お知らせ • Mar 19
Quantum Data Energy PLC Announces Hindlip 7.5 MW Flexgen Asset Construction Final Phase
Quantum Data Energy PLC announced, further to its previous RNS announcement dated 13 January 2026, that its Hindlip 7.5 MW flexible generation power project ("Hindlip"), which is fully funded in partnership with Powertree as previously announced, continues to make significant construction progress and has entered the final phase. The project's construction programme remains on schedule and below budget. QDE confirmed that the project has continued to advance on schedule since the previous January 2026 update, with major equipment deliveries now completed and the project transitioning into the final electrical installation and commissioning phase. The project remains within its approved capex budget of £5 million, with a current forecast spend of approximately £4.67 million, representing a favourable saving of approximately £330,000. Rolls-Royce MTU gensets delivered and installed- All three gensets were delivered to site in early March 2026 and have been assembled and positioned on their bases, representing the most significant equipment milestone for the project; Transformer on site- The project transformer has been delivered and installed; Switchgear building complete- The switchgear building construction is fully complete and ready for switchgear delivery, expected by end of March 2026; Cabling works substantially complete- The majority of HV and LV cabling installation has been completed, with final jointing to take place once all equipment is in position; Control room in place- The control room cabin has been delivered and installed; Gas infrastructure progressing- On-site gas pipework has been completed. The gas metering skid has been ordered and is expected to be delivered around mid-March 2026. Network Rail approval (BAPA) for gas works under the bridge has been secured, with a Council-approved start date of 7 April 2026; Grid connection on schedule- NGED GRP building is in place on site. NGED switchgear delivery is planned for 23 April 2026, with NGED installation works commencing from 26 May 2026; and Site security in place- Evening and weekend security has been deployed on site, with permanent CCTV and lighting infrastructure on order. The photos below from the Hindlip site show the delivery and installation of the Rolls-Royce MTU engines and further significant construction progress on site: Rolls-Royce MTU containerised gensets delivery - being crane-lifted onto site; Rolls-Royce MTU containerised gensets installed and positioned on concrete bases on site; Completed switchgear building with site perimeter fencing; Switchgear building, transformer and site infrastructure. As previously announced, the Company had targeted commercial operations at Hindlip during the Second Quarter 2026, with pre-commissioning expected to begin in early April 2026 and final commissioning in mid-May 2026. Since the last update, extended lead times from the District Network Operator, National Grid Electricity Distribution ("NGED") for switchgear delivery and additional Council approval requirements for the HV cable installation works have resulted in the grid connection energisation date moving from April to July 2026. This has consequently moved the pre-commissioning and commissioning programme into the Third Quarter 2026. These delays are entirely external to the project's own construction programme, which remains on schedule and within budget. Based on the revised programme and contractor confirmations, the updated timeline for Hindlip is as follows: Switchgear delivery and installation: end of March to April 2026; Gas connection works (under bridge): commencing 7 April 2026; NGED grid connection installation: from 26 May 2026; HV connection energisation: July 2026; Pre-commissioning and commissioning: July to August 2026; and Commercial operations: Third Quarter 2026. The Company's 100% owned Pyebridge 8.1 MW operational flexible generation power asset was successful in securing an additional Capacity Market ("CM") T-4 contract for the 2029/2030 delivery year in the recent CM auction. The recent CM T-4 auction resulted in a clearing price of £27.10/kW/pa for the 2029/2030 delivery year. This clearing price is in line with the average CM T-4 auction prices over the past number of years, with the exception of 2024 and 2025 which were higher. After adjusting for inflation, the contract is estimated to yield c. £30/kW/year (c. £217,400 per annum) in the year of delivery. The Company made a strategic decision to secure a one-year contract at this auction, preserving optionality to pursue a maximum term 15-year contract at the next T-4 auction under more favourable market conditions in order to secure the highest price possible for its 15-year contract. Pyebridge now holds seven uninterrupted 1-year CM contracts up to 2030. Total contracted CM income across all CM agreements equals £1,924,108. The CM contract income is in addition to the site's wholesale market revenue through its PPA with Statkraft and Embedded Benefits revenue, currently yielding c. £290,000 per MW annually. The UK Capacity Market ("CM") is a government-supported program aimed at ensuring electricity supply security by providing guaranteed income payments to reliable capacity sources, like QDE's flexible generation power assets. The advantages of a CM contract include guaranteed, stable, long-term revenues, reducing exposure to wholesale market volatility. Pyebridge successfully met the necessary requirements under the CM rules and participated in the T-4 CM auction, employing a dual-tier bidding strategy targeting either a 15-year or one-year contract depending on the CM auction clearing price. The recent 2029/2030 T-4 CM auction saw a rare and once-off combination of factors that resulted in a lower CM clearing price compared to 2024 and 2025, most notably DESNZ's decision to lower the refurbishing capex threshold, triggering a flood of thermal capacity into the auction. This was a direct government policy response to concerns about thermal fleet retirement - but the resulting oversupply was arguably an unintended consequence. Major plants such as Peterhead (1,180 MW), Damhead Creek (812 MW), and Didcot B5 (761 MW) entered as refurbishing units, adding c.14.7 GW of derated capacity that had not been present in prior auctions at this scale. The above-mentioned surplus was the widest in the Capacity Market's history, compared to just 1 GW in the prior year. It was this surplus, not a structural shift in market fundamentals, that drove the lower clearing price compared to 2024 and 2025.