Northern Powergrid adopts eco-paint to boost air quality and slash power cuts

The new paint formula is forecast to save more than 5.5 million tonnes of volatile organic compounds from being emitted into the air

Can an eco-paint reduce power cuts and improve air quality?

UK distribution network operator Northern Powergrid says yes – it has announced plans to adopt a more environmentally-friendly paint for its electricity network’s assets in a bid to increase the grid’s reliability and improve local air quality in the North East, Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

The paint provides a protective coating for its infrastructure assets and it claims the new formula will save more than 5.5 million tonnes of volatile organic compounds from being emitted into the air.

The new paint also needs a much thinner coat to protect an asset, reducing raw materials by up to a third and it can dry in less than an hour, cutting the time taken to paint a transformer from two days to less than one.

Taking an asset offline for maintenance temporarily reduces the security of supply for customers – halving the downtime for transformers will therefore increase network resilience.

Following a successful trial, Northern Powergrid will deploy the new paint across all its network.

Geoff Earl, Northern Powergrid’s Director of Safety, Health and Environment, said: “This project demonstrates our commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions in every way possible.”

The company uses thousands of gallons of paint each year to protect 1,200 transformers across the region it operates.

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