From Energy Evaluation & Feasibility Through Procurement, Delivery & Operation
Sector: Food & Drink / Industrial Manufacturing / Power & Energy Infrastructure
Client: Undisclosed
Location: Undisclosed
Contract Value: Undisclosed
Asteria International Services: Project Management | Engineering Management | Commercial Management | Construction Management | Project Controls & Risk Management
Project Overview
Asteria International was engaged directly by the client to investigate an energy-performance challenge within a major operational food manufacturing facility.
At the outset, there was no predetermined CHP project. The initial requirement was to understand the facility’s energy consumption, operating profile and the opportunities available to reduce energy cost and improve overall energy performance.
Asteria International evaluated the site’s electrical and thermal demand, including the substantial requirements associated with continuous manufacturing, refrigeration, process steam, heating and cleaning operations.
This assessment identified Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as a potentially viable solution because the facility presented the combination of sustained electrical demand and useful thermal demand necessary to support effective CHP operation.
Asteria International subsequently progressed the opportunity through feasibility and business-case development, considering CHP sizing and operating profile, electrical generation, steam and heat recovery, integration with existing infrastructure, capital investment, operating costs, projected energy savings and carbon reduction.
Following development of the business case, Asteria International continued to lead the programme through procurement using the client’s established procurement arrangements, engineering and contractor coordination, construction and installation, electrical and controls integration, commissioning and transition into operation.
The resulting programme therefore extended from identifying and evaluating the energy opportunity through to implementation of the selected solution within a live manufacturing environment.
The Challenge
The client’s initial challenge was not simply the requirement for new generating plant.
The manufacturing facility had substantial and relatively consistent requirements for both electricity and process heat, with energy consumed across continuous manufacturing processes, refrigeration, pumping, steam generation, heating and cleaning operations.
The first challenge was therefore to understand the site’s energy profile and establish where opportunities existed to improve energy performance and reduce cost.
Any proposed solution also needed to be technically compatible with an operational manufacturing environment in which reliability and continuity of production were fundamental.
Analysis of the site’s electrical and thermal requirements identified an opportunity to generate electricity on site while recovering useful thermal energy for process use.
However, identifying CHP as a potential solution was only the beginning.
The project needed to demonstrate a credible technical and commercial case before progressing into implementation. The selected solution then needed to be engineered, procured, installed and integrated with the site’s existing electrical distribution, steam infrastructure, mechanical systems, controls and manufacturing operations.
Construction and commissioning also had to be undertaken within a live production environment where interruption to manufacturing could have significant operational and commercial consequences.
The programme therefore required continuity of leadership from initial energy evaluation through feasibility, business case, procurement, engineering, construction, commissioning and operational integration.
Energy Evaluation, Feasibility & Business Case
Asteria International’s involvement began with understanding the client’s energy problem rather than evaluating a predetermined technology.
The facility’s electrical and thermal consumption profiles were assessed to understand where energy was being consumed, how demand related to the manufacturing operation and where opportunities existed to reduce imported energy and improve overall energy utilisation.
The relationship between sustained electrical demand and substantial process-heat requirements identified Combined Heat and Power as an option worthy of further development.
Asteria International then progressed the CHP opportunity through feasibility and business-case evaluation, considering the relationship between electrical generation, useful heat recovery, existing boiler and steam infrastructure, operating profile, fuel consumption, capital cost, operating expenditure and projected savings.
Analysis of the project information indicated a CHP solution capable of providing approximately 1.5 MWe of electrical generation, together with approximately 1.1 tonnes per hour of useful steam through the associated heat-recovery system.
At business-case stage, the project evaluation indicated:
- Estimated capital investment: approximately £1.85 million
- Estimated annual net energy-cost saving: approximately £385,000
- Indicative simple payback: approximately 4.8 years
- Estimated annual carbon reduction: approximately 2,400 tCO₂e
- Indicative overall CHP efficiency: approximately 80–85%
These figures represented high-level project evaluation outputs and provided a basis against which the investment could be considered alongside operational reliability, integration requirements, programme, construction risk and future energy performance.
The evaluation demonstrated that the opportunity could not be assessed purely in terms of electrical generation.
The ability to recover and productively use thermal energy was fundamental to both the technical viability and commercial performance of the proposed solution.
