Inside: New garden village plan explored p12 Hampstead Ponds remodelling p44 New Civil Engineer FEBRUARY 2017 | IBP MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR

POwER BAsE BRITAIN wANTs TO LEAD THE wORLD IN TECHNOLOGY

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New Civil Engineer New Civil Engineer Britain must exploit renewaBles advantage

MARK HANSFORD EDITOR

ews this month that the world’s first solar road has Our coasts provide us with opened in France is hugely exciting and shows – once again – how far ahead of the game Britain’s Continental a reliable renewable energy N cousins are when it comes to investing in innovation. It may in itself be modest – Colas subsidiary Wattway source. We could have as much has embedded 2,880 photovoltaic tiles into 1km of road surface at Gué à Pont west of Paris – but the statement of intent is there: France wants to as 50% of Europe’s tidal energy lead the way and has made clear its plan to lay 1,000km of such roads. But will it ever be thus? Does Britain always have to follow? resources This year promises to be a hugely significant one for Britain as Brex- “ it negotiations get into full swing. Depending on your view it is either with a reliable, renewable energy source, which is just beginning to doom and despair or a beautiful new dawn. It could be either: few, if be explored. Some estimate that we could have as much as 50% of Eu- anyone actually knows – that much we do know. rope’s tidal energy resources. But what it most definitely is, is an opportunity for Britain to rein- We are pushing the boundaries with other renewables too in this vent itself as a global leader in technology, much as France (and others) country, as we have shown by building Europe’s largest solar photo- have done over the last few decades. Early last year – pre-referendum voltaic farm in a London reservoir. The wind even blows occasionally, – we mooted that one technology where Britain could present itself as offering opportunities there. a global leader was in high speed rail; capitalising on our bold plans for We are even beginning to explore the opportunities presented by (and even 3) to lead the way in designing and delivering small scale nuclear power. 21st century railways. So is this the moment? That suggestion got a rather lukewarm reader response at the time (“Are OK, yes, we are forging ahead with a fairly large, fairly convention- you having a laugh?” was the typical one). So this month we’re trying again: al nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. And yes, while UK suppliers this time with energy, or more specifically, low carbon energy. will be heavily involved, it is a French design. So right now it perhaps We have unique opportunities in Britain. Our coasts provide us doesn’t feel like the moment Britain shows the world the way. But let’s say, for the sake of not re-opening a long and tedious argu- ment, that Hinkley, while not entirely showcasing the best of British, We are pushing will buy us time. It will provide the UK with a valuable baseload for 20 years or so. That’s 20 years to really kick on and invest in other renew- the boundaries with able technologies; renewable technologies the world wants, technolo- gies that Britain can sell. other renewables too, by building And global markets developing. According to climate change invest- ment tracker Climatescope, Asia, led by China and India, installed far Europe’s largest solar photovoltaic more clean energy capacity in 2015 than the other 56 countries it sur- farm in a London reservoir veyed combined – and in doing so secured £102.8bn in clean energy “ investment. Surely that’s a market worth investing in? FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 3 Contents NEW CIVIL ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2017 MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

03 Comment, 21 This month's big issue: Analysis & News Alternative energy

0 7 Lighthouse: Back to our roots

08 The Edit: High Speed 2 boss defends Euston terminus

09 The Edit: Mersey Gateway viaduct concrete pour completed

10 News Insight: Rail restructuring

12 Analysis: Garden Villages

14 Your View: Heathrow challenges; are engineers doozers? High Speed 2

16 Elevating infrastructure: Delivering projects to grow the economy

58 Institution of Civil Engineers: Children become engineers for a day; Mair confi rmed as next President; Council members sought Britain’s unique geography and climate put it in a strong position to develop and exploit world leading expertise in renewable energy production as it seeks a new way in the world, post-Brexit

22 Overview: Britain aims to become a 36 : Floating, powered world leader in renewable energy energy farms are starting to appear on water reservoirs 26 Storage batteries could soon start to take up the slack when 40 Nuclear: Small modular reactors when there is no wind could be the future

30 Tidal power: Britain is in pole 42 Nuclear: Small reactors could position to exploit emerging supply remote communties with renewable energy technology no Grid access School children: At ICE bridges exhibition

4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER  FEBRUARY 2017 New Civil Engineer Get news delivered daily Weekly Wrap and analysis delivered weekly with our newsletters. Sign-up at newcivilengineer.com

Story of the week: A technical investigation into bridge collapses in South East Asia 44 Technical 48 Technical CONTRIBUTORS Excellence Excellence

Katherine Smale p12 Analysis [email protected] Twitter @katsmaleNCE

Michaila Hancock p16 Elevating infrastructure 44 Engineers have strengthened 48 A major excavation is paving the way embankments supporting for Cardi ’s biggest ever property Hampstead’s system of ponds development

50 World 54 Engineering Fiona McIntyre View Equality p22 Alternative energy fi [email protected] Twitter @fi onamcnce

Robert Henson p34 Maygen [email protected] Twitter @rob_henson

50 Contractors push through mixed 54 The anticipated boom in highway ground to deliver a tunnel for Spain’s maintenance is triggering a big Margo Cole growing high speed rail network diversity push p44 Hampstead Ponds

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NCE_AWD24_100_ AD 265X210.indd 1 07/10/2016 08:39 Lighthouse ICE VIEWPOINT Getting back to our coffee shop roots

he ICE’s foundation delivery of projects. In a time of story still retains its Securing those gains is important. power. Two hundred The poor productivity growth rapid change T years ago a group of of our sector cannot continue engineers gathered without doing real damage to the and big challenges we in the Kendal Coffee House in Fleet sustainability of the industry. Street to share their problems… As Tim laid out in his Presidential need the support and today it is an idea that still makes a Address, however, there is a bigger lot of sense to a lot of people. By ArT WE prize. collective brain power In the UK, 2016 was a good mAsTEr The ability to manage “ of our peers more year for infrastructure. The mega- WhAT WOuld infrastructure in real time and projects – those now famous mAsTEr us guarantee a level of performance – than ever 3H’s of Hinkley, High Speed 2 and unlocking benefits for users, driving Heathrow are moving. But we also up the productivity of the whole have recognition from government economy and generating the wealth themselves into a Digital and clients that important as these to support our growing population. Engineering Community to projects are, they are only part of So what has that got to do with encourage more people to get the story. the coffee shop? involved. The rhetoric coming from Well, in a time of rapid change and Similar developments are taking the government is about high big challenges we need the support place across the Institution. The performing assets and networks. and collective brain power of our world is a more complex place Across the industry, digital is a hot peers more than ever. than in 1818. We have more and button topic. ICE President Tim Of course, the size of the different opportunities – be that Broyd is one of a number of leading profession has grown a bit since driving a continuous improvement players urging us to think of tech as 1818. We can’t get everyone who in our safety performance – or more than a means of improving the needs to be involved in a single making our towns and cities more branch of Starbucks anymore. accommodating for cyclists. But that just means the Institution That just means we need to is working harder to ensure that you create more coffee shops and more ICE President can access knowledge and events communities. And we need you to Tim Broyd is at times and locations that work for get involved. you. The ICE is its members. The one of a number of The technology that lets us do knowledge and capabilities in your that allows us to generate more heads is the professions’ richest leading players urging coffee-shop style communities that resource. can support you as you tackle your So please if you are interested in us to think of tech as professional challenges. joining – or forming – a community, “ In recent years the BIM Action make it your New Year’s resolution more than a means Group, chaired by ’ Anne to get in touch. of improving the Kemp has been one of the most l Please address any comments active communities. about the Lighthouse Column to delivery of projects In 2017 they will transform [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 7 The edit – Feb 17 issue Page 1 Story 1 HS2 boss fires Euston public realm warning https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/hs2-boss-fires-euston-public-realm-warning/10015905.article?blocktitle=News-Insight&contentID=13613

Story 2 trains start London tests MorE https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/crossrail-trains-start-london-tests/10016050.article?blocktitle=News-Feed&contentID=13612 nEwS latest CroSSraIl traI nS Story 3 More than bEGIn nIGHt tEStS Costs at ‘flabby’ TfL to be cut The Edit 100 stories In https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/costs-at-flabby-tfl-to-be-cut/10015651.article ESSENTIAL NEWS & INFORMATION available FROM NEWcIvILENgINEER.cOM Night testing of the new Elizabeth Page 2 this month line trains has begun night testing in Story 1 online at east London following climatic tests newcivil in Vienna. Bombardier’s Derby-built Story 2 trains have recently undergone New Blackfriars pier launched for Tideway engineer.com extreme weather condition testing at the Rail Tec Arsenal test centre https://www.newcivilengineer.com/technical-excellence/new-blackfriars-pier-launched-for-tideway/10015597.article in Vienna. This covered conditions ranging from -25°C up to 40°C, as Story 3 well as examining the trains in Laing O’Rourke reports £245M loss wind, fog and snow. “Subjecting the new trains to a range of climatic https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/laing-orourke-reports-245m-loss/10016054.article conditions, including thick snow and ice, is another crucial step towards Story 4 making sure that the trains perform Tower Bridge works completed as intended whatever the weather. With these new trains entering https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/tower-bridge-works-completed/10016056.article passenger service next year, it is key that all elements of the train are Key facts fully tested so that passengers have 84m a comfortable experience,” said Length of new Blackfriars pier Bombardier senior vehicle engineer £3bn Dean Taplin. Laing O’Rourke’s expected revenue for 2017

latest High Speed 2 boss reassures lonDon Mayor KEy StatS vowS to C ut waStE MPs about improvements to at ‘Flabby’ tFl -25ºC Euston terminus lowest London mayor Sadiq Khan has said temperature he wants to cut waste at “flabby” at which (TfL) in the HIGH SPEED 2 would be a disgrace.” organsation’s new five-year business During the meeting, concerns Crossrail plan. He also plans to accelerate the High Speed 2 Ltd chairman Sir David were raised about the engineering trains tested extension of the Bakerloo Line, with Higgins has told MPs that it would works required, with fears of severe a new completion date of 2028/29 be a “disgrace” if there were no disruptions to passengers while the rather than 2031. Other work improvements to Euston Station works were taking place. Higgins £800M includes opening the Elizabeth line, as a result of the high speed line’s said that his team was currently annual new signalling on the Metropolitan, construction. working to minimise disruption. Hammersmith & City and District Higgins was speaking at a savings & Circle lines and further upgrades Commons transport select committee targeted by to the Jubilee and Northern lines. on the progress made by the High But he says efficiency savings Speed 2 project. He said that despite transport for of almost £800M per year must the fact that the station was to be london be made by 2020/21. This means redeveloped in two phases, it would management cuts, reduced spending be a “disgrace” if the overall station to come out of on consultants, reviewing supplier was left unimproved and that no deals and contracts and saving thought was given to interfaces and this with not £80M per year by taking back Tube upgrades to the existing station. maintenance currently being done “What we all want is something a vast improvement by Amey. TfL also aims to raise better for Euston,” said Higgins. on the public realm £3.4bn by 2023 through property “To come out of this with not a vast development, advertising and improvement on the public realm “would be a disgrace consultancy work. 8 new civil engineer | February 2017 s tructures Gateway span completed

Construction teams finished casting the second span of the Mersey Gateway’s south elevated approach viaduct 25m above the Manchester Ship Canal before Christmas. The work involved pouring around 160 truckloads of concrete into the 1,155m3 mould over a 24-hour period. In total, the movable scaffolding system will be used to cast eight reinforced concrete spans to create the central section of the approach viaduct. t ransport latest s tructures tIDEway ProjECt l aInG o’rourKE KEy StatS towEr brIDGE buIlDS nEw PIEr announCES FIrSt rEoPEnS aFtEr For lonDon FErry traDInG loSS For £245.6M MaIntEnanCE PaSSEnGErS 15 yEarS laing ProGraMME o’rourke A new pier has been launched in Laing O’Rourke has announced trading loss Tower Bridge reopened more than the heart of London after months a trading loss of £245.6M for the a week ahead of schedule after the of challenging construction work year ending 31 March 2016. It is the completion of major maintenance on the . Tideway group’s first loss for 15 years. works. The City of London – the company behind the 25km The company expects to return Corporation said that planning and Thames Tideway Tunnel – built to profit at the end of the 2017 good weather meant the works were the new Blackfriars pier so that financial year, with an anticipated completed just before Christmas. river ferry passengers can keep £3bn revenue. “The genesis of The work was carried out by using river transport and access this deterioration in profitability contractor Bam Nuttall and included the embankment while work to is rooted in the fact that coming decking replacement, corrosion construct the tunnel takes place out of a recession that had a prevention and repairs, replacement nearby. Work to build the pier negative impact over some six of worn expansion joints, road and started in November 2015, with years (2009/14), it would have walkway resurfacing, approach contractors reinforcing the river been difficult to avoid the severe viaduct waterproofing, an wall to the east of Blackfriars Bridge, headwinds our industry has endured overhaul of key mechanical and lift the site of the new 84m long pier. Six through this period, which drove components and general repairs metal supports, weighing more than margins down to painful levels, to the towers (New Civil Engineer 40t each, were then transported alongside revenue reductions,” last month). “I am looking forward by sea from Italy and pushed up to said chairman and chief executive to seeing traffic going over Tower 23m into the riverbed to create an Ray O’Rourke. Austerity measures Bridge again and I hope motorists anchor for the new pontoon. The announced by the government in enjoy the brand new, smooth road tunnel runs from west London to October 2010 hit the group’s forward surface,” said Tower Bridge head Beckton in the east of the capital. order book. Chris Earlie.

February 2017 | new civil engineer 9 News Insight Emily Ashw E ll What will more integration mean for the railways?

ail suppliers are Rail: At present Association (Ceca) chief executive anxiously awaiting Alasdair Reisner. further details on has to pay train “And if people have different R major rail reforms operators for incentives, I can well understand announced by the access to track trying to bring them together in government in November, to see terms of alignment.” how the policy impacts Network Rail But Reisner said the move could and how far supply chains will be have major repercussions for involved. contractors and suppliers. Transport secretary Chris Currently Network Rail has to Grayling has confirmed that new pay to train operating companies rail franchises include a degree of when it takes track out of service. integration between train operating The system financially penalises companies and track operator Network Rail for work done at short Network Rail. The first integration notice, and there are concerns that Our railways moves will be on the South Eastern risk or liability for this could be and East Midlands networks, where passed to suppliers. are much better franchises are due to be awarded The run by one joined up next year. has told New Civil Engineer that it The plans also include the is too early to say whether these team of people creation of , a new new franchise agreements will integrated rail operation, separate involve a review of payments to to Network Rail and more like train operators, saying that the “Coast Main Line. Crossrail. “I intend to start bringing announcement was an “overarching The operation will be chaired by back together the operation of vision” with the details still to be former Chiltern Rail chief executive track and train on our railways,” worked out. Rob Brighouse and will be fully said Grayling. “Our railway is much Reisner said his members would integrated in a bid to speed up the better run by one joined up team of look for consistency throughout design, build and operation of the people. They don’t have to work for the change, to ensure there is no new to route. the same company. They do have to fragmentation in delivery or new Network Rail chief executive Mark work in the same team.” 735M factors introduced, such as lowest Carne said competition was good Civil engineering contractors Passenger cost or risk dumping. for any organisation that is striving are now waiting to find out what “This is setting off a note to to behave like a private sector the announcement means in terms journeys by industry to say that things are business. of the relationship between train rail in 1995 changing. I think this is the start of a Carne added that that was why operating companies, Network Rail, conversation of how, if we are going he has also announced that past and its supply chain. to do things differently, we are going ICE president and former chief “There’s certainly some sense in 1.6bn to do things differently together,” construction advisor Peter Hansford trying to remove some interfaces Passenger he says. will chair an independent review that can causes challenges in East West Rail, meanwhile, is into the barriers to competition terms of delivery in the network,” journeys by intended to further the alliance in all elements of delivering rail says Civil Engineering Contractors rail 2014 model used effectively on the West engineering projects.

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Public transport will determine housing programme success

ew plans for 14 New villages: need to appeal to the working garden villages it is important demographic by offering sustainable promise to tackle that new homes means of transport – connecting N the housing crisis. have good workers to jobs. But will they simply public transport They must not simply evolve into create a new wave of 1960s car- connections retreats for retirees to enjoy the centric developments or will this quiet, green and pleasant land be the government’s opportunity to Public transport connections create 21st century exemplar places are key. How they are developed to live? could determine how successful and The garden villages have been integrated the new communities defined as areas with anything from will be. 1,500 to 10,000 homes. The aim is The government therefore must to provide around 48,000 homes not pay lip service to sustainability in total. The government also and instead put a robust public Unless you have announced its support for three transport system in place to cut ties new garden towns – of over 10,000 to the car. good external homes each – in , Taunton “These small developments connectivity, then and Harlow & Gilston. have the potential to be really As part of the announcement, the good for encouraging walking you lapse into car government has said that the new and cycling locally,” says Mott villages – which are situated from MacDonald development manager, connectivity Devon to Derbyshire and Cornwall cities Jo Baker. “ to Cumbria – will be distinct new “However, the danger is, unless places with their own community you have good external connectivity with public transport. facilities, rather than extensions of then you lapse into car connectivity There is little incentive for private existing urban areas. 10,000 anyway.” developers to venture from the However, developments of Maximum This statement of intent may be norm or build housing quickly as this size are unlikely to stimulate number of obvious, but it will not be easy to this could result in the market being significant job opportunities within implement. flooded with new homes. their boundaries, meaning the homes in each Funding for the villages is one To make these areas truly solve average person will need to travel to new village of the areas which could create a the housing crisis, the government get to work. sticking point to the development will have to play an active role As distinct new places, they are of a fully integrated plan. The in providing a fully integrated also unlikely to be built within 48,000 government has allocated a £6M transport and infrastructure plan walking distance of an existing Government fund over the next two financial up front. railway station. Their small size years to support the delivery of the After all, left to their own devices means that it is improbable that a target for new projects. developers will simply build homes, case can be made for building a spur new homes The rest will come from so it is up to the government to put off a nearby rail line. developers, and this could lead to up homes in places where people So if they are to make any in garden problems, especially when it comes want to live and make them truly dent in the housing crisis, they villages to integrating new developments functional.

