Energy sector | Assystem

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CHALLENGES OF POWER GENERATION

The Power generation industry is facing big challenges against an exponential increase in demand worldwide for energy combined with the goals of achieving sustainability of energy supply and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Even if the worldwide carbon emission rate met an efficient advance and has been reduced from 2.8% in 2015, we would need a 6.5% rate to limit the global climate warming at 2°C by 2050, fixed by the COP21 Paris agreement. That means the power industry must find more efficient solutions to produce more and cleaner energy, in safer and cheaper ways.

This rise of worldwide energy demand, resulting from economic growth, improved standards of living. Increasing urbanisation is forcing the power generation and distribution sector to find solutions to expand their capacity and extend the life of their existing plants.

Transmission and distribution is also a key issue in the implementation of energy transition.

Meeting the growing need for electricity

Worldwide, energy is needed to produce consumer goods and to sustain human well-being. Each country is having to rethink its energy mix. Over the last 40 years, the global energy demand has been multiplied by 2.4. Some countries have to build new local production sites with the associated distribution networks while others must find more sustainable energy sources that at the same time satisfy peak demands in their electricity consumption.

Promoting the production of cleaner and affordable energy

The objective for 2050 is to reduce the global emissions by 40% to 70% compared to 2010 and to reach gradually an almost neutral carbon economy before the end of the 21st century, in order to limit the climate warming. In 2030, renewable energy should represent 40% of the power production. The necessary energy transition is a problem to be resolved by each country in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as delivering more electricity, everywhere.

Rising to the challenge of a regulatory compliance in constant evolution

In the context of constantly tougher regulatory constraints (environmental protection, employee protection, public protection), extension of the life of power plants has become more and more complex. The challenge is to ensure compliance with constantly changing regulatory requirements, either when commissioning a new plant or in the operational organization of all regulated processes.

Controlling the production cost and maintaining a continuous service delivery

Predicting plant life and planning for maintenance activities is a key factor in maintaining continuity of electrical supplies and ensuring that generating plants continue to operate efficiently. Smart sensors and digital analytics can be applied to provide a cost-effective solution for monitoring plant characteristics in real-time and optimizing plant performance and efficiency.

OUR EXPERTISE

An international engineering group and leader in Europe, Assystem has 50 years of experience in complex and constrained environments. Our expertise is in managing large complex projects and our ability to integrate systems.
With an in-house civil engineering capability, we can undertake projects taking full responsibility for all the technical aspects:

Design and specification of new installations
Revamping of existing facilities
Design of structural enhancements
Design of the associated infrastructures

Our expertise in the equipment and functional systems that constitute the "Turbine Hall environment" and the Balance Of Plant (BOP) enables us to deliver client support in upstream project phases, such as site environmental studies and impact analyses of standards and regulations on equipment design. Our multidisciplinary project teams are involved from the basic design and detailed design phases for the general layout of the BOP (pipework, structure, electricity, etc.) right through to testing and facility commissioning.
Furthermore, our experience in the field of comprehensive safety enables us to meet the safety challenges affecting our clients, in order to guarantee personal safety as well as environmental and site protection.

Assystem supports energy producers in conventional energy, renewable energy industries (solar, wind, hydraulic) and Transmission & Distribution.

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Design of BOP

We support our clients on basic and detailed design for their Balance of Plant scope with our high expertise on arrangement, piping and electrical skillsets.

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Standards & regulations

We support our clients on the impact analysis of standards and regulations on the design of their equipment.

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Global security

We combine site protection with industrial cybersecurity to reach your security challenges.

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Testing & Commissioning

We began our life in testing and commissioning by participating in the commissioning of all French nuclear facilities. For 50 years, we have been supporting our customers in launching extremely complex technology projects in sectors subject to heavy regulations.