Developing the CHP Solution
Having identified CHP as a potentially viable option, the next stage was to develop the opportunity into a deliverable project.
Asteria International considered the relationship between the facility’s electrical demand and its requirement for process heat and steam, recognising that effective CHP performance depends upon productive utilisation of both outputs.
The evaluation therefore considered electrical demand, thermal demand, CHP operating profile, heat recovery, existing boiler operation, electrical import reduction, fuel consumption and practical integration with the manufacturing process.
CHP sizing was an important consideration.
Rather than simply sizing generation against peak electrical demand, the assessment considered the underlying operating profile and the ability of the manufacturing facility to sustain useful electrical and thermal demand over extended operating periods.
The thermal profile was equally important.
Recovered heat needed to have a productive use within the manufacturing process if the efficiency and commercial benefits of CHP were to be realised.
The assessment therefore considered how recovered thermal energy could contribute to steam and process-heating requirements rather than allowing potentially valuable heat to be routinely rejected.
This enabled the technical concept and business case to develop together, creating the basis for progression into procurement and physical delivery.
From Evaluation to Delivery
Asteria International’s role continued beyond identification and feasibility of the proposed solution.
Following development of the project case, Asteria International provided integrated leadership through procurement, engineering development, construction, installation, commissioning and operational integration.
The role encompassed:
- Client energy-requirement evaluation
- Electrical and thermal demand assessment
- CHP feasibility and option development
- Business-case development and investment evaluation
- Overall project leadership and delivery management
- Client and stakeholder interface management
- Engineering management and multidisciplinary coordination
- Programme development, management and forecasting
- Project reporting and governance
- Commercial and contractual management
- Procurement through the client’s established procurement arrangements
- Contractor and specialist supplier coordination
- Project controls and progress management
- Project risk and opportunity management
- Construction management and site delivery coordination
- Construction sequencing and logistics
- Existing-services and infrastructure interfaces
- Mechanical and electrical interface management
- CHP and heat-recovery integration
- Steam-system integration
- Electrical generation and distribution interfaces
- Controls and SCADA integration
- Shutdown and changeover planning
- Commissioning planning and management
- System-integration and performance activities
- Operational transition and handover
The role therefore provided continuity from understanding the original energy problem through development and implementation of the selected solution.
Procurement & Commercial Management
Once the technical and commercial case had been established, the programme progressed into procurement and delivery.
Asteria International supported procurement of the CHP and associated project requirements using the client’s established procurement arrangements.
Procurement activities were coordinated with engineering maturity, technical requirements, programme, commercial considerations and construction readiness.
This was particularly important for specialist CHP infrastructure, where equipment selection and supplier requirements could directly influence electrical interfaces, heat recovery, steam generation, controls, installation and commissioning.
Commercial considerations remained integrated with the wider project-delivery process.
The original business case had established the relationship between capital investment, projected energy savings, operating expenditure and anticipated project return.
As the project developed, equipment procurement, specialist packages, contractor performance, technical development, programme change and construction requirements all had potential commercial consequences.
Asteria International managed these interfaces as part of the overall delivery strategy, maintaining the connection between the investment case and the project being physically implemented.
Engineering Management & System Integration
The programme required coordination across mechanical, electrical, controls and process engineering disciplines.
The CHP installation could not be considered as an isolated item of plant.
Successful operation depended upon integration with the existing electrical distribution system, heat-recovery infrastructure, steam generation and distribution systems, controls architecture and the wider manufacturing process.
Asteria International managed the engineering interfaces across the project, ensuring that specialist technical activities remained aligned with programme, procurement, construction and commissioning requirements.
Detailed engineering remained with the relevant specialist designers, manufacturers and technical organisations, while Asteria International provided the management and coordination necessary to bring individual technical workstreams together within the wider programme.
This was particularly important where decisions within one discipline had consequences elsewhere in the system.
Electrical requirements influenced generation integration and commissioning. Thermal requirements influenced heat-recovery and steam-system development. Controls needed to interface with both new and existing infrastructure, while construction sequencing influenced when individual systems could become available for testing.
Engineering management therefore focused on maintaining alignment across these interconnected requirements.