12 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 Tech Bites NEW INNOVATIONS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR PROJECTS NEWCIVILENgINEER.COM/FUTURE-TECH

t ransport mass traN sIt system for self drI ve Cars

Architecture practice PLP has unveiled a mass transit concept for a new underground transport solution for autonomous vehicles in London. The proposed CarTube network would run at a nominal depth of 30m below the capital’s densely populated subterranean zone. The design integrates existing motorways with a network of small bore tunnels. Automated cars, circulating above and below ground, would be controlled via a dynamic platoon system allowing them to travel within milliseconds of one another. The underground network would increase transport capacity, relieve congestion and free up public space above ground.

Infrastructure Low carbon s tructures NIC publI shes fIrst GrI d ready bre to researC h healthy buI ldING INfrastruCture eleCtrICIt y desIGN to explore ImpaCt of supply aNd storaGe battery INdoor eN vIroNmeNts oN health demaNd paper developed

The National Infrastructure A trial of the largest grid-scale Commission (NIC) has battery in Britain has proved it published the first in a series can potentially transform the of papers exploring factors energy grid and play a major affecting infrastructure supply role in the transition towards and demand. The Impact of a low-carbon economy. The Technological Changes on “big battery”, designed and run Future Infrastructure Supply by UK Power Networks and Research body BRE plans to would refurbish an existing and Demand, will be used based in Leighton Buzzard, undertake a pilot project to building at its head office in to help inform the National , stores energy measure the real-world health Watford. The aim of the project Infrastructure Assessment when demand is low and and wellbeing of building is to enable research into the (NIA). The paper focuses releases it at peak times. occupants. The trial will impacts of indoor environments on technology and its The Smarter Network Storage involve creating the Healthy on human health and wellbeing conclusions are designed (SNS) facility is described as the Research Building, the UK’s first while generating evidence- to help the commission put first grid-scale battery storage operational workplace research based information that could be together plausible infrastructure project in the UK and the only environment. The accrediting used in practical ways to create scenarios between now and 2050. one of its kind in operation. body said that the project healthier indoor spaces.

February 2017 | new civil engineer 13 we are quick to point out the bad consequences of penny pinching on previous infrastructure projects, yet when it comes to HS2 we can only see the cost and not the value. Andrew Thomson posted online Your View on article headed “‘Technical challenges still to be faced’ on HS2’” letters to the editor ANd CoMMeNts oNliNe

Infrastructure aRe we Really such a bunch of doozeRs? Infrastructure if the initial 30% extra air voids Resilience needed foR are fully flooded, and collapse is initiated locally, there is nowhere I read the ICE-led National Needs population gRowth @ for the excess water to go to and Assessment with interest to see static liquefaction spreads suddenly what this high-powered group had I agree with your Comment on and rapidly through the fill, as at produced and was not disappointed. infrastructure renewal and resilience Aberfan. This sudden spread cannot The document provides the (New Civil Engineer December be reliably predicted or detected government with a clear way 2016). However, I think you missed by pore pressure measurement, or forward. However, there is a major the mark with your elephant in instantly relieved by under drainage. issue which demonstrates the the room metaphor. Coping with read more The moral of Aberfan is to mindset of ICE members – rather climate change appears as a subject compact all major fills as they like the Doozers of “Fraggle letters at of topical interest in a wide variety are placed, especially on sloping Rock” we would rather build of publications, including New Civil www.newcivil ground, or as possible future new things than look after that Engineer. The real elephant in the engineer.com parts of a mining operation such which we already have. Other room is population growth. as a tailings dam. The cost of than a few minor comments in the David Crook (M) [email protected] add your compaction is minor compared to Welsh section, there is only one comments to the excavation and transport, and short paragraph relating to asset the fill remains re-usable. management, which I quote: “Much G e O tecH n I caL our stories online or email David Cox (M), david.cox37@ of the UK’s infrastructure such abeRfan showed need your letters to btinternet.com as sewer systems, rail network foR tip compaction your.view@nce. infrastructure and housing stock have been serving the UK for over co.uk H IGH s peed 2 Letters in New Civil Engineer’s a hundred years; much longer than December issue discussed 50mph speed cut originally designed for. Many of alternative explanations for the would save money... these assets now need replacement Aberfan disaster: the “sealed off” or investment to extend their lives. pore pressure below the spoil tip; I have a suggestion for saving High Given current economic constraints, and the build-up of pore pressure Speed 2 costs – drop the operating a strategic asset management within the spoil tip. These suggest speed from 250mph to 200mph. approach is required to provide under drainage and/or pore That would guarantee a reduction clear prioritisation and better pressure measurement as the in design and construction performance.” respective precautions. costs. However, I doubt HS2 Ltd Surely an issue which commands Both explanations are true engineering director Tim Smart and more capital investment than but miss a third factor related to his masters would agree to anything building new assets, should have uncompacted or insufficiently so sensible – for obvious reasons. been given greater prominence? compacted fill, which is not David Watts, posted online on article Peter Styles [email protected] necessarily relieved by under headed “Technical challenges still to drainage or registered by pore be faced’ on HS2” pressure measurement. Excavation and tipping entrains 20% to 30% extra air voids which ... but not that much can mostly be removed by compaction. If left uncompacted, I don’t think you’d see much cost the air gradually seeps out (or is saving. The standard operating replaced by water) as the unstable speed assumed for timetabling is voids very slowly collapse. The void 205mph, with a maximum design collapse is a creep process known speed of 225mph to allow time to be as collapse settlement which can made up if there is minor disruption. be accelerated by shocks or stress The alignment is designed to allow and moisture changes. Eventually running speeds up to 250mph in the the fill stabilises at a higher density future. Seems like sensible future- and moisture content. However proofing to me. As an industry doozers: obsessed with building new

14 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 MaI n p OInt More heathrowYoUr VieWs ANd oP iNChallengesioNs

In the December 2016 issue of New Civil Engineer, which an ally? There was a chance to have an exemplar energy The UK has just signed the Paris highlighted our role in fighting floods, the editor rightly says scheme with wind, solar and tidal power on the same site, at Agreement on Climate Change with carbon that the elephant in the room is climate change and that the probably a fraction of the cost and with none of the controlling emission reduction targets of 90% by 2050. £1bn annual cost of flooding is similar to the cost of not having restraints. The civil engineering profession has a key another runway at Heathrow. However, the benefit of a third I feel alienated by New Civil Engineer and the ICE’s role in achieving these targets, and what runway is purely speculative, whereas the cost of flooding is positions on these subjects, and so will not be renewing my we plan and build now is fundamental in almost bound to rise. membership. My subscriptions may be better spent supporting delivering this. Moreover, the roundtable on airports headed “Can we more environmentally sound organisations. Is it an intelligent adaptable profession deliver sustainable airports?”, states that airlines intend to John Lee (M) [email protected] embracing change and engaging with the cut carbon by creating forests or funding carbon reductions great issues of the day? elsewhere. How many trees have airlines planted to date? As It is difficult to believe that our profession appears to These are tectonic shifts in our lives. global warming is causing forest fires as well as floods, be supporting the architectural fancy being promoted The transport sector is a vital part of increasing flights may have dire consequences – for Heathrow. It is a wart of an airport outside the economy and contributes roughly a quarter of CO emissions; engine efficiency an ethical dilemma for engineers who will an airport. The concept is impractical 2 be glad of the work entailed in building a strategically, technically, operationally improvements are not going to deliver in third runway. and financially. I do not need vast the required order of magnitude. We have Richard Bloore (M) richardbloore@ studies to support this position incredible computing power readily and hotmail.com based on my experience of being cheaply available and working smarter and charged with creating the using spare capacity are fertile areas for I was perturbed to read both concepts for Maplin, Terminal change. the Comment and Lighthouse 4, North Terminal Gatwick, Cars are convenient and hugely popular. in the December 2016 New Stansted and Terminal 5. Being seen as anti-car is political suicide, Civil Engineer. The editor The perpetually overlooked yet how we achieve the Paris Goals with is telling us “we must answer has always been current car usage patterns is hard to see. support Heathrow” and Stansted. I lay myself open But if we are taking people out of traffic those who do not believe to Parliamentary or any jams and out of long commutes rather than in this third runway project other challenge. Meanwhile out of cars it just might sell. are “cynics”. Well, my the national interest is Meanwhile the aviation industry contributes 6% of UK’s CO emissions. engineering background suffering and the planning 2 How do we achieve sustainable CO has taught me to question blight is cruel because 2 and be rational, considering of the delay in finding a emissions and air quality levels while all aspects of schemes solution to the immediate expanding capacity? If we are to reduce including the environmental and long term need. emissions by 90% – and even if aviation and human aspects. H Pageot (F) Posted online on emissions remain at their current level – In a similar vein, Lighthouse article headed “New Heathrow my schoolboy maths tells me they will take talks about Heathrow, Hinkley and runway gets government approval” up 60% of our quota: and this is mostly for High Speed 2, and tells us to “come leisure travel, mostly by wealthier citizens. together to support a shared set of The suggestion that the major airports Can someone explain the intelligent goals” and “get behind Armitt and support could be joined together by high speed rail engaged thinking behind that? his work”. connections was dismissed by the editor on the The Heathrow area is already overheated; the grounds that they are in different ownerships Chris Edwards M25 has five often stationary lanes of traffic in each direction, This has no validity. Companies frequently act in concert [email protected] other roads are frequently severely congested, the area is if they find it to be of mutual benefit. Early in the third already over the air pollution thresholds, killing and adversely runway discussion, spokespersons were heard being almost affecting the health of many, and noise pollution is adversely contemptuous in their dismissal of building the new runway at affecting thousands of residents. The scheme is being pushed Gatwick and linking it by high speed railway to Heathrow, to by big business, but opposed by most of the locally elected create a four runway hub. At High Speed 1 speeds, this would democratic representatives. On a practical operating point, take about 17 minutes. The dismissals of this idea, previously how can this world class airport operate with night flying dubbed , were doubtless made for narrow restrictions, or will those be overturned too? commercial interests rather than the national interest. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FIND A PICTURE Regarding Hinkley, do we want to tie in doubled electricity A serious examination of what appears to be a good solution OF THE DOOZERS costs with foreign-owned companies, and also have design would be interesting. and financial control by a country which has been far from Ken Bowman (M) [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 15 DELIVERING DEBATE PROJECTS TO GROW THE ECONOMY AT LEV ING

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16 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | FEBRUARY 2017 READ MORE DEBATES AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/NCE-LIVE

his year is a hugely signifi cant as well as how we deliver new assets more one for civil engineers and civil effectively.” engineering. Late last year, the The UK currently spends 0.8% of GDP government made clear its on infrastructure investment, and the intention to encourage spending government is looking to spend between 1% on infrastructure. Announcements to 1.2% of GDP on economic infrastructure about Hinkley Point C and Heathrow boosted between 2020 and 2050. Tconfi dence and then, through the Autumn This also brings assurances, said Waller. Statement and the associated National “We are not sprinting to a cliff edge; it Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, [current infrastructure spending] is part of the government demonstrated its intention a sustained growing long-term investment to invest in infrastructure in the name of programme. The challenge with that level of economic growth. But what comes next? investment and longevity is how do we make The next six months are of great sure we are delivering things better, but importance as the reborn National better things as well? Infrastructure Commission builds up its “We want to deliver much better outcomes picture of the UK’s infrastructure needs with 1% to 1.2%, then that should allow us to moir: new tech comes from efficiency need before publishing its National Infrastructure invest more in more projects. It’s the dream Assessment in summer 2017. It will be hugely to not spend 1% to 1.2%, but to deliver better infl uential in determining where government outcomes, and that requires us to think in a The technology we prioritises its future spending. bit more connected way about how we get So what does the short term future there,” he adds. use now we would hold? The week before Christmas New Civil Engineer convened a think tank of industry embracing technology to allow innovation never have envisaged 10 clients, decision makers and leaders to To fi ll the skills gap, Heathrow director Ian assess the state of the market, comment on Ballentine said the industry must build up years ago the industry’s readiness to capitalise on the its entire offering. “We need to bolster all opportunities, and identify the steps needed the elements far more,” he said. “The whole to ensure the industry is ready and able to people focus, the whole IT focus, these “with it. The threat is, if we don’t embrace deliver. peripheral aspects. We focus on the tasks technology for the effi ciency side, we also and ultimately the outcome and should don’t have the bit that helps sell this exciting no longer a pipe dream put far more effort into how we create the world we work in.” Crucially, the National Infrastructure and structure to get the people working.” Highways technology programmes Construction Pipeline is no longer a wish Tideway strategic projects director Phil director Richard Moir added there was no list – and does not include projects that Stride agreed and added that the industry need to panic about technology. “don’t exist”, or do not have some form needed to be sold to potential employees in “The technology we use now, we would of government or other approval and the terms that young people understand. have never envisaged 10 years ago, but we funding commitment. So stressed Keith “Technology is changing and useful to put the infrastructure in place,” he said. “We Waller, as senior advisor to the Treasury’s effi ciently deliver infrastructure in the new need to think about how we build the big Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA). world,” he said, “but the other side of the infrastructure that people can hook on to, “For example, the pipeline doesn’t include coin is that technology is changing, and the to give effi ciencies or drive new technology. South East airports capacity or as young people living in this age are changing We can’t second guess what the new these projects haven’t got full funding or the technology is going to be, but we can put the go-ahead,” he explained. infrastructure in place to allow it to happen. This is signifi cant, said Waller, as it allows “We shouldn’t try and boil the ocean and the industry to do some long-term skills second guess what the new technology is planning with confi dence. going to be, because that will come out of “We can now do long term planning with people trying to be more effi cient,” he added. an element of certainty and confi dence behind it because we are assured there is a shared economy long term programme of future investment Waller also urged the industry to get better ahead of us,” he said. at sharing good practice across the industry. Waller stressed that focus – and skills – on “I guess we could be 30% more effi cient in maintaining and renewing existing assets how we deliver infrastructure if we don’t do must also be retained. anything new, but just deploy existing best “Infrastructure is not only new projects,” practice more consistently and more widely. he said. “Ninety fi ve percent of the assets We just need to have a better platform we are going to need in 20 years’ time are to share best practice, rather than every here already. We need to keep that focus on project, every client and every supplier the performance of the current asset base Waller: ‘We can plan with confidence’ inventing their own innovation.”

FEBRUARY 2017 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 17 Elevating Infrastructure Forum

We will not be at the leading edge of Think Tank members technology Ian Ballentine executive procurement Tim Smart project engineering director, director, Heathrow HS2 Ltd Keith Bowers head of tunnels, London Andrew Striven technical director Underground programme management, MWH UK Power Networks director of capital Mark Hansford editor, New Civil Engineer Phil Stride strategic projects director, “programmes and procurement Nirmal Nirmal Kotecha director of capital Tideway Kotecha agreed. “It’s the better use of space programmes and procurement, UK Power Hannah Vickers head of project initiation capacity and using technology to identify Networks routemap infrastructure performance, that,” he said. “It expands your thinking of Richard Moir technology programmes Infrastructure Projects Authority what the shared economy could do for the director, Highways England Keith Waller senior advisor, Infrastructure construction industry, and it’s phenomenal.” Jason Pavey market director local Projects Authority On innovation, “we want to be a fast transport, Atkins Alexandra Wynne deputy editor, New Civil second,” added Kotecha. “We will not be the Richard Shennan group practice manager Engineer leading edge of technology.” buildings, Mott MacDonald Waller agreed with the massive potential of the shared economy. “One of the challenges is that we invest in things that have a direct benefit to ourselves. The shared economy messages To The indusTry of the digital transformation enables a wider blend of who benefits. Not just the private sector, but to the wider economy. The potential is massive.” “We need to know who is up for really making “We need a new approach to assessing cost change happen in the industry. It needs clients benefit ratios for major projects as it always Transforming the shape of the industry and contractors coming together. But it will be comes out bad. We need to think about how Kotecha said the industry should challenge painful.” the government can better enable clients to itself and “destroy its business model Nirmal Kotecha UK Power Networks make the case for infrastructure.” in terms of how it currently generates Tim Smart HS2 Ltd revenue”. “The focus needs to be on improving “We need to flush out waste, as opposed the benefits to citizens and end users of “We need to take a look at the maturity of the to thinking ‘it is in my interest to leave this infrastructure which requires us to think of client and the sponsor, and get both of those to spare capacity lying idle as the client is whole life performance of assets, not just the look at managing their asset base better.” going to pay for it’,” he said. “This should be construction.” Hannah Vickers Infrastructure Projects offered as value to the client.” Keith Waller IPA Authority “There is something about the infrastructure business that is not driven “Clients need to take ownership of driving “In devolved powers, we need strong and by efficiency,” added Ballentine. “The way innovation through the supply chain and mature local leadership to bring coalition it achieves efficiency is de-scoping, and not just talking about it and waiting for it to partnerships together.” creating a lesser scheme to cut costs. happen.” Andrew Striven MWH Ian Ballentine Heathrow “We ought to focus on early and repeated wins “With the devolution agenda, we need to to evolve our infrastructure, and encourage get the devolved authorities linked up with what we don’t know by encouraging people to shared goals. By collaborating with the likes of use that infrastructure properly.” Highways England there is a huge amount of Richard Moir Highways England potential.” Jason Pavey Atkins “Working together is easy to say, but harder to do and even harder to make successful for “We need to properly connect what we do everyone involved. It requires new ways of more closely to the point of what we do.” working.” Richard Shennan Mott MacDonald Phil Stride Tideway

