Northern Powergrid goes green with new eco-paint to improve air quality

The power network operator for the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Northern Powergrid, has become the first in the UK to adopt an innovative new eco-paint as standard.

The announcement is the latest in the company’s commitment to deliver cost savings, increase reliability and improve local air quality for its 8 million customers.

The paint provides a vital protective coating to electricity network assets and cuts the amount of material needed to protect a power asset by a third.

Distribution network operators (DNOs) traditionally use alkyd paints on transformers and pylons.

These solvent-based paints can emit more than half the liquid-weight as gases into the atmosphere.

The new paint is water based and, if rolled out across the UK electricity industry, could save more than 5.5 million tonnes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being emitted into local air.

Northern Powergrid will deploy the new paint network-wide as part of its maintenance programme.

The eco-paint is supplied by North East firm, Rosh Engineering.

Geoff Earl, director of safety, health and environment at Northern Powergrid, said: “We’re committed to delivering cost-savings and driving sustainability across every element of our business.

“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.

“This paint is a stroke of genius. It is a prime example of out-of-the-box thinking having a real and measurable positive impact on our local environmental footprint.”

Northern Powergrid uses thousands of gallons of paint each year to protect 1200 transformers across its network.

The roll-out of Rosh Engineering’s Greenovoc paint replaces the need for toxic white-spirit paints and is a major boost to the DNO’s sustainability agenda.

Ian Dormer, managing director of Rosh Engineering, said: “We are always trying to improve the service we provide our customers.

“No other protective coating has delivered the results that the Greenovoc paint has, while also being so environmentally friendly.

“We are now planning a new mixing plant for the paint at our Blaydon on Tyne facility to ensure we can meet the increased demand going forward.”