature Thermal Image Camera System allowed quick and easy temperature checks to be carried out on all visitors.