“The industry needs to be better at analysing what we value and what are successful outcomes, and communicating it and recognising and aligning people’s thinking.” Keith Bowers Vickers: improving asset management is key

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025 Jan17 NCE mag FP_210x265_v1.indd 1 06/01/2017 15:19 SPECIAL REPORT Alternative Energy

BRITAIn POSITIOnS ITSELf AS TEChnOLOgy LEAdER / PAgE 22 BATTERIES COuLd SOOn TAkE uP REnEwABLES SLACk / PAgE 26 SCOTLAnd’S fIRST TIdAL POwER SChEmE / PAgE 32 RESERvOIR OwnERS TAP InTO SOLAR POwER / PAgE 36 SmALLER REACTORS COuLd BE ThE fuTuRE fOR nuCLEAR / PAgE 40/42

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 21 Out On Our Own renewables cOuld help britain becOme mOre self sufficient in terms Of enerGY, pOst-brexit BY Fiona Mci ntY r e

Alternative solar technology has boomed. Self- sufficiency is on the rise. Energy But, there are unique opportunities in Britain. Its coasts are a reliable, renewable energy source which is n 24 June 2016, British just beginning to be explored. Some citizens woke up to the estimate that Britain could have as news that – for better much as 50% of Europe’s tidal energy or worse – they would resources. be forging their own Although the industry is just way in the world. beginning to take root, projects Among the jubilation and the such as the MeyGen tidal power Ohand-wringing following the European development in Scotland (see page referendum result there were more 32) – which has just received the opinions than facts, and not much go ahead for its next phase – and has changed in the months that the Tidal Lagoon Power project have followed. But is it time to see the positives rather than view the inevitable challenges with doom and gloom? in the past 10 After all, with the upheaval comes an opportunity for reinvention. And years while what better role to choose than that of world leader in the rapidly we’ve been talking emerging field of alternative energy source development? about Hinkley, nuclear A recent report from clean energy investment tracking body has got more expensive Climatescope report says that “ developing nations are taking the and slower to build, lead in renewable energy production. and the alternatives The same study found that in areas with low access to electricity, have got cheaper

22 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 in Swansea Bay show that if taken seriously enough, tidal power could We’ve got provide a steady, reliable energy special supply. What is more, our shores give us conditions around a natural stage on which to lead the way with our expertise. As Tidal the UK that allow us Lagoon Power director of engineering and construction Mike Unsworth to lead in so many of says: “Developing tidal lagoons which “ exploit our tides around our island these different fields, coastline basically ensures we are generating our own, home-grown, from tidal to wind and secure and sustainable energy.” Boundaries are also being pushed solar with other renewables in the UK. Thames Water is building Europe’s largest solar photovoltaic farm in a energy since then. London reservoir (see p36). “The lines have crossed in a way. And yet Britain is also forging We’ve gone from a position where ahead with the Hinkley Point C new nuclear looked like it was going nuclear power station which – while to be modular and quick to build and bringing 64% of the project’s £18bn the supply chain would grow – and it value to the UK supply chain – relies would be affordable – and wind and on Chinese and French expertise. On [solar] looked like they top of that, a report published last were slow-growing and looked more autumn by University College London expensive. predicts that Hinkley Point C could be “And then in the past 10 years obsolete within a decade of opening while we’ve been talking about in 2025. Hinkley, nuclear has got more “Technically and economically, expensive and slower to build, and Hinkley no longer makes sense,” says the alternatives have got cheaper, and Andrew Smith, principal research the supply chains have grown much associate at the Bartlett School, faster – of the order of 20% or 30% a UCL’s built environment centre . He year,” says Smith. is also deputy director of the Energy Indeed, even small modular Epidemiology Research Centre. reactors (SMRs) seem to be facing According to Smith, Hinkley problems. While they could meet appeared to be a good decision in some localised energy needs, the early noughties when it was first production costs – and negative discussed. But a lot has happened in associations from the public – have the fields of nuclear and alternative slowed growth.

cliMatescope report

Developing countries Economic Co-operation countries surveyed by are taking the lead on and Development Climatescope combined. clean energy and have countries. Four in five of Asian countries secured 18% more renewable the countries surveyed £102.8bn in clean energy capacity than wealthier have now set clean investment, or 82% of countries, according to a energy targets. what was deployed in the report from clean energy Lower solar photovoltaic 58 nations surveyed. investment tracking equipment costs resulted Clean energy body climatescope. in a 43% increase in policies are becoming utility-scale investment in more widely adopted In the 58 emerging 2015 to £58.1bn, meaning across sub-Saharan markets assessed, that solar power can now Africa. Fourteen of 19 69.8GW of new beat fossil fuel prices in Climatescope countries renewable generating some nations. from the region have capacity was created Led by China and introduced renewable by developing countries India, Asia installed energy targets. Clean in 2015 compared to far more clean energy energy investment 59.2GW by wealthier capacity in 2015 nearly doubled to £4.2bn Organisation for than the other 56 between 2014 and 2015.

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 23 Alternative Energy Overview

the reason it’s been so successful in expanding very quickly “is because the policy support has been there

So what is the point of pushing forward with Hinkley? Past ICE President, energy expert and Aecom director Richard Coackley thinks that Hinkley is important for providing baseload capacity, and that the UK needs a diverse energy mix. “We need a selection of energy sources,” he says, stressing that diverse energy sources – including Hinkley – are crucial to the UK’s efforts to innovate. “Diversity across the energy mix means that we are keeping ahead on intellectual property and so we’re leading the way across the world. We’ve got special conditions around the UK that allow us to lead in so many of these different fields, from tidal to wind and solar – all really exciting,” says UK Power According to Tidal Lagoon Power’s those things are just so important to Networks low carbon technology Swansea Bay chair and former Atkins increase the UK’s energy security,” KeY Facts and customer engagement manager chief executive Keith Clarke, it is all says Coackley. Adriana Laguna. about the price curve. “The moment While tidal power could provide “I think batteries…will play a really you start to get energy storage that’s a steady supply of energy, the 6MW key role in terms of the future of the really cheap, either at a domestic technology is still in its infancy. And Generating smart grid.” level, or the community level, or a Hinkley will provide stability at a time UK Power Networks is pushing town level, or a regional level – and I when the National Grid is having to capacity ahead on battery technology. The think you’ll end up with all of those adapt to the disruptive increase in of Meygen company has recently completed a trial to different degrees – your argument renewable technology, which – while phase 1a involving a giant battery which can for a baseload nuclear actually does good for meeting carbon reduction meet a whole town’s energy needs for a become irrelevant,” he says. targets – brings an element of few hours each day (see p26). Clarke stresses that this could have instability to electricity supplies. 3,500 Storage has positive implications a positive impact on tidal projects Traditionally, electricity generation for the wider energy market too. If such as that proposed for Swansea has followed a stable path from number of storage becomes widely available, the Bay. “If we [Swansea Bay] had energy generation to consumption. It has homes which problem of renewable unreliability storage that was cheap, for three or also been relatively steady and could be goes away, meaning more freedom for four hours, we’d become baseload.” easy to control. But renewables are experimentation and innovation. Indeed, the latest capacity market unreliable – the sun has to shine for powered by “Intellectual property in all these auction brought mainstream storage solar panels to generate power, and phase 1a sorts of things [renewables] will be a a step closer with several battery the wind must blow for a wind farm to prime fundamental of actually leading storage projects winning contracts. provide energy. the way as an independent UK,” says But battery storage is not the only The biggest challenge over the next Coackley. answer – solutions such as cryogenic few years will be in trying to counter So storage seems to be the biggest technology are being used to address this unreliability. Storage technology game changer – and potential the storage issue too. is taking centre stage, and batteries disrupter – for the energy market, The energy market is changing are getting special attention. possibly making the argument for so fast that it is hard to keep up. “For the electricity system it’s Hinkley obsolete. However, some feel that government

24 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 CApACIty MArkEt AnD SubSIDIES

“Government subsidies for renewable technology were intended to help the markets establish themselves”

the capacity market is the government’s main tool like solar are not well enough established to thrive for making sure that energy is available during without subsidies. times of high demand, for example, in winter. the Feed-in-tariff (FIt) system was started in 2010, and offers subsidies for electricity generated by buying capacity in advance, the government from some renewables. the subsidies are limited to ensures that there is enough electricity schemes up to 5MW capacity and are best suited infrastructure to cope with peaks in demand. for smaller generation projects, for example solar Essentially it makes sure that any gaps are filled so panels on homes or businesses. t he subsidies are that the lights stay on. expected to be phased out in 2019. the capacity market has received criticism for the renewables Obligation (rO) was awarding contracts to diesel generation projects, established in 2002. It obliges energy companies even though the market is part of the government’s to buy a certain amount of their capacity from decarbonisation plan. renewables sources and is designed for large-scale UK power networks’ two new gas power stations got the go-ahead generation projects up to 1.5GW. t he rO scheme Grid scale battery after their backers won energy supply contracts is closing in March . after the government’s most recent capacity the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme market auction in December. replaces the rO. It involves awarding capped subsidy cuts have had a damaging subsidies to renewables suppliers. the CfD is impact on the renewable sector and Subsidies considered controversial by some, as funds are its growth. Government subsidies for renewable technology allocated by auction and different technologies “The reason it’s [renewable were intended to help the markets establish compete against each other. Additionally there is technology] been so successful in themselves, and were always going to be phased a split between non-established technologies such expanding very quickly is because the out at some stage. as offshore wind and tidal energy, and established policy support has been there. The but there has been concern that support has technologies such as solar and onshore wind. t he policy has been completely changed dropped off too quickly, meaning that industries latter two will not be funded for the next auction. in the last 18 months or so and it’s really not helpful,” says Renewable Energy Association senior policy analyst Frank Gordon. Subsidy changes have had a noticeable impact on solar power, with changes to the feed-in-tariff and renewables obligation affecting the sector’s finances the most. If Britain is to establish itself in the post-Brexit world, it must take its own efforts to innovate a little more seriously. And that means more risk-taking on tidal power projects, more innovation in storage and more support for other renewables. Failure to do so carries the risk of having to rely on others to lead the way, at a time when the British British sea turbine companies are hoping the government will continue to subsidise the technology electorate has voted against just that. N

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 25 Power Banks energy storage technology is Becoming increasingly viaBle BY FIONA MCKINTYRE

26 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 READ MORE ABOUT FUTURE TECHNOLOGY AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/FUTURE-TECH

Progress is already happening – a project four years ago, and it has Alternative recently published report from the recently finished a two-year trial Renewable Energy Association (REA) KEY FACTS operation to prove that energy Energy shows that the UK has at least 453MW storage can be commercially viable. of new, largely battery based storage The 6MW/10MWh battery is the capacity planned or in development. 6MW size of three tennis courts and looks he latest capacity market “Storage, in the context of Capacity of a little like a data centre. It has been auction has generated renewables, becomes really powering 6,000 homes in the town some exciting news. While interesting because the technology is UK prototype during its peak consumption time and that may sound like an fascinating,” says UK Power Networks storage will continue to do so, as UKPN is still oxymoron, in this case it (UKPN) low carbon technology and battery running the battery. is justified as it marks a customer engagement manager The technology is not new – we milestone for new storage technology. Adriana Laguna. carry batteries in our phones every TThe capacity market is designed The energy distribution company 453MW day – but using it to support the Grid to ensure that electricity is available has a special interest in developing is novel. during times of high demand – for storage technology. Traditionally, Amount “For the electricity system, it’s example during the winter months. the generation and transmission of of battery really exciting,” says Laguna. It allows the government to buy electricity in the UK has followed a storage With more decentralised generation capacity in advance, making sure we simple path. Electricity is generated becoming the norm, battery storage have enough electricity infrastructure and then transmitted around the capacity for the home is another area to to cope with peaks in demand. country at high voltage by the planned or in watch. The capacity market has its flaws National Grid. “If you have more renewables, if and has been criticised because of the Regional distribution companies development you have a lot of electric vehicles, number of diesel powered projects like UKPN then distribute the in the UK does it get to a point where people bidding for contracts. electricity to homes and businesses are exporting back to the Grid from But December’s auction resulted in at a lower voltage. Finally, customers their houses?” asks Laguna. the award of the first ever contracts pay bills to an electricity supplier. UKPN is now investigating home to battery storage projects, showing But the volatility introduced battery storage, potentially trialling that energy storage technology is by renewables has disrupted that homes which already have solar breaking into the mainstream. system, and the network is being panels to monitor the impact of So why has storage become such forced to adapt. small-scale batteries on household an important issue? “For the last, probably six years, consumption. As traditional thermal generation we’ve been very focused on, ‘how “If you had a bunch of houses with plants – such as high carbon coal- do we prepare the network for that solar panels and batteries, is there powered stations – come off the energy transition?’” says Laguna. any way that those can support the grid, they are being replaced by That question is being answered network? They could help us manage renewable technologies including in the Bedfordshire town of Leighton the network better,” she says. solar photovoltaic and onshore and Buzzard, where the largest grid-scale US entrepreneur Elon Musk and offshore wind farms. battery in the UK has been powering his electric car and energy storage While this is good for the residents’ homes for nearly two hours company Tesla are ahead of the government’s aim of achieving a each day. curve, selling home batteries which 34% reduction in carbon emissions UKPN first conceived the £13M can power an average two-bedroom by 2020 (based on 1990 levels), house with solar panels for a full day. the intermittent capacity of these Tesla also advertises a commercial renewables means that a level of scale battery, highlighting the uncertainty has been introduced into If you had freedom it brings to create a localised the National Grid. grid, independent of the main And with renewable generation a bunch of network. accounting for nearly a quarter of But its giant car battery factory, the UK’s electricity supply in 2015, houses with solar known as the Gigafactory and housed storing energy when demand is low so in a massive building in the Nevada it can be released at peak times would panels and batteries, desert is arguably more impressive. provide some stability. The company’s mission is to speed The government recognises is there any way that up the global transition to sustainable that storage has a key part to play “ energy. Tesla forecasts a production in the transition to a low-carbon those can support the rate of roughly 500,000 electric cars economy. In November it published per year in the near future, meaning a consultation document on the network? They could it will require a significant portion of development of a smarter energy help us manage the the world’s current supply of lithium system, which included a focus on ion batteries. removing barriers to storage. network better The Gigafactory’s purpose is to

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 27 Alternative Energy Storage

supply enough batteries to meet the demand. Construction started in Nevada in 2014, and the company expects the Gigafactory to reach full capacity in 2018. When finished it will make more lithium ion batteries annually than were produced worldwide in 2013. There are plans for the factory to produce 35GWh of battery capacity each year, which, considering the scale of production, is expected to lower costs of its battery pack per kilowatt hour by 30%. Most impressively the giant factory will be powered by renewable energy, which the company hopes will achieve its goal of being self sufficient in energy terms. Of course, batteries are not the only form of storage with the potential to bring stability to renewable energy generation. A storage facility is being commissioned in Manchester which will store energy using cryogenics – a term more closely associated with science fiction. “It does conjure up the image of lab coats,” admits Highview Power Storage (HPS) business development HPS’s Manchester The demonstration plant in director Matt Barnett. demonstration Manchester – which will only emit A storage “I think generally there is a plant, utilises clean air and which can incorporate misconception as to what cryogenic cryogenics industrial waste heat from other facility is is, it makes it sound much more plants – has an expected lifespan complicated than it is.” of 30 years and a capacity of being commissioned HPS’s liquid air energy storage 5MW/15MWh. process freezes air to -196°C using Design work has already begun in Manchester which off-peak or excess electricity. This on a new plant, which could have produces liquid air, which is stored a capacity of 200MW/1.2GWh. But will store energy using in insulated tanks at low pressure. before this becomes a reality demand “ cryogenics – a term To generate power, the air is then has to catch up, as most interest pumped at a high pressure, heated is currently aimed at the 20MW to more closely associated and evaporated, causing a 700-fold 25MW scale. expansion in volume. The high “I think there’s definitely the with science fiction pressure gas then drives a turbine, interest there,” says Barnett. generating electricity. “I think most of the types of folks It is a similar concept to we’re talking to for this technology compatible. Cryogenic storage hydroelectric energy storage, are looking at problems in the next currently has a better cost value as although without some of the 10, 20 years, so they want to be it scales up and it can support the downsides such as location comfortable with the technology Grid for a longer duration at a higher constraints. now.” power than batteries. However, “You can build this on a nice patch It is hoped that the technology will as batteries can turn on and start of land and you don’t need to go and become mainstream within the next working in milliseconds they are ruin the landscape and the mountains 10 years, and Barnett has received better suited to frequency response. by flooding lots of villages away,” says some enquiries for 100MW systems Whatever the storage mix, the rise Barnett. which have several hours’ capacity. of renewables means that solutions The technology used in the process But with cryogenics’ high storage will be needed with increasing is around 110 years old, meaning it potential, where does that leave urgency. As Barnett says, “The is already well established. The next batteries? problem on the Grid is only going to challenge is to prove its scalability. Barnett thinks the two are get worse.” N

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Alternative power industry. compared to 60. In comparison, solar The Tidal Lagoon team has photovoltaic power sources have a life Energy KeY StatS identified between 10 and 12 tidal expectancy of 25 years and offshore hotspots around the UK that are wind turbines, a mere 22 years. perfectly placed for tidal power Of course, the technology planned ith around 60 50% plants. It has projects in the pipeline for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon sunny days per Proportion for six of those, but Unsworth stresses project is not new. Tidal barrages year, “the UK” that if other developers take an are well established. French energy and “solar power” of europe’s interest, the potential is great. company EDF – also the client behind do not make tidal power “We think if 10 of those 12 projects Hinkley’s expansion – completed the for a natural capacity in were built over, say, the next 20 years, tidal barrage across the Rance river co-location. And although we are then that would contribute 12% of UK in Brittany, in 1966, achieving a world Wnot short of wind, many see it as an the UK electricity demand,” he says. first. unreliable energy source. Back in 2011, TLP began plans for The Sihwa tidal barrage in South But Britain does have something a pathfinder project in Swansea, a Korea has since overtaken it, else in its favour. With roughly £1.3bn chance to prove the technology and becoming the world’s biggest tidal 17,820km of coastline, it has an cost of the market potential for tidal power. barrage plant in 2010 with a capacity energy source that the government proposed Once complete, the £1.3bn Swansea of 254MW compared to the Rance thinks could provide 50% of Europe’s Bay Tidal Lagoon will power around barrage’s 240MW. tidal power resources. It is entirely Swansea 155,000 homes – equivalent to 90% of Tidal barrages create a breakwater, renewable and, unlike wind and solar ‘pathfinder Swansea Bay’s domestic energy use, across a river or estuary. Turbines are energy, it is completely reliable. or around 11% of Wales’ needs. housed inside the breakwater and as “As long as we have a moon in a project’ The Swansea concept is being the tide comes in, water is funnelled sky, we’ll always have tides and we scaled up for a much bigger barrage through them, creating energy. can predict 1,000 years ahead exactly 320MW at Cardiff. This project had its first But the 320MW Swansea Bay project when our tides will be,” says Tidal formal planning document submitted is different. Although the breakwater Lagoon Power (TLP) director of Generating in 2015 and is estimated to produce will span from one spot of land to engineering and construction Mike capacity enough electricity to power more than another, it has less impact as it Unsworth. 1.3M homes – putting its installed creates a lagoon rather than cutting TLP aims to capitalise on our of Swansea capacity on a par with Hinkley Point C. across a water flow. country’s high tidal ranges – the tidal power “It is a nuclear scale power station, “While the technology associated Severn Estuary has the second scheme but clearly it’s acting on the tides with building breakwaters and the highest tidal ranges in the world, so it’s purely renewable, 100% technology associated with the beaten only by the Bay of Fundy in renewable,” says Unsworth. turbines is not novel, it’s not new, Canada. This natural advantage puts There is another advantage to a bringing those aspects together into a the UK in a strong position to develop tidal power plant – it has double the lagoon is the first of a kind element,” world-leading expertise in a new tidal lifespan of a nuclear plant at 120 years says Unsworth.

