Qualifications Wales, Newport Qualifications Wales / Cymwysterau Cymru
The first charge point at a Welsh Government sponsored body's only office — two 22 kW sockets that turn an electric car into a realistic option for staff, with the civils for the next ones already in the ground.
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Yr Her
Qualifications Wales regulates non-degree qualifications across Wales from a single Newport office with a team of more than 75. Like every Welsh public body, it works to the Welsh Government's commitment to a net zero public sector by 2030 — and staff travel is among the hardest parts of that to shift.
Staff can't seriously consider an electric car with nowhere to charge during the working day, particularly those without a driveway at home. With a single site and a modest car park, any scheme had to start proportionate and earn its expansion on evidence. The bigger constraint was civils: on a workplace retrofit, the trenching, ducting and reinstatement usually costs more than the charger itself — doing that groundwork twice is what makes a second phase expensive enough to never happen.
Ein Datrysiad
PLUG installed a twin-socket 22 kW charge pod on a new 600 × 600 concrete base, serving two dedicated marked bays protected by impact barriers. A new supply was run from the plant room via cable tray beneath the suspended floor, a sealed external wall penetration and an 18 m concrete-encased trench, with separate metering so EV load is measured apart from the building. A draw pit and spare ducting were installed at the same time, meaning additional charge points can be added without excavating the car park again. The unit is OCPP 1.6J and 2.0.1 certified, so Qualifications Wales can change back-office provider later without replacing hardware. Drivers start a session and pay via the PLUG Charging app in Welsh or English, with separate staff and visitor rates managed through the back office. The entire project ran from engagement to handover in eight weeks, with only 3–5 days of actual disruption to the car park.
Canlyniadau ac Effaith
- An electric car is now a realistic choice for the whole team — for staff without a driveway, workplace charging is the difference between an EV being possible and not.
- Phase two won't require a civils bill — the draw pit and ducting are already in the ground, so adding charge points is a connection exercise rather than a second excavation.
- Usage and energy reporting gives Qualifications Wales real demand data before committing to more.
- Delivered via direct award under Lot 1 of the Welsh Government EVCI Framework — no separate tender required.
- EV consumption is metered separately and feeds the organisation's own carbon reporting, supporting its net zero 2030 commitment.
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