News releases 2014

Atkins wins €15.3 million contract to assist 24 African countries develop sustainable energy solutions by 2030- 17 April 2014

Atkins is leading the consortium selected by the European Union (EU) to provide technical assistance to 24 East and Southern African countries over the next four years to accelerate the development of sustainable energy services as part of the EU's framework of Sustainable Energy for All.  

The €15.3 million investment will cover a range of technical assistance activities, including an assessment of access to electricity and national initiatives in sustainable energy and energy efficiency.. Based on the findings, the consortium will support local governments with developing energy sector policies and encouraging partnerships between the public and private sector. The consortium will also provide technical assistance in programming and project preparation in the areas of rural electrification, renewable energies, energy efficiency and energy savings.

Prof Dr Uwe Krueger, Atkins' chief executive officer said: "This is an extremely significant win for Atkins and we are proud to be leading this multi-country assignment put forward by the EU, to help Africa meet one of its greatest infrastructure challenges. This initiative was born out of the UN and we are pleased to be supporting the EU Commission in the delivery of this transformative project. This project is a great example of how our expertise is being used to help future proof the energy sector in Africa."

The EU is at the forefront of the fight against energy poverty and is an active supporter of the global 'Sustainable Energy for All' (SE4All) initiative, launched by UN Secretary General in 2012.  The three interlinked SE4All objectives are to provide universal access to modern energy services, double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix and double the current rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030. These projects form part of the EUs 'Agenda for Change' development policy which identifies energy as a key driver of inclusive growth.

Sub Saharan Africa has the lowest electrification rate in the world and more than 650 million people rely on traditional biomass for heating and cooking, exposing themselves and their families to smoke and fumes that damage their health and kill nearly two million people per year.

Mike Woolgar, project director at Atkins said: "We are proud and excited to be part of this ambitious country changing and ultimately life changing initiative. We are conscious that we now have a real responsibility to make this project a success in order to achieve measurable impact on the lives of the people in Africa. Our staff are passionate about helping others by using their technical expertise and experience."

This year the United Nations General Assembly declared 2014 2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, underscoring the importance of energy for sustainable development and for the expansion of the post-2015 development agenda. The European Union has identified Energy as one of the sectors that plays an increasing role in its development assistance for the 2014-2020 programming period.  

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ENDS

For more information:

Sarah Richards
Marketing communications manager

Eleanor Campion
Communications assistant

Sarah.Richards@atkinsglobal.com 
+44 20 7121 3040

Eleanor.Campion@atkinsglobal.com
+44 (0)203 214 8963

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Notes to editors:
Leader of the consortium is WS Atkins

Other members of the consortium include:
1. MWH SA/NV; Belgium
2. Ecofys Germany GmbH; Germany
3. GFA Consulting Group GmbH; Germany
4. ADETEF; France
5. Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG; Germany
6. Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Savings (CRES); Greece
7. HCL Consultants Ltd; Cyprus
8. MWH SPA; Italy

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading design, engineering and project management consultancies*, employing some 17,400 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. Our people's breadth and depth of expertise and drive to ask why has allowed us to plan, design and enable some of the world's most complex and time critical projects. *14th largest global design firm (Engineering News-Record 2013) and the third largest multidisciplinary consultancy in Europe (Svensk Teknik och Design 2013).

Recent projects:
Atkins is working across urban regeneration, master planning, national energy programmes, major transport schemes, water and environment projects - applying smart design solutions on projects including:

  • Central Planning Office - helping to co-ordinate Qatar's National 2030 Vision for world class transport infrastructure, which will bring major benefits to the economy;
  • The London 2012 Games infrastructure transformation - as technical advisor to London's boroughs as the Olympic Park moves into its legacy configuration as a follow-on role to our work as the Games' official engineering and design provider;
  • 's peaceful nuclear new build programme - providing technical assurance to lenders backing the United Arab Emirates' most ambitious energy infrastructure projects;
  • North Sea and Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms - extending the operational life of critical oil and gas platforms to allow cost-efficient and safe recovery of fuel sources from mature fields;
  • offshore wind alliance - provision of expert engineering and design support for the UK's biggest offshore wind alliance with Scottish and Southern Energy;
  • - designing the Central London twin tunnels and station architecture for Europe's biggest civil engineering scheme which will see tunnels passing beneath 470 listed buildings and critical infrastructure;
  • Railway - providing multidisciplinary design expertise on the 1,200 km Rail network which will passenger and freight transport in the ;
  • Denmark - providing signalling expertise on the first countrywide installation of an train control and management system in Denmark;
  • Hong Kong-- Bridge - lead consultant on this integral part of the new Hong Kong link road scheme which will significantly boost land connectivity in the region;
  • Sixth Form College - design of the energy consumption College in the UK which aims to reduce operational energy use by more than 60% compared to previous designs;
  • UK National Composites Centre - providing technical expertise to bring the latest lightweight carbon fibre materials to all engineering sectors, helping to develop innovative applications and reduce costs and carbon;
  • US Environmental Protection Agency - providing technical assessment and analysis of national water-related resources and ecological systems in North America.
  • Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) broadband - providing technical, commercial and procurement support to help deliver broadband to one of Europe's most remote regions.
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