30 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 SWANSEA BAY TIDAL LAGOON

Sea

Turbines Sea Turbines

Lagoon Lagoon

Port Tennant Swansea A483 M4

Brynmill A4067

TIDAL LAGOON Breakwater 11.5KM2 9.5km

Swansea Bay

N Tidal flow 1km

The 9.5km breakwater consists Power by sea: General Electric and Andritz Hydro is spending on the project in the UK of a mixture of sand and gravels the proposed in place for electrical work. supply chain. If they achieve it, this protected by rock armour. In its mid- Swansea But the team has retendered the could be a massive boost to British section, a concrete housing holds 16 breakwater marine works after deselecting its business, making it a world leader in a conventional hydro turbines. preferred bidder, Chinese company technology still in its infancy. The turbines are bi-directional, China Harbour Engineering. “We are really keen that the and their blades can be positioned “We felt that the solutions, and the technology and the knowledge, the according to the direction of water designs, and the methodologies of design, the intellectual property, the flow. It means the cycle can be how you would build the breakwaters expertise, is all developed within repeated four times a day with each – they weren’t delivering us with what the UK, on the UK projects, using tide, and the tidal lagoon can generate we considered to be value for money,” a UK-focused supply chain, ” says electricity for 14 hours out of 24. explains Unsworth. Unsworth. As he explains, there are But before it can begin So does this present new several key places around the world construction, the TLP team has a few opportunities for the UK? According – including France, China, and India barriers to overcome. It has already to Unsworth, the top four marine – which have similar tidal ranges to received planning permission but dredging companies in the world are the UK. is now waiting for a Contract for in Europe and each has subsidiaries If a British supply chain can Difference (CfD) from government. in the UK. The team at Tidal Lagoon establish itself on home-grown At the same time, the Hendry Power has set a benchmark for projects, it has a good chance of Review, which has been examining their projects to create 65% of exporting its world-leading design and the potential for tidal power in the UK capability successfully. since May 2016 could give the project Unsworth stresses that “the time a boost. has come” for innovative renewable It is led by industry expert and Having technology, and points to the Paris former energy minister Charles Agreement on emissions reduction Hendry with a brief to decide whether established as evidence that climate change there should be a pathfinder tidal is a global priority. Developing power scheme. A decision that there ourselves as a world technologies like tidal lagoons will should be one and that it should be also create jobs in a low carbon Swansea would give the project a leader within tidal economy – a popular prospect for any further boost. career-minded politician. The Contract for Difference is lagoon design and “The renewables sector – be it expected to be agreed shortly, as “ wind farms, be it floating wind, be it is the outcome of the review. In the technology, we should tidal lagoons – they will continue to meantime, Laing O’Rouke has been be look to be able to thrive as more and more reliance is named as preferred bidder for the placed on low carbon and renewable civils structures, and a JV between export that opportunity technologies,” says Unsworth. N

Fe BrUArY 2017 | new civil engineer 31 Alternative Energy

urope’s largest tidal power project has begun in northern Scotland, with the first of its marine turbines Ripping starting production at the end of 2016. Phase 1A of the MeyGen project, Einvolves the installation of four underwater turbines just north of the Scottish mainland during September. They will have a generating capacity of 6MW – enough energy to power more than 3,500 homes. It is the world’s first commercially funded the tide tidal array and is on track to deliver to the grid later this year. Scotland’S fiRSt tidal poweR The four 1,000-plus tonne turbine structures are the first of 269 planned for the MeyGen site over the next Scheme iS pRoducing electRicity decade. It will eventually power 175,000 homes. BY Ro B e R t Henson Installation of the turbines comes as the tidal power industry moves from testing and prototypes to the first arrays of full-scale devices.

32 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 THE MEYGEN PROJECT

2km ISLAND TIDAL POWER OF 1 The turbine is mounted 3 Underwater cables N STROMA on a foundation structure carry the electricity to an MeyGen lease area and set on the sea bed onshore substation

PHASE 1A 2 Tidal currents cause the 4 The substation is blades to rotate, powering connected to the national Rotor a generator that produces grid, which distributes the diameter: electricity electricity 18m Cable routes nt Tidal curre SCOTLAND AR 1500 UNDERWATER TURBINE e rotates th 150t Depth: 31-50 metres Weight of turbine unit in air t blades urbine below sea level The nacelle main body is a steel fabrication providing dry housing 269 for the key and ancillary equipment Turbines planned Blades turn about 7 revolutions per minute, 25 years therefore no threat to marine life Typical life span Blades are made from carbon fibre skins, creating an eƒcient shape, but they are 1200 tonnes of also very strong to deal with the varying ballast blocks 3 m/sec loads and stresses placed on them Typical tidal flow 1.5MW Power produced by one turbine

And as the fundamentals behind This led to the unveiling of a fully gas industry. But if maintenance is tidal power become better known, assembled AR1500 Atlantis tidal required, it is done out of water. this form of power generation is turbine, developed with US weapons KeY FACts As part of Phase 1A, three more thought more likely to become a manufacturer Lockheed Martin, at turbines made by Austria-based viable option for bulk renewable Nigg Energy, 30km north of Inverness. Andritz Hydro Hammerfest will be energy. But questions about the It is an impressive sight, with 6MW installed. Andritz developed the extent of UK government’s financial a rotor diameter of 18m. A yaw Generating first ever tidal current turbine with support remain. mechanism can turn the turbine a permanent connection to a public Edinburgh based MeyGen is 100% through 180° when the tide changes capacity grid, in Norwegian waters in 2004. owned by Atlantis Resources, which direction. The nacelles themselves of Meygen Each of the turbines has a 25 began testing turbine prototypes in contain a generator and gearbox, but Phase 1A year design life. They are equipped Australia in around 2002. It has since the power conditioning equipment is with hundreds of sensors. “They’re expanded overseas and has work in housed onshore. measuring things like stresses in China, Canada and Scotland. Atlantis claims that its turbine 3,500 the blades, rotor deflection – all the The MeyGen project kicked off with can generate 1.5MW at water flows stuff that leads to early preventative official testing at the European Marine of 3m/s, with the tides driving the number of maintenance,” says Atlantis Energy Centre at Stromness, Scotland relatively lightweight composite homes which technology and turbine service in 2010, the same year development turbine blades that weigh about 3.5t could be director Drew Blaxland. Part of this rights for the project were granted by each. Steel blades of other turbines rationale is to help the industry hone the Crown Estate. can weigh about 7t. To gather the powered by in on an optimal turbine design. September 2014 marked financial maximum amount of energy possible, Phase 1A “If you go back five to 10 years, close for the £51.8M Phase 1A the angle of the blades on the AR1500 everyone’s turbines were wacky and contracts, partly thanks to funding can be altered, and the turbine can different,” says Blaxland. from the Department of Energy pivot 360° on its foundation to align At the Inner Sound in the Pentland & Climate Change and from with water flow direction. Firth just south of Stroma Island, development agencies Scottish The turbines have a “wet mate” the speed at which the North Sea Enterprise and the Highlands capability for making electrical empties into the Atlantic Ocean is and Islands Enterprise. The UK connections underwater. This was clearly visible, even from the surface. government has provided £10M in developed especially for the MeyGen The “tidal races” – swirling currents grants to the project from its Marine project, using technology developed around land masses – are known Energy Array Demonstrator scheme. by Siemens and proven in the oil and hazards for sailors.

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 33 Alternative Energy MeyGen Tidal Power

everything I’m seeing is indicating we’ll need more power, at “lower cost, through renewables rather than nuclear

It is for this reason that the strait was chosen as the ideal site, after tidal flow modelling in 2011. Current speeds and water depths vary wildly in the area, but the installation site is between 31m and 50m below the water surface. The strait is 3.6km at its widest, 2.5km at its narrowest and currents are strong enough for there to be no need for additional earthworks to support the scheme, unlike the tidal lagoon power site mooted for Swansea in Wales. The turbulent tides in Pentland Firth make lowering the 1,000t-plus structures into the water more difficult. Installation must occur when the tide is weak and changing. Ideally this would also be during neap tides, which occur twice a month when the Atlantis chief had to be less than 17.7km/h. The gas power. difference between high and low tides executive Tim mean wind speeds for northern Attracting much buzz is the is the least. Cornelius and Scotland lie between 118.4km/h to mooted £1.3bn Swansea tidal lagoon, The assembled turbine-foundation Scottish first 36.8km/h, depending on the month. which would be a prototype for a structures left the dock in Nigg on minister Nicola Once the turbine structure was in £15bn programme of investment in Cromarty Firth on a jack-up vessel. Sturgeon at the position, 1,200t of ballast “blocks” are full-size lagoons for west Cumbria, This travelled 125km to the site, Nigg Energy Park placed over the turbine structure’s Bridgwater Bay, Colwyn Bay, Newport taking 12 hours. assembly site, “feet”. These comprise six 200t and Cardiff (see p24). These involve To the lay observer, these tidal near Inverness blocks, two blocks per leg. In total, installing underwater turbines in a power turbines look like wind the installation involves seven lifts. seawall, rather than positioning them turbines, but they are vastly different Blaxland says the time involved on the seabed. Depending on what when considering the dimensions for installation, as well as design and reports you read, tidal power could and forces at play. Water is 784 times manufacture, has been slashed since eventually meet 10% to 20% of the more dense than air, so the turbines the prototype days. “As soon as you UK’s electricity demand. A review of move more slowly, but with more land it [on the seabed], you connect this suite of proposed lagoons started power. The blades turn about seven electrically, and you’re ready to go. in February, focusing primarily on revolutions per minute, as opposed to Back in the prototyping days, that whether they would provide value for those of wind turbines which rotate took a month.” money. at about 15 to 20 revolutions/min. While the tidal energy sector is The Department for Energy and The installation team – many using in its early days, it has advantages Climate Change, now the Department skills acquired from the oil and gas that could see it grow faster than for Business, Energy and Industrial industries – took only 40 minutes to other renewables. Tidal energy Strategy, estimates that the UK alone lower the turbine structure and weigh production is more predictable than has around 50% of Europe’s tidal it down with ballast. solar or wind energy, although not as energy resource and of that Scotland Wind speed was a major factor – it consistent or constant as nuclear or accounts for around 30%. “If we don’t

34 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 foundations take nine to 10 months to build, and there will be different We’ll start foundations moving forward. We’ll start buying generators, gearboxes, buying cables, the front end procurement generators, gearboxes, part of the project, from 1 January, 2017,” says Blaxland. cables, the front end When up and running, the project will receive operating funds under procurement part the UK government’s Contract for “ Difference (CfD) up to 2021. Under of the project, from the CfD, energy generators are paid the difference between the “strike 1 January, 2017 price” – an agreed price for electricity reflecting the cost of investing in a low carbon technology – and the “reference price” – a measure of the high-quality infrastructure projects.” average market price for electricity in Rather than look at other countries, the British market. such as France, Japan, Canada, Korea Currently, the strike price set for and China, as competitors, Cornelius tidal power is £305/MWh, although believes Scotland’s renewables sector this is expected to fall. Atlantis says has strong export potential. it “is committed to steady price “Scotland leads the way with degression… through growth and the setting policy to encourage consequent benefits of economies investment. We almost get a of scale”. A report by the Energy delegation a month coming across to Technologies Institute (ETI) suggests replicate the way Scotland has done that costs will come down to £150/ its infrastructure.” MWh in 2020 to £83/MWh in 2030 to Roy MacGregor is chairman of £63/MWh in 2050. Global Energy Group, the operator Atlantis chief executive Tim of the renewables assembly site and Cornelius has called on the dock at Nigg. He says it all feels a little government to stand by its 2014 bit like the North Sea’s first oil and policy commitment to prioritise gas boom. subsidies for tidal power schemes “I was involved in starting a local with capacities of up to 100MW. workforce in an industry [oil and gas] get a move on, we’re ceding ground Top: The Atlantis “The Danish government made that was alien to Scotland, but over to others around the world, like we AR1500 turbine a similar visionary commitment in the 40-odd years became the envy of did with previous technologies such unveiled. the early 1980s, securing the on and the world,” he says. as wind,” says Scotland’s business, Bottom: offshore wind industries which now “In many ways, as we start another innovation and energy minister Paul Turbine awaiting employ 28,000 workers in Denmark journey with renewables, it’s like just Wheelhouse. “Everything I’m seeing deployment and generate £5bn in exports. The putting the clock back for me, and is indicating we’ll need more power, UK could replicate the successes the looking forward to the prosperity at lower cost, for energy security, Danish industry has achieved but that this industry will give another through renewables rather than only with early support through the generation.” nuclear.” CfD – without it, the opportunities He says that at peak the Nigg yard Scottish first minister Nicola will be lost.” employed 5,500 people, in early 2016 Sturgeon, has urged Westminster to After the Brexit vote, funding for there were 3,000. On the day New Civil show more support for renewables. energy projects from the European Engineer visited the site, there were “The next phase is we need to see Investment Bank (EIB) might be significantly less. the promises made by Westminster at risk. EIB investments in the UK “We do need renewables, not just now delivered. So we can get on to economy came to €7.8bn (£6.95bn) for this generation but for tomorrow’s delivering the next phases of this in 2015, 24% of which was on energy generation,” says MacGregor. amazing project,” she says. projects. Phase 1C with a capacity of 74MW But there are constraints on But Cornelius is optimistic. is due to be commissioned in 2018, manufacturing and construction. “The EIB is only one source of and is currently at the advanced It takes about 21 months to create finance. But if it’s not available there development stage, with consent and the generators, the main turbine will be other sources. The fact of grid connection secured. component at a factory in Bristol. the matter is, there is a lot of money Phase 2 will have a capacity of Phase 1B is only due to start washing around at the moment, and 312MW. It is under development, due deploying new turbines in 2018. “The a lot of people want to be involved in for commission in 2021. N

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 35 rendering of 13.7MW solar facility at Floating Yamakura Dam, Japan CapaCity Water Companies are building Farms on their reservoirs BY Fiona Mci ntY re

first planned the project in 2011, Alternative and, although site work did not start Energy KeY StatS for several years, the farm took just 16 weeks to complete, with work finishing in March 2016. 2 here is something strange 57,500m That was due in part to a clever in the waters of a London Surface area construction schedule – the farm reservoir. A 57,500m2 was assembled in sections on floating solar photovoltaic of Queen land. Each time a new section was farm on the Queen elizabeth ii attached, the others were pushed out Elizabeth II Reservoir is reservoir’s into the reservoir, meaning that no providing Thames Water with an off- problematic construction on water Tgrid electricity supply. solar farm was required. Equivalent in size to eight football OST Energy, an engineering and pitches, the floating energy farm near technical consultancy advising on Walton-on-Thames is thought to be 12,000 commercial and technical risk for the largest in Europe and – with a number of renewable projects, worked to secure value of £7M – is also claiming to be solar panels investment from the Royal Bank of the largest financed floating solar Scotland (RBS) for the floating solar farm in the world. It boasts more on Godley farm. than 23,000 panels and has a capacity reservoir, Part of this work included of 6.3MW, enough to power the identifying the risks inherent in equivalent of around 1,800 homes. Greater building and operating the farm, The farm provides Thames Water Manchester including one rather obvious issue. with its own supply of electricity “Water and electricity don’t mix for a nearby water treatment works. very well,” says OST Energy director It contributes to Thames Water’s and co-founder Simon Turner. Using ambitious goal of self-generating a solar panels on water was a hard sell third of its energy by 2020 – and with to investors. a 25-year lifespan, it will continue Anchoring presented another to provide support well after that issue. The farm covers around one deadline. tenth of the reservoir, which has a The solar farm was built under an perimeter of 4.3km and surface area of agreement signed by Thames Water 128.3ha, leaving plenty of room for it and two solar power developers to drift off to a new destination. Each Ennoviga Solar and Lightsource reservoir needs a different type of Renewable Energy. Thames Water anchoring to secure it to the reservoir

