This was the largest water infrastructure project in the UK in 2011/12.
Client
Northumbrian Water Limited
The Project
The scheme, which was delivered by Northumbrian Water Limited in conjunction with the Environment Agency, involved supplementing the existing transfer of water from East Cambridgeshire to Essex by 120 Mega Litres per day.
Farrans was awarded the Lot 3 Abberton Pipelines Project and Lot 4 Wormingford Pumping Station – with both schemes utilising the NEC II Option C Form of Contract.
The Lot 3 project consisted of the construction of approximately 30kms of 1200mm Ø and 3kms of 1000mm Ø welded steel pipes in two sections: the first from Kirtling Green to Wixoe (South of Newmarket) and the second from Wormingford to Abberton (near Colchester, Essex).
Services & Expertise
Works were predominately cross-country and included the construction and commissioning of a 2.5Ml RC Break Pressure Tank at Wormingford and an outlet structure at the Abberton reservoir. There were several trenchless crossings along the route. These included the 1500mm x 150m A12 and the Network Rail Colchester to London line at the Stanway Tunnel, which was delivered utilising a Herrenknecht Earth Pressure Balancing Tunnelling Machine.
The project will increase the storage capacity of the reservoir from 26,000 to 40,000 Mega Litres and will secure water supply to the greater Essex and East London areas for the next 50 years.