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Wakefield Streetlighting: PPP Management

The Wakefield streetlight project is helping reduce energy consumption and lower carbon emissions, while reducing operational costs and light pollution. Vercity delivers the management service agreement.

Sector

Transport Infrastructure

Key Stakeholders

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Original Investment Value

£24.5m (Original construction cost)

The project

The Wakefield street lighting project is a PPP contract for the replacement of approximately 42,000 street lighting apparatus in the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council area. Vercity provides the management service agreement (MSA) for the project.

Approach

The Contract was signed on 23rd December 2003. Work commenced on site on 2nd February 2004 with the installation of the new streetlights being completed at the end of December 2008. The LED replacement project began in 2020. The project is currently underway with streetlights across the district being upgraded to LED lights by Wakefield Council, in partnership with Amey, over the next three years.

Wakefield street lighting
Wakefield street lighting
Wakefield street lighting

Process

LED lighting is a low energy white light that doesn’t require bulbs to be changed, therefore they require less maintenance. The lights are controlled by a Central Management System. The technology uses the mobile communication network to send instructions to the lanterns and to gather information on their current condition, so the system can automatically identify faults. The works are being funded through an ‘Invest to Save’ approach, with £19.4m being spent on the new technology, which is forecast to pay back in 13 years.

The Result

The ongoing operations, maintenance and life-cycle replacement of the equipment is currently under a 25-year concession, which runs until 2028. Vercity’s award-winning collaborative working on the project is creating a positive impact for the public sector whilst maintaining investor returns. The Council’s street lighting energy consumption will be reduced by 65% and it’s estimated that the project will reduce the Council’s carbon emissions by a minimum of 3,700 tonnes.

Project Impact

The LED streetlights not only reduce energy consumption and lower carbon emissions, but they also reduce operational costs. They reduce light pollution and automatically identify the majority of faults, so that they’re dealt with quickly and efficiently, providing better quality lighting overall. Vercity’s established consultancy services continue to provide support to project teams internally, working closely to deliver a high-quality service to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.

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