Spencer Group has been recognised as a champion of green energy in the Humber.
The Hull-based company was among the winners in the Humber Renewables Awards 2018, a celebration of achievement and innovation as the region becomes established as the UK’s leading hub for low-carbon technologies.
Spencer Group was named as Humber Renewables Champion in the awards staged by the Hull Daily Mail and Grimsby Telegraph.
The awards judges were impressed by Spencer Group’s extensive green credentials, including excellent progress on two major renewable energy projects, as well as how it has played a leading role in developing a skilled future workforce and encouraging women into the manufacturing and engineering sectors.
The judges said:
“A record year for infrastructure projects has seen a major waste from energy plant all but realised in the city, while this multi-disciplinary engineering company sends out talented technicians north to add further biomass capability for a regional giant.
“The ambassadorial role in education, place marketing and women in manufacturing and engineering makes this a standout company with a clear conscience and pride in its roots.”
Spencer Group was also a runner-up in the Humber Renewables Medium/Large Business Award, which was won by North Lincolnshire-based Singleton Birch, the UK’s leading independent lime supplier. In addition, Spencer Group sponsored the Community Project award, which was claimed by Hull-based onshore and offshore training organisation HOTA.
Spencer Group Executive Chairman Charlie Spencer OBE said:
“We’re honoured to receive this award and to be recognised among the many businesses in the region who are contributing to the growth of green energy in the Humber and the transition of the UK to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
“We’ve been very active in the green energy field for many years and it has been great to see renewables become such a key driver of the region’s economy.
“At Spencer Group we believe that renewable energy and sustainable policies and working practices are not just good for the planet; they are good for business. That is really becoming apparent in the Humber as we see thousands of new jobs being created and companies across so many industries benefiting from green growth.”
Spencer Group is one of the UK’s largest privately-owned multi-disciplinary engineering companies and has an outstanding track record of delivering major renewable energy infrastructure projects.
The Humber Renewables Champion award recognised Spencer Group’s work on two of the company’s biggest-ever projects, both major green energy schemes.
Spencer Group has steered Energy Works, a £200m green energy power plant in Hull, on a seven-year journey from concept to reality. Energy Works will begin generating electricity later this year using an innovative energy recovery process called fluidised bed gasification.
Spencer Group is also completing a £64m project to design and build wood pellet handling, storage and rail-loading facilities at the Port of Tyne, to support the conversion of nearby Lynemouth Power Station from coal to biomass burning.
As well as Spencer Group’s operational achievements, the awards judges commended the company’s commitment to shattering the perception that engineering is “man’s work”.
Spencer Group has female staff in construction, engineering and design roles and is a leading supporter of the Women into Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME) campaign launched by the Green Port Hull partnership to address gender imbalance in these key sectors in the Humber region. Support for WiME forms part of a broader drive by Spencer Group to promote careers for women within the business and the wider industry.
As a result of this work, Spencer Group has seen a significant increase in applications from female candidates and now has young women graduates and apprentices rising through the ranks, winning awards and working on some of the company’s biggest projects.
In addition, Spencer Group is supporting the development of a new pipeline of engineering and digital talent as a Founding Partner of Hull’s Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), of which Mr Spencer is Chair of Governors. The school is focused on developing young people with the advanced technical skills needed by businesses in the renewables sector and related industries.
Spencer Group is passionate about sustainability throughout its operations. The company’s headquarters on Hull Marina benefit from solar power and grey water harvesting, with similar sustainable measures employed at Energy Works. A “reduce, reuse and recycle” policy has also enabled Spencer Group to achieve a target of achieving over 95% diversion from landfill across all projects.
Spencer Group has been a winner twice previously in the Humber Renewables Awards. The company was named Large Business of the Year in the 2013 awards and claimed the Best Renewable Energy Project in the 2014 awards for a biomass handling and loading facility Spencer Group designed and constructed at the Port of Hull.