CHP, Heat Recovery & Steam Integration
A central feature of the selected solution was the recovery and productive use of thermal energy from the CHP installation.
Rather than generating electricity independently of the site’s thermal requirements, recovered heat was integrated into the wider manufacturing energy system.
The project incorporated heat-recovery equipment and steam generation, enabling thermal energy from the CHP system to support process requirements within the facility.
High-grade energy available from the CHP exhaust provided an opportunity for useful steam generation, while lower-grade heat recovery provided further opportunities to improve overall energy utilisation.
This created important interfaces between the CHP package, steam infrastructure, mechanical systems, controls and existing process-energy requirements.
Successful integration required consideration of both electrical and thermal operating conditions.
The CHP system needed to operate within the requirements of the site’s electrical network while recovered heat needed to remain useful within the actual thermal-demand profile of the manufacturing operation.
Asteria International managed these interfaces within the wider programme, coordinating specialist technical inputs with construction, commissioning and operational requirements.
Electrical Infrastructure & Generation Integration
The programme required integration of new on-site electrical generation with the facility’s existing electrical infrastructure.
This introduced interfaces across generation equipment, switchgear, protection systems, metering, controls and existing electrical distribution.
Electrical infrastructure needed to develop alongside the mechanical and thermal elements of the project so that the complete CHP system could be commissioned and operated as an integrated energy asset.
Grid connection, synchronisation, protection and associated network requirements also needed to be incorporated into the overall project strategy.
Asteria International managed the project interfaces associated with these activities, maintaining alignment between engineering development, equipment procurement, construction readiness, installation and commissioning.
Particular attention was required around shutdowns, electrical connections and changeovers where new infrastructure interfaced directly with operational systems.
These activities needed to be planned around the requirements of the manufacturing facility rather than solely around the construction programme.
Controls, SCADA & Operational Integration
Controls integration formed an important part of bringing the new energy infrastructure into operation.
The CHP installation, heat-recovery systems, steam generation and associated electrical infrastructure required coordinated control, monitoring and operational visibility.
The controls strategy needed to respond to changing electrical and thermal demand while maintaining safe operation of the CHP and associated infrastructure.
SCADA integration provided visibility of key operating parameters and enabled the new infrastructure to become part of the wider facility energy-management environment.
Asteria International managed the interfaces between controls specialists, equipment suppliers, electrical contractors and mechanical systems as part of the overall commissioning strategy.
Controls were therefore treated as a fundamental element of system integration rather than an activity to be addressed after mechanical and electrical installation.
This supported a coordinated transition from individual equipment commissioning towards operation of the complete energy system.function.
Construction Management in a Live Manufacturing Environment
Construction within an operational food manufacturing facility required careful coordination between project requirements and continuing production.
Access, contractor activities, installation works, lifting operations, existing services, electrical works, steam connections, shutdowns and commissioning activities all needed to be planned around operational constraints.
Asteria International provided construction management and site delivery coordination across these interfaces.
Construction sequencing was considered alongside equipment availability, engineering deliverables, contractor mobilisation, shutdown opportunities and commissioning requirements.
Where works interfaced with existing operational infrastructure, activities needed to be planned so that the implications for manufacturing operations were understood before implementation.
This required close coordination between project contractors, specialist suppliers, technical teams and operational stakeholders.
The objective was to progress installation and integration while minimising unnecessary disruption to the manufacturing process.
Programme & Project Controls
The programme incorporated dependencies across engineering, procurement, equipment manufacture and delivery, construction, electrical and mechanical integration, controls and commissioning.
Progress within one package could therefore directly influence the readiness of several others.
Asteria International maintained oversight of these dependencies through programme and project-controls activities.
Engineering deliverables, procurement milestones, contractor mobilisation, construction readiness, installation progress and commissioning requirements were considered within the overall project position.
Emerging constraints could therefore be assessed in terms of their potential effect on subsequent activities rather than simply being reported within individual work packages.
Project controls supported active management of the programme, providing visibility of developing issues and allowing mitigation, prioritisation and recovery actions to be coordinated across the project team.
Risk & Opportunity Management
Integrating new energy infrastructure into an existing manufacturing facility introduced risk across engineering, construction, programme and operational interfaces.
