Council sign deal for country's biggest roll-out of energy-saving technology (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

Council sign deal for country's biggest roll-out of energy-saving technology

12:59pm Monday 30th November 2009

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Surrey County Council has signed a groundbreaking deal for the biggest roll-out of revolutionary energy-saving technology in the country.

The landmark deal, cemented this week, will transform the county's street lighting system.

Over-all, the agreement is expected to save tax-payers at least £12 million.

The deal will see private sector consortium Skanska Laing installing bright white lights to replace the current inefficient orange glow street lamps. Individual lighting columns will be remotely controlled from a new control centre in Merrow, near Guildford. In the first five years of the contract, all of the county’s 89,000 lights will be upgraded.

A county council spokeswoman said 70,000 lights would be replaced and 19,000 refurbished.

She said this would lead to savings of around 60,000 tons of carbon and 150 million kilowatt hours over the 25-year contract.

Work on the project is scheduled to start next March, and the new street lights will be in action in some parts of the county soon afterwards.

The project will be run by Skanska Laing, a consortium of Skanska Infrastructure Development UK, and John Laing Investments.

They will operate together as Surrey Lighting Services until the deal expires in 2035.

A substantial part of the cost of the project will be funded by a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) grant from central government worth £73.9 million, while the daily running of the system will be covered by the council’s existing street lighting budget.

Key features of the package include the bright white lights being more effective than the existing orange ones, better for the environment, and, under the new system, the lighting being able to be increased where most needed, and reduced where it is not.

Lights would also be repaired more quickly and efficiently with new remote monitoring technology.

Broken and faulty lights would be automatically reported via the system, helping people feel safer at night on Surrey’s streets, and also possibly reducing night-time traffic accidents.

Andrew Povey, leader of Surrey County Council, said: “All this will cost less to run than if we were to maintain the county’s current ageing orange lights.

“In addition, reduced light pollution and reduced energy consumption make this a better deal for the environment.”

He said: “I am committed to raising standards and working to achieve a new world-class level in the services that we provide. “I believe this deal signals that we are on our way to being the best that we can be.”

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has already backed the plans.

Details will be available by January on the council's website: www.surreycc.gov.uk.

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