36 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 xxxxxxxxx xxx Water scheduled to finish early 2018. xxx xxx xxx xxx Brazil is benefiting from a useful xxx xxx xxx xxx companies side effect of these floating farms. xxxxxxxxx The country uses hydroelectricity might not have a lot as part of its energy mix, but the powerful Brazilian sun has a tendency of land to build on, to reduce the reservoirs to alarmingly low levels through evaporation, but they have a lot of thereby affecting the reliability of its “ hydroelectric generating capability. reservoirs Floating solar farms can reduce evaporation as they shield part of a reservoir’s surface from the sun. floor depending on its composition, Research and development projects meaning that a one-size-fits-all are underway to establish the approach was unfeasible. An offshore possibility of rolling out floating solar wind specialist was consulted to make farms in Brazil. sure the farm would not move when Two prototype floating farms were the wind blows. As the farm has 177 installed in Brazil in early 2016, on anchors, it seems unlikely that this the Sobradinho Reservoir and the will be a problem. reservoir at the controversial Balbina So why put a solar energy farm on Dam which has struggled to deliver its water at all? hydro power capacity. “Water companies might not have a Balbina’s reservoir experiences lot of land to build these on, but they severe drought, meaning that the have a lot of reservoirs,” says Turner. dam is only able to generate one Indeed, water company United fifth of its 250MW operating capacity Utilities created a £3.5M floating solar so solar power is a way of reducing farm on the Godley reservoir in Hyde, dependence on hydro electricity from Greater Manchester, in 2015. With the reservoir. 12,000 panels, this farm provides To begin with, each farm will have United Utilities’ water treatment 1MW of capacity. But in October works with around a third of their this will be increased to 5MW, with energy requirements. tests on the floating panels due to But it is not just water companies finish in early 2019. Once this stage that can benefit from floating solar is complete it is hoped that Balbina’s farms. When connected to the floating farm will be scaled up to National Grid, a floating farm can 300MW, enough to power 540,000 support electricity demand too. So homes. will they catch on? With their relative ease of Turner is unconvinced. “It’s quite a construction and the solutions they niche development,” he says. bring, it is unsurprising that floating “It’s not appropriate for solar farms are appearing as a sub- everywhere, especially where land section of the wider solar market. isn’t a premium. It’s an added layer of Globally, it appears to be a good complication that you might not need time for solar energy. A report to bother with.” published by Climatescope – a clean But in places where land is at a energy country tracker – in December premium, it makes sense to use all showed that developing nations the space at a developer’s disposal – are overtaking wealthier countries including the surface of a reservoir. on clean energy leadership. A key In Japan, floating solar farms group of emerging markets produced are helping solve the problem 18% more renewable capacity than of limited land availability. Solar Organisation for Economic Co- energy company Kyocera has operation and Development countries installed several farms, with three in 2015, says the report. – respectively 1.2MW, 1.7MW and There was also good news for solar 2.3MW in size – completed in 2015. energy in the report. Investment But the company’s most ambitious in utility-scale solar energy in the floating solar farm to date is a planned countries surveyed soared 43% to 13.7MW facility on the Yamakura £58.1bn, and in some nations solar Dam Reservoir. Once finished the power innovations can now compete farm will cover 180,000m2 and against – and beat – fossil fuel produce an estimated 16,170MWh projects on price. per year — enough electricity to However, the news did highlight the power approximately 4,970 homes. fact that renewables investment in Construction of the 51,000 module wealthier countries appears to have farm started in December 2015 and is levelled out.

Fe BrUArY 2017 | new civil engineer 37 Alternative Energy Solar

As Turner explains, globally all mainstream electricity sources. So renewables appear to be growing Water did the government pull its support rapidly within the last 10 years. But too early? that success masks some turmoil. companies “If you’re not worried about the “Underneath that great growth, politics and you’re just looking at the you are still reliant on government might not have a lot economics of it working, then yes, it is support,” he says. slightly too early,” he says, although There have been significant changes of land to build on, he admits there are other factors to to UK government subsidies over consider in the decision. the past 18 months. There were 15 but they have a lot of When changes to subsidies were government policy changes impacting “ announced in December 2015, the renewables from May 2015 to April reservoirs government stressed that they were 2016, with several unexpected in the always intended to be temporary industry. measures and that revisions were to One significant difference will apply scale projects built,” says Turner. ensure bill payers received value for from March, when the subsidy regime “So globally yes, it’s growing, but money. for renewables changes (see p22). [in] individual countries – it is lumpy.” The Queen Despite the challenges, projects “We’ve had massive growth in the According to Turner, the market Elizabeth II like the Queen Elizabeth ll Reservoir last few years but next year, after should level out solar is able Reservoir floating floating solar farm show that bold ideas March, there won’t be really any large- to compete more equally with solar farm continue to thrive in the sector. N

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www.moore-concrete.com | 028 2565 2566 | [email protected] programme at Cambridge University. Alternative keY StatS “Economies of scale all lie in the vessels, equipment and systems that Energy are factory built, but these savings are £1bn more than offset by the complexity of cost of SMR construction and the huge cost of 10 onald Trump’s election years or more of on-site work for the as US president is power plant largest plants. expected to change “At last, it has been realised that no the game in economics private utility or reactor vendor can and politics around the £20bn afford to take on the £10bn financial world. Take UK energy cost of risk of building a single large nuclear policy for instance. Trump’s decisions hinkley station without government support. Dcould make or break fledgling plans By reducing the size of investment for construction of small modular Point c and its risk, the SMR option could be reactors (SMRs) as an addition or made affordable and attractive for alternative to large nuclear power private sector investment.” plants scheduled to provide base load These “small” plants are still pretty power from the 2030s onwards. big. Roulstone describes them as The reason why is a combination the “parish churches rather than of a few things. A successful UK SMR cathedrals of nuclear energy”. Costs programme would need a whole new of SMRs have been estimated at British industry, including trained around £1bn per unit, compared with personnel and a robust supply chain the £20bn price of the twin 1.65GW producing factory made plant – reactors of Hinkley Point C, with all reactor, integral pipework, wiring and of its complications of state-backed housing. investments from France and China. “The idea is to make small reactors But the UK does not require enough of under 300MW competitive by SMRs to make this worthwhile, making them simpler and building so would rely on creating a new them in modular fashion in factories export market to make investment where conditions and productivity are cost effective. And to share the much better, to offset the apparent development costs and beef up economies of scale of the larger intellect following the decision 20 gigawatt-sized plants,” says former years ago to shut down the UK’s managing director of Rolls-Royce nuclear industry, the country would Nuclear, Tony Roulstone who teaches benefit from a partner. on the nuclear energy masters The vision is that multiple SMRs Small iS beautiful Small modular reactorS could be the future for nuclear power generation BY Jackie Whitela W

40 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 funded by private sector investors combined heat and power plants could be constructed on existing keY StatS providing not just electricity nuclear sites as alternatives to a but also thermal energy to large scale single plant. SMRs would most likely district heat networks,” says Mott be developed in partnership with 1.65GW MacDonald energy economist Sam another country, with the United Friggens. States ahead of China and South Korea Output There are a few challenges here. as preferred options. capacity The amount of infrastructure The US is committed to building of hinkley investment required to make the at least one SMR, but needs its new SMRs work as combined heat and president to continue to support the Point c power plants would be colossal. Each concept. It is already ahead of the UK city would require many kilometres in developing the SMR concept and of tunnels several metres in diameter two of its firms – Westinghouse and 300MW to distribute hot water around NuScale have expressed interest in the Maximum city centres. There are also the UK market. projected issues of security, waste and public “I’d pick the US,” Roulstone says. acceptability, with the latter arguably “All nuclear reactors, including SMRs, output the most contentious. are a complex business. American capacity of “SMR development needs to firms know the technology at a deep become part of the emerging UK level. Also, there is a long term trust new SMRs industrial strategy because we think relationship between the US and SMRs would be a good addition to the the UK. But there is an ‘if” and it’s ‘if ways of addressing climate change Trump likes it’. and something we could be good at “The Americans are going to build building in the UK and exporting,” at least one SMR unless Trump stops says Roulstone. “But we have to make them with his new energy policies. We a decision to spend significant public have a successful record of working money on development – we’d need with the US – in aerospace and the an SMR demonstrator by 2027 in military. They are 10 years of SMR order to attract private investment development ahead. Everything is not for a series build by about 2030. The so completely sewn up. There are still timescales of such a project mean openings for collaboration.” that decisions are urgent. There is justification for the UK to “Whether the current energy push on regardless, but it will market will deliver the investment require courage and a commitment and whether we will get round to to the long term. SMRs without a proper UK energy “SMRs can also operate as strategy are the two big questions.” N

The TechnoL ogieS: ligHT wATer And ‘AdvAnced’ reA cTorS

There are two groups of technologies for will be able to significantly reduce the cost SMRs. Light Water Reactors (LWR) and of generation compared with larger reactors “advanced” reactors, which group together a using the same technology due to no reduction number of different technological approaches. in the required safety control system and site operations. Most designs coming forward are integral The “advanced” category groups together light water pressurised reactors, made of the a number of technologies including high same four major components that make up a temperature gas-cooled reactors (see feature standard lwr or pressurised water reactor – p42), sodium-cooled reactors and molten salt the reactor, stream generators, pumps and the reactors, among others. Some believe that this pressuriser. technology is too far away as there are more in the integral SMr, there is one vessel and uncertainties in both the technical and cost all of these four components are either inside aspects of advanced reactors. However, there or directly part of the SMr vessel, removing is the possibility of a true price breakthrough all of the complicated pipe work that connects because of the simplicity of design of most of the components within a large nuclear reactor. these options. For example, they could have The problem with these reactors is that they intrinsic safety which would reduce risk and share complexity with the larger lwr s and it control and operation requirements – but this is now appears unlikely that light water SMr s not yet proven.

Fe BrUArY 2017 | new civil engineer 41 THE U-BATTERY

Electrical output OVERGROUND Low MAINTENANCE HALL profile power cooling Generator tower

Removable potential access covers Small modular reactorS could Supply remote communitieS BY ROBERT HENSON

UNDERGROUND REACTOR BUILDING Turbine Intermediate Reactor Spare fuel Spare fuel Alternative Light water reactors, liquid metal- heat exhanger cartridge store cartridge store cooled reactors and molten salt Energy KEY STATS reactors – all are at various stages of development. The U-Battery concept TRISO FUEL U-BATTERY SINGLE has been developed a one of a group COMPACT GENERATION HALL he smallest of small 800ºC of “high temperature reactors”, which nuclear reactors, about Potential could run at about 800°C. the size of a squash court, The heat generating nuclear 8mm 92m m operating 0. is finding big backers reaction process is relatively simple, and global markets. The temperature and kept in the core. From there it is a U-battery micro-reactor of U-Battery simple process of heating helium gas, is among 38 entries in the UK- through a heat exchanger which then government’s small modular reactor reactors heats nitrogen, which then drives a T Fuel kernel (SMR) competition, launched earlier generator. this year. The competition is intended But at its heart are special The U-Battery 10MW Low density PyC fits inside the to begin a dialogue with this emerging tristructural-isotropic (Triso) High density PyC penalty area of a industry and is attracting scores of Operating spherical micro-fuel particles, each 39mm football pitch designs from around the world. capacity of less than a millimetre in size. With Silicon carbide Like other designs, U-Battery’s enriched uranium at their core, they High density PyC factory-built modular design would SMR reactor are covered in pyrolytic carbon and be manufactured for assembly – being radiation-resistant silicon carbide. cheaper and faster to deploy than Each sphere is essentially a pressure large reactors. vessel to trap the radioactive But U-Battery’s main differentiator byproducts of nuclear fission. The 26mm among SMRs is its size. At 10MW, it is spheres are fabricated into cylindrical 3% of the size and power of some of “compacts”, which are housed inside the largest SMR designs. layers of graphite. TIMELINE Enriched uranium manufacturer “This makes it all very accident 20092010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Urenco has backed it. Urenco tolerant – you’re putting all your Conceptual Preparation performs about a third of the world’s safety in the fuel, so you don’t need design phase Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 4 nuclear fuel enrichment. U-Battery’s any of the large complicated systems Route to Basic design, Uni of Build PROJECT design, license, review cost, Define business other partners for construction of the larger systems,” says U-battery Manchester Detailed design demonstration find partners licensing, safety models and shipping expertise include general manager Steve Threlfall. ACTIVITY led plant eview phase and funding and security R consultants Amec and Atkins, The fuel and moderator are INITIAL DISCUSSION contractor Laing O’Rourke and integrated into a single prismatic shipbuilder Cammell Laird. block. The prismatic blocks, 360mm Not all SMRs are created equally. across, 800mm high, would number

42 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 24 in the core – four high and six diesel through Canada. These delivery THE U-BATTERY around. If run at higher temperatures, costs often double the price of energy the outer layers of graphite expand, for customers. letting neutrons escape, shutting the The U-battery would also run for process down. five years without needing to be It has been called “meltdown-proof” refuelled, and Threlfall says it could but testing continues at the University run without on-site operators, being Electrical output OVERGROUND of Manchester. controlled remotely. “But a lot of Low MAINTENANCE HALL “We haven’t been able to break it…. this is down to discussions with profile they’ve proven it works up to 1,600°C, regulators, what they require; a lot cooling Generator tower now they’re pushing it to 1,800°C,” of countries require one person for says Threlfall. security on site.” Removable The downside of the advanced Threlfall says the U-battery micro- access covers Triso fuel is its added manufacturing model has virtually no competition. cost. U-battery will not divulge just American company Ultrasafe uses how much more, that is a trade the Triso fuel, but in a different secret. Firstly the fuel must be 19.5% configuration, where “pebbles” move enriched, rather than the 4% to around within the reactor. 5% required of standard European “We both have a religious belief in Pressurised Reactors (EPRs). But one or the other method. Our belief is more importantly, creating the multi- the best model is keeping everything layered particles is expensive. And stable, apart from the gas that flows the fuel’s complexity makes it almost through. [Ultrasafe] thinks it gets impossible to reprocess, potentially a better fuel burn-up with fuel that influencing future economics. moves around. I’d say if you want to The first high temperature reactor, keep something in remote Canada for named Dragon, was built in the 1960s, five years you want as few moving so the technology has been around for parts as possible.” UNDERGROUND a long time. But it did not get past the As the UK government prepares REACTOR BUILDING prototyping stage. China has taken up to release a “roadmap” to guide the Turbine Intermediate Reactor Spare fuel Spare fuel the baton, making small prototypes, in SMR competition entrants, U-battery heat exhanger cartridge store cartridge store preparation for a large 200MW plant is scoping how to build its design that is due to be commissioned next team, searching within the partner year. companies. It expects to go from about TRISO FUEL U-BATTERY SINGLE Threlfall says the U-battery’s size a dozen staff to about 50 in 2017. COMPACT GENERATION HALL lends itself to off-grid activities: The first three reactors would providing heat and electricity, or be built on site from supplied just electricity, for industrial sites or components, buying in the reactor 8mm 92m m remote communities. pressure vessel, graphite blocks and 0. “You can also use it for , turbine – all readily available from UK hydrogen separation, and another suppliers. potential – taking out and replacing “And we want to do that [use UK the diesel backup systems for large suppliers], because once we move nuclear plants.” past the first three, we want to pre- Fuel kernel But the markets gaining traction assemble, probably involving five The U-Battery are Poland and Canada. Poland wants modules that each fit on the back of a Low density PyC fits inside the SMRs for industrial heat, replacing truck,” says Threlfall. High density PyC penalty area of a 39mm football pitch ageing boilers. Canada’s northern “All of the jobs could be in the UK, Silicon carbide expanse hosts hundreds if not equally though, other countries have an thousands of small communities with interest. It came up in talks in Canada: if High density PyC populations of up to 5,000, mostly it hosts them, can they also build them? using diesel power because they are Every country has its own industrial off grid. strategy to take care of.” “So we were over there in Canada While Poland and Canada are 26mm two weeks ago, we did a run around keen, international public opinion the provincial governments, federal is far from overwhelmingly positive. government, met with the minister for Following 2011’s Fukushima disaster TIMELINE natural resources, power companies… in Japan, Germany decided to close its 20092010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 along with Canadian nuclear labs. nuclear programme. But Threlfall says Conceptual Preparation “The conclusion is [U-battery] is nuclear will be a useful part of the design phase Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 4 perfect for these communities where international energy mix “for another Route to Basic design, other SMRs are just too big.” couple of hundred years”. Uni of Build PROJECT design, license, review cost, Define business Manchester Detailed design demonstration Threlfall notes that this “If you look at developing countries, find partners licensing, safety models ACTIVITY led plant decentralised model – putting the and as China and India expand, eview phase and funding and security R INITIAL DISCUSSION power at the point of use – removes they really need to do something, much of the cost of delivering power, otherwise they end up polluting… it’s whether through a grid as in the UK, [nuclear is] the only thing that can or from not having to truck gallons of address the challenges ahead. N

