Channel Tunnel

• Pressure on the UK government to confirm its plans for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project is growing as the Conservative party prepares for its annual conference.
• Much of the country is keen to hear about the fate of HS2.
• The UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, are weighing up the rising costs versus the benefits of HS2.

The rising costs of HS2

• Over the decade since 2013, when construction commenced on the first phase of HS2, it has come under regular scrutiny because of rising costs.
• At £300 million per mile, this is considerably higher than typical costs for constructing high-speed rail in Europe, according to analysis by The Times.
• With an estimated cost of £37.5 billion in 2013 (at 2009 prices), HS2 represented considerable public investment to achieve what’s now commonly referred to as “levelling up”.
• Government support for HS2 to achieve wealth creation outside the capital continued, however.
• The David Cameron-led government supposedly saw HS2 as a “counterbalance” to extreme “local austerity”.

Unachievable

• According to leaked analysis carried out by the DfT last year, increasing costs means HS2 will “deliver just 90 pence in economic benefit for every £1 it costs”.
• But these links could be built faster and cheaper than HS2.

• Today the Channel Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world, reached a technological milestone with Getlink ’s commissioning of a high-voltage grid solution from GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business [NYSE:GE].
• The STATCOM solution, developed by GE and adapted to the Channel Tunnel in collaboration with Eurostar , supports voltage stability, grid resilience, and enhanced power transfer capability.
• “Faithful to its pioneering spirit, the Channel Tunnel welcomes the world's largest and most powerful STATCOM solution in a railway environment.
• GE’s STATCOM technology will enable the Channel Tunnel infrastructure to remain in place for the long term.

• The 50 most inspiring projects from the past 50 years have been announced by the Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
• Entitled '50 Projects for a Better Future' , the list features iconic projects from around the globe and across the fields of construction and engineering, technology, healthcare and education, sports and nature, arts and media.
• More than 600 projects were nominated for inclusion in the list by a panel made up of APM members, APM branches, board members and industry experts.
• Projects were selected based on the transformative impact they have had on society, the economy and environment since their launch within the past 50 years.

• Honeywell has already invested a billion dollars in research, development, and new capacity for the technology, having anticipated the need for lower-GWP solutions to combat climate change more than a decade ago.
• "Honeywell will continue to support the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
• Solstice Propellant, a non-flammable, low GWP solution for aerosol applications, including personal care products, pressure dusters, lubricants and cleaners, and disinfectants.
• "The use of our Solstice ze solution in sustainable heat pump technology that replaces fossil-fuel based heating is an economical solution for customers to maximize energy savings and reduce carbon emissions."