Potential risks included equipment and procurement dependencies, interfaces with existing services, shutdown availability, construction access, commissioning sequence, electrical integration, steam-system interfaces, controls integration and operational disruption.
Asteria International maintained oversight of project risks and their potential consequences for the wider programme.
Risk management remained integrated with engineering development, programme planning and construction decision-making rather than being treated simply as a reporting exercise.
The project also presented significant opportunities to improve the utilisation of energy already being consumed by the facility.
Generating electricity on site while recovering useful thermal energy provided the opportunity to reduce imported electricity, conventional boiler demand and overall energy cost while improving utilisation of the fuel input.
These opportunities formed an important part of the original investment evaluation and continued to influence engineering and operational decisions as the project developed.
Commissioning & System Performance
Commissioning represented a critical stage of the programme because successful completion required more than demonstrating that individual items of equipment operated correctly.
The CHP package, electrical infrastructure, heat-recovery systems, steam generation, controls and existing facility systems needed to function together as an integrated energy system.
Asteria International coordinated commissioning interfaces across the different specialist organisations and contractors.
Testing and commissioning activities needed to recognise both the technical dependencies between systems and the operational requirements of the manufacturing facility.
Mechanical completion, electrical availability, controls integration and process requirements therefore had to be coordinated before the complete system could progress towards operational use.
Commissioning also provided the opportunity to assess whether the operating relationships assumed during project evaluation were being translated into the intended integrated system behaviour.
This maintained the connection between the original technical and commercial objectives and the infrastructure ultimately being brought into operation.
Operational Transition & Handover
Transition from construction and commissioning into normal operation required coordination between the project team and operational stakeholders.
The completed infrastructure needed to be understood not simply as newly installed equipment but as an operational energy asset forming part of the manufacturing process.
Asteria International supported the coordination of outstanding works, commissioning activities, documentation, system acceptance and handover requirements as the project progressed towards operation.
The transition process maintained visibility of residual issues while supporting the movement from project delivery into normal operational responsibility.
Project Outcome
The programme progressed from investigation of the client’s original energy challenge through evaluation, feasibility and business-case development to procurement, engineering, installation, system integration and commissioning within an operational food manufacturing environment.
The selected solution brought together electrical generation, heat recovery, steam generation, mechanical infrastructure, electrical systems and controls as elements of a coordinated energy strategy.
At business-case stage, the evaluation indicated the potential for approximately £385,000 in annual net energy-cost savings, an indicative simple payback of approximately 4.8 years and an estimated annual carbon reduction of approximately 2,400 tCO₂e, subject to the operating assumptions underpinning the assessment.
Through its appointment, Asteria International provided integrated leadership across Project Management, Engineering Management, Commercial Management, Construction Management and Project Controls & Risk Management, together with energy evaluation, feasibility, procurement, contractor coordination, commissioning and operational interfaces.
The programme demonstrates Asteria International’s ability to engage before the solution has been defined — understanding the client’s operational and energy requirements, evaluating potential solutions, developing the technical and commercial case and then providing continuity of leadership through procurement, engineering, construction, commissioning and operation.
From Energy Problem to Operational Solution
The significance of the programme extended beyond successful implementation of CHP technology.
The client began with an energy challenge rather than a predetermined solution.
Understanding the site’s energy profile established the opportunity. Feasibility determined whether CHP was technically appropriate. Commercial evaluation established whether the investment could be justified. Engineering converted the concept into a deliverable solution. Procurement and construction turned that solution into physical infrastructure, while controls, commissioning and operational integration ultimately determined whether the expected benefits could be realised.
Asteria International provided continuity across that lifecycle.
This programme demonstrates the value of combining energy evaluation, technical understanding, project leadership, commercial management, engineering management, construction management and project controls rather than treating each stage as a separate activity.
It also demonstrates Asteria International’s ability to take an initially undefined client requirement and progressively develop it into a structured, investable and deliverable capital project.
Complex Projects. Controlled Delivery.
Asteria International provides experienced project and programme leadership for complex capital projects across energy, industrial and operational environments.
Our integrated approach brings together Project Management, Engineering Management, Commercial Management, Construction Management and Project Controls & Risk Management, supporting projects from early evaluation and feasibility through business case, procurement, engineering, construction, commissioning, handover and operation.