Fe BrUArY 2017 | new civil engineer 43 DURING WORKS: MODEL BOATING POND Contractors sealed off the bottom end of the Model Boating pond with sheet piles before remodelling the slope between it and the neighbouring Men’s Bathing Pond, further downhill

ll year round, Technical Excellence London’s Hampstead Heath teems with people out for walks, flying kites and even swimming. The 320ha park is 6km north of central London andA attracts over 10M visitors a year, including around 200 a day who swim in its famous bathing ponds – even in the depths of winter. These ponds – the Highgate Men’s Prevention Pond, Kenwood Ladies’ Pond and Mixed Bathing Pond – are three of the 30 ponds on the Heath, all fed by natural springs. Some of the ponds are natural, but there are two sets of interlinked ponds – the Hampstead and Highgate chains – that are artificial, and were originally dug in the 18th century to provide drinking Programme water for London (see box). The City of London Corporation HamPstead HeatH Pond strengtHening manages the Heath, and is responsible for maintaining six ponds is vital nortH london Flood Protection in each of the two chains, of which three – Hampstead No. 1 Pond in the BY MARGO COLE Hampstead chain and Model Boating Pond and Men’s Bathing Pond in the Highgate chain – are large enough to classify as reservoirs under existing legislation. A statutory 10-year

44 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 NOW A new spillway has been created in the south-west corner of the Model Boating Pond using reinforced grass turf, enabling water to flow safely to the next pond in the chain

inspection of these three ponds in the Highgate and Hampstead chains 2007 found that the overflow capacity would have to conform to reservoir Although we on all three was inadequate, and KEY FACT legislation and standards, and it is were using site recommended that an assessment be likely they would be assessed as high carried out to look at the downstream risk because of their impact on the 3 won clay material, impact and risk of a breach. 21,000m downstream community. In 2009 the City commissioned Soil taken Haycocks’ report said the ponds we were still bringing a study by its then supervising lacked adequate spillways, which out of the engineer, Cares, which concluded means there was little capacity for concrete in and sheet that two of the ponds fell into the hillside next controlled overflow in heavy flows. “ highest risk category. This in turn to the model “The study identified that many of piles in – as well as led the City to commission Haycocks the dams were at risk of overtopping Associates to undertake a review of boating pond in a significant rain storm,” says the modular building the hydrology and hydraulics of all Monaghan. “We needed to do the dams within Hampstead Heath. something,” he adds. and crane And it was not just the three 18 months Haycocks came up with some major reservoirs that the City Length of the concept ideas to make the reservoirs was concerned about. “Three are programme and ponds on the Hampstead Its initial design report states: “Any statutory, but we’ve always taken and Highgate chains comply with size flood event, whether 1 in 20, 1 in the pragmatic view that if it’s a dam, legislation, and in 2012 the City of 1,000 or the PMF, could theoretically we should treat it as statutory,” says London Corporation appointed happen tomorrow.” City of London Corporation assistant Atkins to develop these into detailed It adds: “The capacities of the director, engineering Paul Monaghan. proposals. This was followed two existing overflow pipes at each He says the 2010 Flood & Water years later by the appointment of pond are too small, and the storage Management Act gave government Bam Nuttall on an early contractor capacities of each pond, between powers to bring smaller reservoirs – involvement (ECI) basis. the overflow level and the dam over 10,000m3, rather than the current Atkins’ modelling showed that most crest level, are not sufficient to deal 25,000m3 – under statutory regulation, of the dams would be overtopped with the floods without floodwater as well as saying that the combined in very much lower return period flowing over the dam crests onto the volume of water in a cascade could floods than the Probable Maximum downstream faces.” be counted as a large reservoir. If this Flood (PMF) – some from as low as a In the past, some of the dams have comes into force, all the ponds in one in five year return period event. overtopped – notably during severe

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 45 Technical Excellence Hampstead Ponds

We installed Silt extraction from the temporary Model Boating Pond steel sheet piles, then drained the pond “down, and dug out the silt so that we could build the new dam

storms in 1975, and more recently in 2010. Overtopping weakens the dam, increasing the chance of breaches in the future, so one key function of the project was to create adequate spillways to ensure that any excess floodwater flows safely around the dams rather than over the top. “The design standard for reservoirs is almost absolute,” says Monaghan. “If there’s a risk of injury or loss of life in the downstream community, then you have to make it safe. We’ve come flooding event. Monaghan adds: “The original up with a design that does that.” The entire pond was drained, dams are made from the material on The project was taken to Judicial excavated and re-profiled to give it a KEY FACTS the Heath, so we knew the material Review by a group of local residents more natural shape, and a new clay here is good.” who objected to the work, but Bam dam was built at the southern end, Another new dam was built in the Nuttall eventually got started on upstream of the existing dam and 30 area known as “Catchpit”, between site in early 2015 – just in time to 2.5m higher. A new spillway has been Total number the Viaduct Pond and the Mixed do works to trees ahead of the bird created in the south-west corner of of ponds on Bathing Ponds in the Hampstead nesting season. the pond using reinforced grass turf, chain. This dam is designed Work has been carried out on all enabling water to flow safely to the Hampstead specifically to introduce some flood 12 of the ponds in the two chains, next pond in the chain – the Men’s Heath storage into the Hampstead chain, mostly to restore the dam crests and Bathing Pond – in the event of a flood. and is 5.6m high, with an open grass to create spillways around the sides. “We installed temporary steel sheet spillway along the whole crest of the A few had an extra 1m or 1.25m of piles, then drained the pond down, £15M dam. Again, the 8,500m3 of material height added to the dams – either and dug out the silt so that we could Value of flood needed for the dam construction with site-won earth or sheet piles build the new dam,” explains Bam was won from a borrow pit on the and capping beams – and additional Nuttall project manager Rob Stapley. prevention adjacent hillside. storage capacity has also been added The new dam was built using programme “Catchpit is a brand new dam in the middle of each chain. “The material excavated from a borrow pit across the valley,” explains Stapley. design is very much landscape led on the hillside alongside the pond, Amid all the pond work are two rather than engineering led,” says one of two opened up in the park new structures: a new changing Monaghan. “It’s soft and natural. during the construction phase. Silt room and lifeguards’ facility at the Sheet piling and concrete is minimal.” removed from the ponds was put into Kenwood Ladies’ Bathing Pond in the One of the largest ponds is the lagoons to dry out and then used to Highgate chain. The original changing Model Boating Pond, which was the fill the borrow pits. rooms sat on the dam and had to be focus for a large proportion of the “We won all the material on the removed so the dam could be raised. work associated with the entire £15M Heath, and we tried not to take Because of its poor condition, the old project. Its location in the middle of anything off the Heath,” says Stapley. building could not be repositioned, the Highgate Chain makes it ideal “A total of 21,000m3 of soil was taken so the City opted to commission a for storing water in the event of high out of that hillside [next to the prefabricated replacement, which flow, while its position between two Model Boating Pond], but if you walk was lifted in using a crane brought hills creates a natural bowl that can up there now, you will just see the through the park along the public hold water in the case of an extreme hillside hydroseeded and topsoiled.” footpaths.

46 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 HAMPSTEAD PONDS: 18th CENTURY FRESH WATER RESERVOIRS

Proposed new spillways A519 Hampstead Lane

HAMPSTEAD HEATH HIGHGATE PONDS: WEST CHAIN Kenwood Bird Santuary Pond Highgate West Hill Highgate City of London propose to install a 2.5m embankment to reduce spillways downstream

A502

Spaniards Road Model Boating Pond Viaduct Parliament Pond Hill Highgate Men’s Bathing Pond Dartmouth Park “One of our biggest challenges was the logistics,” explains Stapley. Highgate Hampstead No1 Pond “Although we were using site won No2 Pond clay material, we were still bringing East Heath Road concrete in and sheet piles in – as well HAMPSTEAD PONDS: as the modular building and crane. EAST CHAIN “We had 12 sites around the Heath, Hampstead Hampstead and we were escorting everything in No1 Pond and through what are effectively live Gospel Oak footpaths. N “We couldn’t split people and plant 1 km Hampstead Heath by fences, so we had to manage it through escorts and banksmen,” he adds.“Something we did at the Hampstead Heath has around Act allowed the City to make through wooden pipes made of ECI phase was programming the 30 ponds fed by natural springs, use of “dyvers great and plentiful bored elm trunks. logic for the job. We had 12 ponds, including the Hampstead and sprynges at Hampstead Heath” The ponds are no longer used which meant 12 items of work Highgate chains. The chains to supply fresh water; and 150 to supply drinking water, and are simultaneously, all fitting into an are fed by two major streams, years later the City leased the predominantly used for leisure 18-month programme in which we separated by Parliament Hill. springs on Hampstead Heath to activities including fishing, had to consider environmental the Hampstead Water Company. model boating, bird watching and aspects like the nesting season and The stream to the west has a This company dug the swimming. the fish spawning season. We also source near the Vale of Health Hampstead Ponds for use as The oldest of the bathing ponds had the bathing ponds: we always and supplies water to the fresh water reservoirs in the early is the Mixed Bathing Pond in had two out of three open, and in the Hampstead chain, while the part of the 18th century, adding the Hampstead chain, which has summer we had to have all three. eastern stream has a source the Vale of Health Pond in 1777. been used for swimming for over “Everything we did – the designers, near Kenwood and supplies the Around the same time, another 200 years. the City, the Heath management and Highgate chain. series of six ponds (the Highgate The Highgate Men’s Bathing ourselves – was about finding the The two streams meet north Chain) was made by damming Pond opened in 1893, and the best solution for the Heath,” he adds. of Camden to form the Fleet the eastern stream. Kenwood Ladies’ Bathing Pond Most the work was completed river, which joins the Thames at The Hampstead Water in 1926. At the time of writing, in October 2016, with the last two Blackfriars. Company supplied water to the water temperature in both months of the year spent completing In 1544 the London Conduit a large part of north London was 5°C. the planting. N

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 47 excavation site, end-2016 xxxxxxxxxx

f you have not been to Cardiff Technical Excellence lately, you might not recognise it at first glance. Because a few steps from the central train station is one of the largest construction sites the Welsh capital city has ever seen. IAbout 47,500m³ of material – about 18 Olympic swimming pools – has been removed for what is set to be the new BBC Wales building. It is part of a larger, five-phase eight-building development for Cardiff Basement Central Square – including offices, a bus station, retail space and public amenities. Fitting it into eight blocks in the city centre sounds cramped, but it is actually opening up the space. It is a completely new look for a city experiencing residential growth not seen since the coal industry’s boom. Last year, Cardiff Central station scene recorded 12M passenger entries and exits – up 100% on 1998 (including an major excavation for cardiff’s Biggest estimated 500,000 visitors heading to Rugby World Cup matches at the Principality Stadium). And the growth ever property development project is expected to accelerate. Network BY Ro B e R t henson Rail, in its March 2016 Welsh Route Study, forecast that the number of passenger journeys through Cardiff Central would be upwards of 23M by 2023 and 32M by 2043.

48 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 Diggers uncovered what was originally the River taff at “the bottom of the excavation, unearthing the river pebbles and alluvial river sands

the design, as viewed from the north being demolished. But new plans will bring in an 11-storey building with a glass skyway connecting the bus and train terminals. All said and done, ISG’s basement dig extends 6m down. Piles (600mm and 750mm – varying with the basement structure) went up to 13m down. A total of 925 secant piles went around the perimeter to seal the site, and 442 load bearing continuous flight augured piles were inserted inside the building’s footprint. To dig, seal and prepare such a gargantuan hole, 5,588 vehicle movements were required over 10 the development is between Cardiff Central s tation and the Millennium s tadium weeks, and about 100 HGVs were needed for every 10-hour day. “The increase in use of trains is the River Taff at the bottom of the “And we’ve had very little feedback quite significant. The numbers in excavation, unearthing the river from anybody,” says McElroy. KeY FACts terms of how many million per year pebbles and alluvial river sands. To avoid complaints from the is very drastic growth,” says ISG Filled in and built upon, the next public or other stakeholders, the project director Kevin McElroy. layer up contained the remains of team uses a “back entrance”, avoiding 5,588 International construction firm Temperance Town, a working class the city centre. There’s also an app in number ISG is building what will greet all suburb established in the late 1850s. use, to direct and inform drivers who of vehicle these passengers, which is known The suburb’s name came from owner attend site. as “the centrepiece” – the £80M and teetotaller Colonel Edward Wood “When placing an order, we issue movements BBC Wales Broadcasting House. It who told developers that under no them with the app, which helps the required over is also preparing the basement for circumstances could alcohol be sold drivers before they get here. They the adjacent Two Central Square on the site. can get out their phone and see: 10 weeks development, which will include two Cardiff Central station arrived in access through town, on site, holding office buildings. 1930, bringing more business and area locations, requirements on site, 925 Architects Foster & Partners and the local authorities sought to shift who to report to, not just for people Lawray, as well as consultant Arup Temperance’s growing and visible on site, but those visiting. It informs number of worked on the design, including the poverty and overcrowding. everything. If anything changes to the secant piles 4,645m² BBC building set over four “They knocked the first and second job it gets updated automatically.” floors. Inside will be offices, studio floors into the ground floors, mass More technology was drawn in at around the and production space, providing filled it, and when we dug down, we the design stage, using a Revit Model excavation for more than 1,200 staff. The BBC got down to what were fully intact created by each consultant Foster building’s floorplan is a rough 90m ground floors of the former houses,” & Partners, Arup and Lawray. It is a square, but when you add in the says McElroy. “So the guys cleaned coordinated model updated monthly. public space at ground level, and the off the old floors, old fireplaces, “It’s not Level 2 BIM – BBC weren’t triangular Two Central plot – in total took photographic evidence and we mandating that. Level 2 is more it is about 2.5 football pitches. carried on.” coordination and assets, measuring New Civil Engineer visited in week Then, from 1954 to August 2015, and monitoring,” says McElroy. 44 (mid-October 2016) of the 122- the plot humbly served as Cardiff’s Peak site activity has passed, week construction programme, which central bus station, with visitors to with the forward plan featuring less began September 2015 and which is the city greeted by a pretty ordinary concrete and more steel. “They [steel due to finish spring 2018. view of concrete slab and 34 bus contractors] can only do two deliveries This massive excavation has shelters. The bus station’s future a day. But for concrete you might have unearthed a changing city. Diggers home is not far away, just one plot 10 to 14. So compared to… excavation, uncovered what was originally east, where a car park is currently it’s easy,” says McElroy. N

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 49 World View

Three kilometres is the point at which we can start to consider using a TBM 50 “NEW CIVIL ENGINEER  FEBRUARY 2017 and diesel generators were thirsty and polluting. Instead, the team built 35km of power lines of which12km are underground, costing £3.6M. Another hurdle was sourcing the large volumes of water required for a TBM that requires 100m3/h. Futhermore, equipment outside the tunnel needed water (15m3/h) as did the nearby concrete ring segment MOUNTAIN factory (127m3/h). The solution was an on site water treatment plant, with dirty water from the TBM fi ltered, directed through 1,028m3 of storage tanks, and pumped back out for re-use. The water goes into the plant with a solids concentration of 10,000mg/l, and comes out looking pretty clear at about 60mg/l. In the end, with the recycling plant creating 95m3/h, the CHALLENGE team only had to take an additional CONTRACTORS PUSH THROUGH MIXED GROUND 32m3/h from a nearby river. Margareto says the power lines and TO BUILD SPANISH HIGH SPEED RAIL TUNNEL water treatment plant will remain on site after the build, potentially for use BY ROBERT HENSON by the local community. FCC has also heavily repaired many of the winding mountain access roads. The geology of the area that will be excavated is roughly 50% shales of different types and 50% quartzite, uried deep under a accounts for 88% of the total budget. phyllite quartzite and sandstones. mountain in north west A Herrenknecht tunnel boring The highest outcrop over tunnel’s Spain, innovative methods KEY STATS machine (TBM) is creating the 9.9m main length is 210m. are helping extend the diameter tunnels, says FCC deputy The below ground profi le is 50% country’s high speed rail project director Juan Margareto. slate 50%, 10% laminated slate 10%, network. The €209.08M 9.9m Owned by FCC, the machine has 25% sandstone, 5 % quartzite and 10% (£188M), 6km twin bore Bolanos External worked on sections of the 14km-long cannel coal. The cannel coal deposits Tunnel is located 175km south east Pajares Tunnel and the 6km-long have to be dealt with to meet tight B tunnel of Santiago de Compostela. It is on Sotiello Tunnel. Concrete lining Spanish regulations on heavy metals. the 450km line that links Madrid with diameter segments are 370mm thick, resulting The excavation started at the the region of Galicia, via the cities of in an internal tunnel diameter of Campobecerros (eastern) end, with Olmedo, Zamora and Ourense. 8.76m. Except for cut and cover a rising slope of 0.5% over about 3 The client is Adif Alta Velocidad, 1.14M.m sections at the outer 15m of the 5,500m, then a 0.3% sloping descent. rail infrastructure administrator for Volume of eastern end and 70m of the western There was an area around 3.5km Spain. Adif bid each bore separately end, most of tunnel’s length will be from the portal, where the TBM but combined both contracts after material to be constructed using the TBM. crossed along an anticline with their award, with the contractors excavated So is it worth the price tag, for laminated slates. This combination working together with the same 12km of work? “Three kilometres is stopped the machine several times methods and equipment and are the point at which we can start to because the cutter head was blocked sharing knowledge. consider using a TBM. But there are by material. To solve this problem, But taking the lead in the work is other factors: other jobs nearby; how the team had to inject a foam made of FCC in joint venture with Acciona, many TBMs you want to use. Each two components on to the face of the taking 47.5% of work each. Another situation is different,” says Magareto. tunnel. When component A is mixed contractor Collosa has the remaining On site, at the west portal, is a with component B the result is an 5% . FCC and Acciona have a long concrete ring segment factory, a expansive foam that allows the TBM history with high speed rail in Spain, water treatment plant and a ring cutter head to restart. and are increasingly looking overseas storage area. Road bridges and Close to the portal, a major fault for work, including on the UK’s High extensive earthworks were also could also have caused a problem Speed 2 project. needed to get heavy equipment into for the TBM. So, FCC’s technical The Madrid-Gallicia line is full the hilly landscape. department designed a mixed of aqueducts and tunnels over The contract started in September excavation system. mountainous and remote terrain, with 2013, and soon ran into some The upper part of the tunnel was the Bolanos Tunnel the biggest and problems. To get the equipment into drilled with a conventional method, most expensive of them all. Most of action, power was needed. But in the while the TBM was used on the the track runs across the province of remote mountainous area, there is bottom part. The TBM is worth Orense and is in tunnels. This work not enough electrical power supply, protecting, not only because it must

