Another milestone, another step forward
In the last newsletter, I wrote about taking another major step in our journey with the Hatch Group. Our story began in 1924 as Acres in Niagara Falls, and we grew steadily for 80 years with operations worldwide. We joined Hatch in 2004 and were renamed this year as Hatch Energy. But that is certainly not the final step in our growth as a global engineering leader for energy and power. Our clients continue to grow and our people continue to deliver smarter solutions in all of our sectors. So, with all the changes that we’ve undertaken in the past two years, we thought it would be helpful to review the breadth of services we continue to offer.
Hydroelectric Power
After 80 years, this sector remains a cornerstone of our business. Our people are sought after for a diverse range of project scopes and complexities around the world. We provide a comprehensive range of core services such as design and construction management, as well as a number of specialty services including due diligence and asset-transfer support.
Increasing world electricity demand, fuelled by the growing North American market and strong Chinese and Indian economies, has led to a resurgence in greenfield hydro projects. Developments that had been studied and shelved in Canada are now being implemented, while independent power producers are investing in new developments throughout the Americas, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia. Our global experience puts us in an excellent position to make the most of new opportunities in these markets.
Oil & Gas
We have been heavily involved in the Western Canadian oil and gas business for many years, and our Calgary office has seen rapid growth in the past 18 months. Our experience covers conventional oil and gas projects for longstanding clients such as Apache, Devon and EnCana. In addition, we are involved in mining (extraction and ore preparation) and steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for oil-sands developments. Clients include Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Synenco, Total and ConocoPhillips. We also have a long history in the Canadian offshore industry, with offices across Atlantic Canada providing services to owners, operators, fabricators and contractors.
Hatch and partners recently created the N-Solv Corporation which holds patents for the proprietary N-Solv in-situ technology for solvent extraction of bitumen from oil sands. The process uses 90% less energy, uses no water – which is of immense importance in Alberta – and has 80-90% less environmental impact than SAGD, the main competing technology. N-Solv's many years of development include tests at the Alberta Research Council in 2004-2005 and again in 2006, as well as support by Sustainable Development Technologies Canada, a federal government agency. We are currently designing a demonstration plant in the Fort McMurray area with a fully commercial plant scheduled for 2010.
Water Resource Management
Hatch Energy continues to provide a wide range of planning and management services, from top-line policy assistance to technical studies and analyses – for the purposes of power generation, irrigation, domestic water supply, recreation, navigation and overall environmental stability. For more than 30 years, we’ve been at the forefront of water and power-management software and related system development. Our subsidiary company Synexus Global designs and implements advanced decision support systems based on its suite of Vista software tools. Vista DSS performs real-time analyses to forecast water level and flow characteristics, along with many other user-defined variables including operating or licensing constraints. It addresses specific objectives by optimizing schedules, automating functions and providing managers with the highly detailed information needed to make more reliable performance decisions.
Thermal & Nuclear Power
We’ve been involved in engineering, procurement, construction management and due diligence for thermal power since the 1940s and nuclear power since the 1970s. A highlight has been the restart of units 3 and 4 at the Bruce A nuclear generating station in Tiverton, Ontario. That project was one of our most outstanding successes, and we are now following it up with the restart of units 1 and 2.
We also offer in-depth experience in technologies and processes for reduced emissions and cleaner combustion techniques. These include flue gas desulphurization, off-gas treatment, gasification technologies, CO2 capture and sequestration, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Our prospects in this sector, particularly for cogeneration and coal-fired thermal plants, are excellent in Australia. We are presently working on a cogeneration project in Western Australia and engaged on an assignment for flue-gas desulphurization at a coal-fired power plant in the east. In South Africa, we are pursuing thermal, nuclear and transmission work with local utilities. As we increase our regional presence we will use the Hatch Group’s South African base to pursue projects elsewhere on the continent. In the meantime, we are acting as Lender's Engineer for a nuclear demonstration plant.
Wind Power
In this important emerging industry, very few companies can provide developers with the comprehensive engineering services that Hatch Energy can offer. Our capabilities cover everything from wind assessments and feasibility studies to engineering design, electrical interconnection services and due diligence. Recent work includes installations and support in Hawaii and Ohio, and we have several projects under way in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. In recent years, Hatch Energy has played key roles in more than 40% of all wind-development projects in Canada.
Management Consulting
Hatch Energy’s people are known around the world for resource analysis and system planning work at both the sector and project levels. Our sector work involves comprehensive planning of power systems in regions, nations and even across continents. In the project-specific arena, we provide economic, financial, regulatory and market analysis services.
Transmission & Distribution
We have a long history of success in all areas of T&D – an industry of increasing importance as world population and energy demands change much more quickly than in the past. Forward-thinking infrastructure design is essential. Our scope of expertise spans transmission line and station design and construction, network performance, planning and asset management. We develop new techniques for protection, control and automation, designing practical procedures that balance safety, efficiency and profitability.
In conclusion, if you you require more specific information about our services or synergies achieved through our relationship with other Hatch businesses, please see our website: www.hatchenergy.com
Tony Hylton
President, Hatch Energy
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