Tom George’s Post

THREE SHORTLISTED FOR HARP TECHNICAL ADVISER ROLE United Utilities has announced a shortlist of three companies for the role of independent technical adviser (ITA) for the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP). The shortlist is: FR JV and Partners comprising Fluor Corporation and Ramboll UK; Jacobs; and Turner & Townsend Infrastructure Ltd. HARP involves the replacement of six tunnel sections – approximately 50km – of the 110km pipeline that carries drinking water from Haweswater in Cumbria to Greater Manchester. It also includes connections to existing multiline siphons between the tunnel sections and associated facilities. It will be the largest infrastructure project undertaken by United Utilities since privatisation. The original aqueduct was completed in the 1950s to increase supplies of water into Manchester and the Pennines from the Lake District. The project will ensure the resilience of the asset for decades to come. United Utilities is seeking to appoint a competitively appointed provider (CAP) to design, build, finance and maintain the replacement of the six tunnels sections. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eN-4MQaN Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

We're thrilled to announce that together with SA Water , we’ve been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2024 Australian Water Association Water Awards South Australia in the Infrastructure Project Innovation - Regional category. This recognition highlights our innovative work on the DT-01 Victor Harbor Road Duplication - Myponga Trunk Main Replacement project. The Myponga Trunk Main Replacement Project set a new standard in the water industry. Tasked with relocating a 900 millimetre diameter trunk water main, the McConnell Dowell Diona Joint Venture (MDJV) partnered with SA Water to deliver this project with minimal disruption to the local community. Traditionally, such operations require shutting down and draining the main, requiring a temporary water outage. However, in collaboration with design partner WSP, the SA Water and MDJV teams engineered an innovative solution that used line stops and live tapping technology—methods typically used in the oil and gas sectors but applied here for the first time in South Australia on an asset of this size. The successful installation involved a Horizontal Directional Drill under the highway and testing of two new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) 710 millimetre diameter trunk mains, whilst the existing main remained online. Live taps were performed to seamlessly integrate the new mains, allowing the old main to be decommissioned. This innovative approach resulted in several benefits: • no water supply disruptions for residents, businesses or other critical services • reduced water wastage where possible  • confined works to a 150-metre section • minimised open trench construction—preserving the cultural and environmental value of the land and limiting traffic disruptions on a key arterial road. This project exemplifies how techniques from other industries can be adapted to tackle the complex challenges of the water sector, achieving outstanding outcomes for SA Water, the community and the broader industry. Award winners will be announced in November! Good luck to the team in SA! #WaterIndustry #Innovation #Sustainability #Infrastructure #MDJV #Diona #AWAWaterAwards #Awards

Completing the installation of twenty-four Obermeyer gates at a hydroelectric plant near Camden, South Carolina on the Catawba River. This project consists of 3 bays, each 4' high by 150' wide, spanning 450 linear feet.

Today, we have published another document in our series of case studies which water companies will be submitting to RAPID to provide information around the current solutions within the RAPID programme.   This case study, developed by Thames Water, focuses on their solution the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO), which is being developed in partnership with Affinity Water and Southern Water. This reservoir, proposed in Thames Water's draft Water Resource Management Plans 2024 (dWRMP24), could store up to 150 million cubic metres of water abstracted from the River Thames during periods of high flow, securing a resilient supply of water for customers across all three companies.   Thames Water is proposing to deliver the project under the Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations (SIPR), subject to the statutory specification process, which would see the reservoir being competitively delivered by a third party Infrastructure Provider (IP).   To learn more about RAPID's preferred commercial models for competitively tendered projects, you can read 'Enabling new water resources – a consultation on commercial arrangements' here: https://lnkd.in/eysjQnCd   Please keep an eye out for more case studies to come soon.   Read more about the case studies at: https://lnkd.in/eTzmsUma

As the main commercial port for the north east of Scotland, Port of Aberdeen, wanted to investigate the best decarbonisation opportunities for the harbour.   Following an initial feasibility study and the completion of a successful Outline Business Case, Port of Aberdeen received over £3m in government funding from the Zero Emission Vessels Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition. The funding would be used to support the deployment of a shore power system at the Point Law Peninsula area of the port.   Speaking at the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference, Eliott Higgins from the Energy Team spoke about the challenges and the opportunities presented when this is done optimally.   He said: “UK shipping accounts for ~3% of total emissions @ ~15 MtCO2,e. Additionally there are the air quality impacts due to pollutants Nitrous Oxide, Sulphur Oxide, etc.”   At the Port of Aberdeen, the Buro Happold team considered and assessed a range of low carbon interventions, identifying that 78% of total carbon emissions occurred from vessels at berth.   Shore power was identified as a critical part for port decarbonisation in Aberdeen. Shore power provides low carbon power to vessels whilst at berth, offsetting the need to run vessel auxiliary engines and significantly reducing the vessel emissions.   “However, this wasn’t simply a case of implementation. We needed to engage various key stakeholder from the DNO, equipment suppliers and harbour operations to identify an optimal design solution and consider the techno-economic viability for shore power.”   Buro Happold have been involved in the demonstrator project to deliver a RIBA Stage 2 design and specification, complete active stakeholder engagement, produce a techno-economic model and support around the Heads of Terms agreements.   To find out more about the project or how we can help you decarbonise your development, contact Eliott Higgins on LinkedIn or Dr James Dickinson here: https://buro.im/4bTbnlY #portsdecarbonisation #energy #shorepower #demonstrator #netzero #burohappold