FEBRUARY 2017  NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 51 World View Bolanos Tunnel

BOLANOS TUNNELS

LOCATION MAP CROSS SECTION OF TUNNELS

France Interior Connecting tunnels Interior Ourense diameter 8.76m 15-20m diameter 8.76m Maceda Spain Portugal A-52

A Gudina Clearance height 4.2m Xinzo de Limia A-52 BOLANOS TUNNELS 10km N

ROUTE ZAMORA PORTAL Encoro das Portas

Campobecerros

OURENSE PORTAL

N 2km be used twice, first for the southern FCC is a double joint system between reinforcement. bore tunnel, then again for the right ring sections. To prevent angular Margareto says with about 300 northern bore. deformation and broken seals people working on the massive site According to studies carried between concrete tunnel sections, at any one time, safety is paramount, out during the design stage, the the double joint system distributes and an ambulance and nurse service expected water pressure at certain the load more evenly, also making the is available around the clock. “It’s not points of the excavation is 14bar, structure less prone to leaks. mandatory to have a medical team on with water flow peaks up to 100l/s. The use of trapezoidal segments site, but we do it,” he says. To improve the tunnel’s resistance instead of rectangular ones has And to make sure communication to water ingress, FCC is using a two also been implemented, improving lines remain open in the tunnel, there component mortar system for the longitudinal joint compression. are separate wi-fi, mobile and digital first time in Spain (or Europe for that Production of rings had to begin walkie-talkie systems. matter) in an open shield TBM. First two to three months before the When New Civil Engineer visited the used in Japan in the early 2000s, it TBM started, and they have been project in autumn 2016, the project has, to date, been used solely in earth churned out consistently ever since, was on course to finish in November pressure balance TBMs. with a stockpile of about 1,000 as planned, providing another link in Two types of liquid are mixed waiting outside in the hot Spanish the chain for the Galicia-Madrid line. together, which according to FCC, sun at any one time. The tunnel’s Margareto says it could have all then take 10 seconds to form concrete ring segments amount to been done faster, using two TBMs an impermeable gel-like barrier. 159,380m3 of concrete and 15,906t of concurrently, but the cost would have Simulations were carried out to test been higher. its effectiveness. One component On 29 June 2016 925,000m3 of is cement, bentonite, water and a material had been removed from retardant; and the second component a total excavation of 1.14M.m3. By is an accelerant, liquid sodium silicate. It is not January, both tunnels were complete; The amount of accelerant can be with each tunnel 6.7km long. adjusted, depending on where the mandatory to Parts of the Madrid-Galicia line TBM is progressing and how much of have a medical team – with speeds up to 350km/h – are the tunnel needs to be done. already open, with the full line Another innovation claimed by on site, but we do it expected to be open in 2018. N 52 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017“ World View INSPIRING CIVILS ACROSS THE GLOBE NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/WORLD VIEW

DUBAI AECOM AND SYSTRA IN DUBAI WIN Consultants Systra and Aecom have won work on phases two and three of Dubai’s Light Rail Transit system extension. Under a 14 month contract they will do transport planning, preliminary design and invitations to tender for the second and third phases of the project. Phase two involves building a 6km extension, which will include construction of nine stations. Phase three will be 16.6km long and will have 19 stations. Both lines would have a passing loop to improve service effi ciency.

TURKEY U K ST HELENA EURASIA SUBSEA UKCHINA BRITISH GOVERNMENT TUNNEL UNDER INFRASTRUCTURE CRITICISED FOR ST HELENA BOSPHORUS OPENS ACADEMY OPENS AIRPORT DEBABLE

The Eurasia Tunnel in Turkey, The UK-China Infrastructure which connects Asia and Europe, Academy has admitted its fi rst has opened. Engineering challenges delegates to a week-long course include a world fi rst incorporating aimed at attracting Chinese 13.7m diameter lining rings for investment in UK infrastructure increased earthquake resistance projects. Plans for the academy were at a depth of 106m. The 5.4km fi rst announced during the 2015 long twin deck tunnel beneath the China state visit to the UK. It is a key Bosphorus strait has taken more part of the UK-China Infrastructure than 14M man hours to build and Alliance and will train participants employed 700 engineers. The tunnel in policy, fi nancial, planning and runs beneath the Bosphorus Strait the legal frameworks governing the The UK government has been slammed for “serious between Kazlicesme and Goztepe. UK’s infrastructure environment. failings” in the £285M publicly funded project to design and The project also incorporates Delegates from Chinese companies build the airport at St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. 10km of access road. Arup was and government departments visited The House of Commons public accounts committee said technical advisor during the design key Northern Powerhouse investment it was “staggering” that the Department for International phase and WSP was lead designer. sites during the course. Chinese Development (DFID) failed to foresee the problems that The tunnelling contractor was SK investment in UK infrastructure and stop the airport from being used by commercial aircraft. Engineering & Construction of regeneration projects has totalled “Wind shear” issues are make it diffi cult for planes to land. Korea. £4bn since 2012. DFID is conducting its own review.

FEBRUARY 2017  NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 53 Engineering Equality

WIDENING THE NET THE EXPECTED HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE BOOM IS TRIGGERING A BIG DIVERSITY PUSH BY JACKIE WHITELAW

54 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER  FEBRUARY 2017 READ MORE AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/ENGINEERING-EQUALITY

ollowing chancellor Philip “Road maintenance is an Hammond’s Autumn excellent tool for fi scal stimulus,” We need Statement, the roads KEY STATS says Highways Term Maintenance industry is reportedly Association (HTMA) executive people to being asked to highlight director Geoff Allister. “We are aware 90% for the government, that as a sector we can offer jobs work longer, but we quick start maintenance and capital Proportion not only out on the roads but in IT, have to let them schemesF that could create “fi scal of white men fi nance and customer relations for stimulus”. By investing money locally example, on a very regional basis work more fl exibly in projects that will improve Britain’s in transport because road maintenance tends to notoriously under maintained local sector be a local employer.” “ roads, the government could at speed management The HTMA has created a toolkit some key approaches are being create employment on a targeted, for employers to demonstrate the adopted, he says. One is to encourage regional basis. This would provide roles different roles available for schools, the older generation to stay on jobs, as well as the economic growth colleges and local job centres as working and another is to encourage that comes with better highways, and LESS well as a video demonstrating the people who have left the sector to ultimately, extra tax revenues for the opportunities for a broad range of rejoin it. Treasury. THAN 10% people. Age is arguably still a taboo topic “Some of our clients are asking Ethnic “There is a perception that we in the work environment. Most to look at how to spend much minority are just a cold, wet industry. But we businesses operate a pyramid style more money in maintenance and are not, or not always,” says HTMA approach for age profi le with the improvement,” one contractor representa- chairman Richard Chinn of consultant broad base being younger, less explained. “We are expecting more tion in Mott MacDonald. expensive staff and the pointy end spend in RIS1 – the current English “The HTMA has been working at the top being a small number road investment strategy period to transport hard with the Chartered Institution of older, usually higher paid, 2021 – and possibly even into RIS2.” sector of Highways & Transportation to experienced people. RIS1 already involves £16bn of workforce promote the wealth of different Companies have been guilty of capital spend for the Strategic Road opportunities, from administration encouraging their older workers out Network and £6bn for maintenance. Source: to legal. to cut costs. Then, fi nding a new job And there is a further £6bn intended CIHT “We are not just about fi lling when over 55 is notoriously hard. for local highway maintenance in potholes. And as maintenance is A complicating factor is that many the same period. More would be always with us, our sector provides people in that age bracket and over welcomed, particularly to tackle the potential for long term reliable do not always want to be working fl at the £12bn local road maintenance career development.” out and full time. backlog. But with the industry Nevertheless, Chinn says, there But, says Chinn, attitudes must already doing twice as much work is a shortage of skills, and as the change if the skills gap is to be as it has been used to, it needs to be highways industry becomes more tackled. able to prove it can resource the extra IT based – with smart motorways “We need people to work longer, investment. for instance – it is competing for but we have to let them work more Over the last few years, the technical and computer skills with fl exibly,” he says. “We need genuine maintenance sector has put together a wide range of employers. “We are part-time work, not reduced hours on a strong package of initiatives to also suffering from the effects of the reduced pay, but expect people to do attract and retain new recruits from recession before last, when engineers the same amount of work as they did a more diverse pool to counter the quit the sector. So as a demographic, full time.” perception that it is dominated by we are very reliant on the grey hair or Mott MacDonald equality, diversity white, males. And, anticipating the little hair brigade who are coming to and inclusion manager Richard increased workload, it has been the end of their careers.” Chapman Harris agrees. “We are putting energy into a better gender But initiatives to attract young looking to see how we effectively balance while partnering with the women and men into the technical harness the talent in the 50-plus age armed forces to hire from their ranks and engineering side of the industry group,” he says. “And we are looking once people leave the services, and are bearing fruit and will be at setting up an age inclusion project. working with the Prison Service to helped by the introduction of the “Real agile working – freedom fi nd roles for low risk offenders. apprenticeship levy and the target to to work whenever, wherever and When Theresa May became create 30,000 new apprenticeships however – is demanded by the prime minister, she highlighted within the next fi ve years, set out in millennial generation [those born the abandonment by industry of the Transport Infrastructure Skills in the 1980s and 90s]. All workers, many young men and there has Strategy. at any life or career stage, should been an effort to create a culture “But,” says Chinn “they will be expect it too so they can work round to attract British black, asian and ready in fi ve years’ time and the the demands of ageing parents, for minority ethnic (Bame) men and demand is now.” example, or changing work and life disadvantaged young white men. To fi ll the gap in the meantime commitments.” N

FEBRUARY 2017  NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 55 Company Pro le

Amey Asset Management

“We want business decisions to be based on science rather than be just budget driven,” says Amey associate director Charles Oldham.

He leads a 100-strong team from a variety of backgrounds that analyses a raft of data to maximise the effectiveness of Amey’s operations teams. Amey’s Consulting business must be doing something right as it doubled the size of the Strategic Consulting and Technology Team (SCT) in 2016 and Oldham has been asked to double it again next year. “At the moment there is as much work as we can employ people to handle,” he says. Amey’s Consulting team works collaboratively across the business to deliver a “whole lifecycle” approach to asset management. This system was piloted in the UK rail sector, where the firm is responsible for the performance of a huge swathe of infrastructure. One such arrangement has Amey looking after the reliability of 250 train sets, 101 stations and various tunnels, tracks and other elements on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines of London’s Tube network since 2003. “When we started this work, we could see that there was room to improve the performance of the assets,” says Amey rail director Lee Jones. “Going through those di› cult days to improve reliability we found there was only so much you could do through traditional methods. We brought in an asset management system that gave us a lot of data on what was failing, when and for how long.” Amey’s team was brought in to analyse the information and plan a way forward. “By 2014 we had reduced lost customer hours by 70% from 2003,” says Jones. “Failures per million car what will fail next, using data from Above: Amey operational business in various sectors kilometres were down by almost 90%.” sensors and human input, and putting is responsible including rail, highways, utilities and Oldham explains how the unit works. it into Amey-developed real time for the efficient aviation. “We look at a train with thousands predictive analytics software,” he management of “At Heathrow we supported the of parts and monitor, detect and says. large amounts of masterplanning for new infrastructure predict asset behaviour, for example The team works alongside the rail infrastructure using an asset model we created to

56 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER  FEBRUARY 2017 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Left: Combining “There is also now the availability of consultancy data and the increased capability to and operations deal with it – we are doing a lot of our skillsets helps work on the Cloud because traditional asset owners computers are not powerful enough. improve asset So there is somewhere to go from the performance platform. That is the coincidence that has led to the growth of our team.” Getting the right people into the fast-growing Consulting team is a challenge in itself. “When I’m interviewing, I need to see high analytical skills and also the human skills to translate the data into relevant information for our teams on the ground, working across different infrastructure projects,” says Oldham. He is aiming for the very best talent. “We are recruiting people from Imperial College London, Oxford and Cambridge universities and Harvard,” says Oldham. “They have decided to do this rather than financial analysis, allow the airport to see the impacts people with different attitudes to get because it is connected to reality and of new terminals and runways on this offering together, and now people they can see how they are making a cost over 50 years, based on what is are choosing to join Amey because of difference to the infrastructure we all actually happening in the airport,” what we’re doing.” use, every day.” says Oldham. The firm’s approach has also won it But Oldham is open-minded about “At Severn Trent Water we are business far and wide. After a handful what fields staff come from. looking at water quality issues and of deals in Qatar, it has recently won “We want analytical skills, curiosity getting insight into why problems work in Australia and with the New and energy. I am probably the only are occurring, by combining data York Metropolitan Transportation person in the team with a traditional streams such as complaints, call outs, Authority in the United States. civil engineering background . location and weather.” Amey believes “We have won a contract with We have mathematicians, an the way it combines its consultancy Sydney Trains for operational delivery astrophysicist and an ancient historian and operations teams offers major as well as data and analytics,” says who persuaded me that was an benefits to customers. Oldham. “One will lead to the other. analytical skill. I believed him and he’s “We do the analysis and the hands- “We will support the customer in come up trumps.” on work,” says Jones. making performance improvements, Oldham may be happy to employ “We help clients and major asset on rolling stock and infrastructure Key facts non-engineers but he ensures they owners to better plan for, understand assets. My team will look at data for all gain an understanding of the world and improve the value of their assets patterns, Jones will look at the way they are analysing. so they perform better, so their risks the assets are managed and we’ll 250 “We insist that all the theoretical Amey is are managed more effectively and bring the two together to identify staff go out and look at a railway track responsible for the regulators are kept happy.” opportunities to improve.” every year so they understand, for reliability of this Oldham believes a key strength is Amey expects the market number of train example, that it is easy to trip over the wide breadth of skills and diversity for data-based, life-cycle asset sets on the rail and hard to walk along ballast,” within the company. management consultancy, combined Jubilee, Northern he says. “The engineer does not have the with operational delivery, to continue and Piccadilly lines Improvements identified by digital tools and the analyst does growing. the team include changing the not have the knowledge of our “In the last five years there has 100 maintenance schedule of escalators infrastructure but if you bring the two been an increase in pressure both Size of Amey’s in Tube stations to reflect a finding together, the lights go on,” he says. from reduced client budgets and strategic that the physical length of the asset Jones says something of a positive increased customer expectations,” consultancy and was more relevant to its failure time skills cycle now exists at the firm. says Oldham. “That creates a burning technology team than the amount of time it had been “We have recruited a diverse mix of platform. running.