💧 KEEPING THE WATER FLOWING: INNOVATION WITHOUT INTERRUPTION 💧 We're thrilled to announce that together with SA Water, we’ve been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2024 Australian Water Association Water Awards South Australia in the Infrastructure Project Innovation - Regional category. This recognition highlights our innovative work on the DT-01 Victor Harbor Road Duplication - Myponga Trunk Main Replacement project.  The Myponga Trunk Main Replacement Project set a new standard in the water industry. Tasked with relocating a 900 millimetre diameter  trunk water main, the McConnell Dowell Diona Joint Venture (MDJV) partnered with SA Water to deliver this project with minimal disruption to the local community. Traditionally, such operations require shutting down and draining the main, requiring a temporary water outage. However, in collaboration with design partner WSP, the SA Water and MDJV teams engineered an innovative solution that used line stops and live tapping technology—methods typically used in the oil and gas sectors but applied here for the first time in South Australia on an asset of this size.  The successful installation involved a Horizontal Directional Drill under the highway and testing of two new High-density polyethylene (HDPE) 710 millimetre diameter trunk mains, whilst the existing main remained online. Live taps were performed to seamlessly integrate the new mains, allowing the old main to be decommissioned. This innovative approach resulted in several benefits: - no water supply disruptions for residents, businesses or other critical services  - reduced water wastage where possible  - confined works to a 150-metre section  - minimised open trench construction—preserving the cultural and environmental value of the land and limiting traffic disruptions on a key arterial road. This project exemplifies how techniques from other industries can be adapted to tackle the complex challenges of the water sector, achieving outstanding outcomes for SA Water, the community and the broader industry. Award winners will be announced in November! Good luck to the team in SA! #WaterIndustry #Innovation #Sustainability #Infrastructure #MDJV

From LNG facilities in British Columbia to major dam projects, 2023 was a big year for non-residential construction. Dive into the details of these transformative projects in Part 3 of our blog series, "Reviewing Canada's construction sector in 2023". https://lnkd.in/gcdEQJa8

Construction has begun on Port of Aberdeen’s £4m shore power project, aimed at providing clean electricity to vessels docked at seven berths. Eliott Higgins, Associate, Buro Happold, said “It’s fantastic to see the construction of this project commence, having been involved since 2021. We supported the Port of Aberdeen with an initial decarbonisation study, followed by business case development and design development for contractor procurement. The installation of shore power at Albert and Mearns Quay is expected to reduce the port area’s carbon emissions by more than 80% by reducing marine gas oil consumption, supporting the port’s ambition to be the UK’s first net zero port by 2040.” Our collaboration with Connected Places Catapult, DOF Subsea, Tidewater, OSM Thome, Energy Systems Catapult, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and PowerCon demonstrates the power of public and private partnerships in driving green infrastructure forward. Together, we are evaluating both land-side and vessel-side power infrastructure, and conducting a commercial analysis to assess the financial and socio-economic benefits for the port and its stakeholders. This project is a crucial step towards Port of Aberdeen’s goal of becoming the UK’s first net zero port by 2040. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e3siuHtr   #portsdecarbonisation #energy #shorepower #demonstrator #netzero #burohappold

COIRE GLAS EXPLORATORY TUNNEL COMPLETED Exploratory tunnelling has been completed at SSE Renewables’ Coire Glas project – the UK’s first large-scale pumped storage scheme in 40 years. STRABAG UK completed the 1.2km-long tunnel in the Scottish Highlands after beginning exploratory works in December 2022. SSE Renewables’ technical partners, Stantec and COWI, designed and supervised the ground investigation programme. The works included building a tunnel approximately 5m high x 4.5m wide through the hillside around the proposed location of the underground powerhouse complex. The tunnel will allow the project team to gather accurate information on the geological conditions to inform the detailed design for the main works. Exploratory drilling and testing will continue for the next three months to further investigate the ground in the area of the proposed underground powerhouse excavations. SSE Renewables said the works went to plan, and samples of excavated materials were being analysed. Video courtesy of SSE Renewables Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eVSC_rwa Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

Do you use IfcSystem(s) and IfcGroup(s) in infrastructure projects? I am currently working on structuring objects representing the "Water and Sewer" domain. Here, the division into groups and systems works better than the Spatial Breakdown Structure. Do you have any observations on this topic?