FEBRUARY 2017  NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 57 Institution of Civil Engineers Record

PRoFeSSion Children become engineers for a day north london school children take over learning Hub to experience bridge building

Year 6 pupils from North worked on their bridges. One London became engineers was Tom Chick, a Transport for for the day recently when London graduate civil engineer. they took over the ICE’s new He said it is important to Infrastructure Learning Hub to make civil engineering fun and see how bridges are built. engaging if a new generation is The day was held at the ICE’s to be inspired to create and look Bridge Engineering exhibition after our built environment. at Great George Street. The “It’s important we show Some of the children exhibition includes the world’s children engineering in action so with the lego bridge longest single-span Lego Bridge that they can see how we apply which is 3m tall and 31m long. maths and science in the real The children created their own world. design, such as understanding engineers – they saw a problem arches, beams and cantilever “Doing so brings those the materials’ behaviours and looked for a solution, which bridges using K’Nex and other subjects to life and helps and the forces that act on is what I do every day.” construction toys in a range of children make subject choices the different structures,” said One of the children’s teachers activities organised by bridge that keep the door open to Chick. “I was asked some really said the event had been “an and educational specialists from exciting and well-paid careers. thought provoking questions educational day full of fantastic the Rochester Bridge Trust. “I was really pleased to too, and was even quizzed on activities that had the children The children had guidance see how quickly the children how Stonehenge was built. The engrossed in engineering”. from engineers while they grasped the principles of bridge children were clearly natural With large infrastructure

iCe iCe Mair confi rmed as iCe seeks awards Pass lists, Bylaw 16 next iCe President nominations

ICE Council has offi cially elected The ICE is calling on its a Construction industry Council had breached By-law 35 and Rule professor Lord Robert Mair as members to nominate their (CiC) independent appeals Tribunal 1 of the icE Rules of Professional President for ICE’s bi-centenary peers and projects to the 2017 was held on 7 July 2016 to hear an conduct; imposed an inequitable year. He will succeed Tim ICE Annual Awards, which will appeal by Chartered Member, Mr sanction on Mr carmody, and; that Broyd on 1 November 2017. celebrate civil engineering Steven Carmody, Membership no the decision of the institution was As well as working on many excellence over the past year. 51892187, of Wakefi eld, against the therefore not in accordance with international tunnelling and Winning an ICE Award is a institution of Civil engineers (iCe). natural justice. deep excavation projects, watermark event for a civil The icE has consequently Mair was closely involved with engineer or project, giving the The Tribunal upheld Mr Steven withdrawn the Severe Reprimand the Jubilee Line Extension winners industry recognition carmody’s appeal and found that against Mr Steven carmody and this for London Underground, the and media coverage. The the icE should quash the decision notice will be posted in the institution Channel Tunnel Rail Link – ICE will announce the award and withdraw the sanction originally and published. now HS1 – and Crossrail. In winners at a ceremony in made on 28 July 2015 to Severely October 2015, he was appointed October at One Great George Reprimand the Member. to the House of Lords as an Street. The deadline for The independent Appeals Tribunal independent crossbencher. As a submissions is Friday 14 April. decided that the icE Disciplinary crossbencher he can take part Visit ICE’s website for more Board had incorrectly interpreted its in legislative debates free of information: www.ice.org.uk/ rules when it found that Mr carmody party considerations. iceawards17

58 nEw civil EnginEER | FEBRUARY 2017 M o R e i C e neWS g O TO n E wcivilE nginEER.c OM/l ATEST

Regional VieW InnovatIve Infrastructure

ICE President Tim The ICE has called on the Northern Ireland Broyd recently visited Executive to put improving infrastructure at the Northern Ireland to heart of its 2016-21 Programme for Government, promote the role of and to continue to develop a pipeline of digital innovation in our identified upcoming projects. In a challenging industry. We welcomed fiscal climate, we must adequately maintain him with an Innovation our assets – otherwise they will fail to serve us, projects like Crossrail 2 and Richard Debate, in which protect us and attract investors. Heathrow expansion coming specialists from various However, to deliver these long-term benefits up in London and around Kirk sectors discussed to Northern Ireland, we need to think differently the country, the UK will need whether cultural or about how we fund and procure projects, what many more engineers. The ICE technological changes are more important to areas are most in need and how we attract and believes it is vital that schools innovation in the construction industry. develop our best people to deliver them. and industry work together to While the panel made a good case for Earlier this year, the ICE and Pinsent Masons inspire primary school children technology, culture ultimately won among hosted a round table which brought together to become engineers. the polled audience members. It is an idea government officials, industry experts and that President Broyd echoed in his address at business leaders to discuss Northern Ireland’s our annual dinner – that we engineers need infrastructure needs up to the year 2050. to transform the way we think about our The impending skills shortage in civil Pass lists, Bylaw 16 professional practices. engineering is one of the most challenging As he wisely pointed out, this does not just obstacles facing infrastructure delivery, and the mean a change in how we approach, develop recent findings of the Skills Barometer show that as new Civil engineer is now and use digital technology. True industry Northern Ireland will need more civil engineers published monthly, the names transformation requires a forward-thinking to meet its future needs. In response, this year of candidates recently awarded approach fit to tackle the complex challenges of ICE Northern Ireland developed and launched a professional qualification with the 21st century. Work+, a civil engineering apprenticeship iCe will only be published online Earlier this year, ICE Northern Ireland hosted in conjunction with the Department for the at newcivilengineer.com/latest/ the “How Smart is Your City?” event, which Economy, 25 employers and all six of Northern icenews. They will no longer be explored how science and engineering can Ireland’s further education colleges. published in the print edition. provide the solutions for problems wrought The ICE, and civil engineers generally, must

by rapid urbanisation. The event panel, which continue to pursue that kind of proactive The pass lists will also be published included experts from government and IT, problem-solving – the broad church approach on icE’s website, along with the stressed the critical role smart infrastructure will that brings together a mix of minds to address names of all candidates applying for play in future cities. our challenges. We welcome the introduction of professionally qualified membership Civil engineers have always known and the new AMICE grade, as well as the institutional (Bylaw 16). Both can be viewed promoted the importance of infrastructure – push for more diversity among our members. at www.ice.org.uk/bylaw16 under after all, it’s our work. However, other sectors It is only through changing ourselves, our “newest qualified member”. lists will are increasingly taking note of infrastructure’s membership, and our mind-set, that we will be remain on the site for 28 days. To role in driving the economy, generating jobs and able to keep up our rapidly-changing world and view lists on the New Civil Engineer building quality of life. In fact, 94% of businesses deliver the infrastructure that it needs. website, visit newcivilengineer.com/ report that quality of infrastructure is a decisive l Richard Kirk is ICE Northern Ireland regional latest/ice-news factor when planning future investment. director

FEBRUARY 2017 | n Ew civil EnginEER 59 Institution of Civil Engineers Record

i C e i C e New iCE Council iCE to host infrastructure members showcase at Ecobuild event sought institution aims to use presence to drive infrastructure agenda

ICE Council is seeking 13 new members to join as trustees. The elected, 35 member Council steers the ICE’s efforts to deliver value to society and its members. Members can nominate themselves or a colleague and would serve a three year term of office with effect from 7 November. There are four vacancies for general members. These are elected by professionally qualified members worldwide and do not represent any particular constituency. Council also requires five new regional members to represent each of the following regions: Hong Kong, North East, East Midlands, West Midlands The gatway arena will be at the heart of the e cobuild event, located on the Regeneration Drive boulevard and Wales. Candidates may be Corporate or Technician Members and are The ICE is returning to the 2017 The ICE will host the The ICE has a range of elected by the professionally Ecobuild event between 7 and “Gateway” area on Regeneration opportunities for industry qualified members in their 9 March as an official industry Drive and use the space to partners to exhibit and take relevant regions. partner, hoping to build on the showcase infrastructure projects. part in the seminar debate Three new international success of its Infrastructure It will include a seminar arena programme and is keen to members are needed to Revolution Hub at last year’s enabling visitors and industry ensure that infrastructure represent the Americas, event. partners to interact, discuss and projects are profiled around the Asia Pacific and Middle East Ecobuild 2017 is to be drive change within the sector, key themes. and Africa. held at the Exel exhibition to deal with the challenges of a ICE director of engineering These are elected by centre in London. It offers a digital world. knowledge Nathan Baker said: the professionally new concept, transforming Next to the Gateway will be a “Ecobuild 2017 is a really qualified members in these the event into an “immersive networking and exhibition area exciting opportunity once international areas. city”, complete with a main called “Kendal’s Coffee House”. again for the ICE to support Finally, Council needs street, distinct destinations It recreates ICE’s historic infrastructure design and one graduate member, who and special feature attractions. genesis – where the pioneering delivery in the UK. is elected by ICE Graduate Central to the experience will civil engineers Palmer, Jones The Gateway will provide a members. be “Regeneration Drive”’, a and Field first met to share and platform for a wide audience l All nominations for ICE boulevard running through promote engineering knowledge. to better understand the Council must be submitted the middle of the show. It will The Gateway will encourage challenges faced by the to the Council Office at One link different aspects of the audience debate and questions civil engineering industry in Great George Street by 31 exhibition and enable visitors across six key themes over the delivering key infrastructure March. For more information to experience best practice three days. They will include projects and in helping to visit: www.ice.org.uk/ innovation and creativity from power, transport, water, waste, identify solutions which can be councilnomination across the built environment. smart cities and technology. put into action.”

60 new civil engineer | Fe BrUArY 2017 CHRiMeS WaTCH New Civil Engineer 3rd Floor, Telephone House 69-77 Paul Street, london Ec2A 4nQ

EDitORial ENQUiRiEs Email: [email protected] Editor | Mark Hansford a DIGItaL (020) 3033 2821 mark.hansford Deputy editor | Alexandra wynne (020) 3033 2822 alexandra.wynne News editor | nadine Buddoo (020) 3033 2669 nadine.budoo Features editor | Robert Henson (020) 3033 2852 robert.henson MeMorY InstItutIon technical editor emeritus | Dave Parker dave.parker Commercial editor | Michaila Hancock (020) 3033 2612 michaila.hancock “Engineering a digital available paper-based, photographic and fi lm technical reporter | Katherine Smale (020) 3033 4279 katherine.smale future”, the title of Tim material. The question it now faces is: “Does technical reporter | Fiona Mcintyre Broyd’s Presidential the ICE wish to become a digital memory (020) 3033 2870 fiona.mcintyre address and his theme institution?” If the answer is yes, and I believe Chief sub editor | Andy Bolton for the year ahead it should be if it is to maintain relevance to the (020) 3033 2823 | andy.bolton cannot be seen solely membership, then how can this be achieved? ONliNE aCCEss ENQUiRiEs as an opportunity for To gain a better understanding of some of Email: [email protected] Mike the future of design these issues, Panel for Historical Engineering and construction. It is Works technical secretary Bob McWilliam, has EDitORial aDVisORy BOaRD Chrimes also an opportunity recently completed a Masters degree at Glasgow Robert Mair (chair), Bill grose, Alan for the heritage School of Architecture, focusing on international clucas, Andrew Mylius, Martin Knights, community, as well as heritage visualisation and learning how some of Michelle Hicks, Mike napier, Miles Ashley, Rob naybour, Tim chapman, offering real benefi ts the new technology is being put to use. Tony gates, Zakiyya Adam, Aimi Elias, for those involved in maintenance and asset To take this further forward, McWilliam is John Dillon, David caiden, Andrew management. looking for people with an interest in whole life crudgington, Fay Bull, Sophie McPhilips, The Royal Commission for Ancient and asset management who would be interested Stephen wells, Jennifer cooke Historic Monuments in Scotland (RCAHMS), now in taking part in a dialogue with Edinburgh merged with Historic Scotland to form Historic University. Magazine of the institution of Civil Engineers Environment Scotland, has accumulated a large Conservation provides a great challenge: 1 great george Street, london Sw1P variety of digital records on topics as varied as electronic catalogues are available for currently 3AA bathymetry, 3D models of buildings as well as available components for use with building 020 7222 7722 www.ice.org.uk conventional documents. Numerous different information technology (BIM). To put conservation fi le formats were used as working documents engineering on an equal footing with BIM, we need iCE MEMBERs’ aDDREss CHaNGEs/ sUBsCRiPtiONs for research and condition-monitoring of an equivalent catalogue of historical components QUERiEs archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime to support the re-use of surviving components www.ice.org.uk/myice to update your heritage sites, etcetera. and/or the potential to recreate them. This address quickly online. For subscription The RCAHMS work described was undertaken exercise needs interested members to ensure queries, please phone 020 7665 using Prince2 project-management methodology that, for example, obsolescent specifi cations 2227, or email [email protected] on ensuring data from their Open Archival for standard rolled steel sections or proprietary sUBsCRiPtiONs Information System had full external audit bridge bearings are readily available. Anybody For subscription queries contact conformity as set in ISO 16363: 2012 Audit and interested, or who knows people with expertise in dsb.net ltd, 3 Queensbridge, certifi cation of trustworthy digital repositories. this area can contact Bob via carol.morgan@ice. northampton nn4 7BF. Tel: 01604 This raised the concern of lost data and the extra org.uk in the ICE archives. 251030 All rights reserved © 2016 new civil Engineer. costs involved in trying to re-establish the missing There is a case for the ICE to set up a digital An EMAP service – Powered by AScEnTiAl; information. archive system for any donations received Printed by Headley ltd. Registered as a This topic is of major signifi cance to asset in digital form including, for example, 3D newspaper with the Post Office iSSn 0307-7683. issue no: 2046 managers and maintenance engineers who are visualisations of complete civil works such Statements made or opinions expressed in tasked with retrieving data records of past projects as an integral BIM Level 2 package. It would new civil Engineer do not necessarily reflect the views of icE council or icE committees held in obsolescent software, or for which the be a logical extension of Tim Broyd’s, and ICE hardware has been discarded. Council’s, ambitions for promoting BIM and For the past 200 years, the ICE has served complementary systems to enable it to be a through its library and archives as the memory “digital memory institution”. of the profession by collecting and making l Mike Chrimes is an engineering historian

FEBRUARY 2017 | nEw civil EnginEER 61 Classified c O n T acT MATThew FOSTe R 020 3033 2980 maTThew fO s T [email protected] m

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Clubs & soCieties

MUNICIPALMUNICIPAL AND AND COUNTY ENGINEERS ENGINEERS

LodgeLodge Noo 3920 3920

The Municipal and County Engineers Lodge The isMunicipal seeking and to Countyincrease Engineers and broadenLodge is seekingits to increasemembership. and broaden itsIt membership.was founded It wasby Cityfounded and by City and CountyCounty Engineners Engineers in 1919in 1919 and andmeets meets four times four a year at the easilytimes accessible a year atMark the Masons easily Hall,accessible 86 St James’s Mark Street, LondonMasons SW1A 1PL.Hall, 86 St James’s Street, London SW1A 1PL Anyone seeking good fellowship among such individuals, or indeedAnyone from seeking any other good professions, fellowship and among wishes suchfor further information please write to: individuals, or indeed from any other To advertise in the next issue of professions,Mr Ron Martin,and CEngwishes CEnv forMICE, further information5 Broomhills, please Betsham write Road,to: Southfleet, New Civil Engineer please contact Gravesend DA13 9NU Mr Ron Martin, CEng CEnv MICE, Lindsay Smith on 020 3033 2634 or Email:5 [email protected] email [email protected] Betsham Road Southfleet 62 new civil engineerGravesend | february DA13 9NU 2017R Email: [email protected]

Classified c O n TAc T MATThew FOST e R 020 3033 2980 mATTh E w FOs TER@ E m A p.cO m

NEW LOOK Courses

Training Courses

Basic Reinforced Concrete Detailing to EC2 Cardiff: 25-26 Jan; Glasgow: 23 Feb (1 Day option)

Design of Retaining Walls to EC7 Heathrow: 17 Jan; Bristol: 22 Feb; Glasgow: 5 Apr; Cardiff: 17 May

Structural Steelwork Awareness Cardiff: 19 Jan

NEC3 – Introduction Bristol: 7 Feb; Glasgow: 20 Apr

CONNECTING YOU TO THE JCT 2011 Design & Build Contract Heathrow: 24-25 Jan

PEOPLE WHO MATTER Environmental Drainage Design (Foul & Surface Water) Bristol: 12 Jan; Glasgow: 2 Feb

Flood Risk Assessments Heathrow: 18 Jan; Belfast: 26 Jan; Glasgow: 23 Mar START YOUR JOURNEY NOW AT Land Drainage Law for Non Legal Professionals Birmingham: 18 Jan; Cardiff: 22 Mar NEWCIVILENGINEERCAREERS.COM Sustainable Development & Sustainable Construction Heathrow: 19 Jan

Health, Safety & Welfare Legislation Glasgow: 8 Mar; Birmingham: 1 Jun

Site & General Safety Belfast: 18 Jan; Bristol: 6 Apr; Birmingham: 19 Jul

CDM Regs and Compliance – 2015 Overview Glasgow: 18 Jan; Bristol: 25 Jan; Belfast: 23 Mar; Cardiff: 27 Apr

Highways (Endorsed by CIHT for CPD)

Practical Highway Design - Introduction Heathrow: 1 Feb; Cardiff: 22 Jun

Highway Drainage Design Belfast: 22nd Feb; Glasgow: 5 Jul

Highway Drainage Construction & Maintenance Belfast: 23rd Feb; Glasgow: 6 Jul

Bills of Quantities for Highway Works Bristol: 19 Jan New Civil Engineer Careers attracts only the best direct employers: Highway Law in Development Management Manchester: 18 Jan; Heathrow: 20 Apr; Birmingham: 18 May

01446 775959/[email protected] www.symmonsmadge.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2017 | nEw civil EnginEER 63 17-18 MAY 2017 INMARSAT, LONDON BOOK BEFORE 3 FEBRUARY TO SAVE £150 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

airports.newcivilengineer.com @airport_design #NCEairports

BOOKING ENQUIRIES SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 020 3033 2949 020 3033 2911 [email protected] [email protected]

NCE_CON27_AIRP_FP AD_NCE_V2.indd 1 1/6/17 4:49 PM Careers c O n T acT DEBORAH TAYLOR 020 3033 4303 debO rah.T aylO [email protected] m Director - Marine Flexible UK Location Excellent Salary and Benefits Package

www.tonygee.com Consulting Civil, Structural and Geotechnical Engineers

CheethamHall2016 - Alternative.indd 1 14/12/2016 12:10:17

PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSULTANT / SENIOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSULTANT / PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSULTANT These roles require experienced highways asset management consultants with the expertise to implement, review and develop strategic asset YOTTA EXPANDS ITS management consultancy to the highways market. ASSET MANAGEMENT You will need to be self-motivated with the drive CONSULTANCY to succeed in a vibrant and dynamic environment; able to demonstrate an excellent balance of Yotta is dedicated to applying technical ability with strong communication skills. technology to the advancement of infrastructure asset PRODUCT SPECIALIST management. The highway Primarily working with our Mayrise application infrastructure represents suite, which provides asset management the largest capital asset that operational tools for Highways, Street Lighting, the public sector holds. Our Street Works and Environmental Services consultants deliver quality including Waste Management and Grounds, you advice, support, training and will be expected to provide consultancy, both solutions tailored to each operational and technical, onsite and field based Client’s local requirements. They training and to attend and contribute to relevant are excellent communicators technical steering groups and seminars. We would with in-depth experience of welcome applicants with experience from any of highways infrastructure asset the different disciplines. To advertise in the next issue of management, ISO55000 and Yotta offers excellent benefits, competitive the latest industry guidance. salary and fantastic opportunities for personal it’s a match made in New Civil Engineer please contact development. Deborah Taylor on 020 3033 4303 or For full details and to apply to any of these vacancies, please visit our website: www.yotta.co.uk/careers/current-opportunities/ or call Carys Hughes on 01926 319600 email [email protected]

february 2017 | new civil engineer 65

Yotta Recruitment Ad_NCE 91x110mm.indd 1 24/11/2016 14:01 Careers CONTACT DEBORAH TAYLOR 020 3033 4303 [email protected]

At sweco, we want to make a difference as we shape opportunities the future for a more sustainable society. As we continue to grow our uK business, we have a range of opportunities available for talented with sweco in individuals to join our water team. we are looking for people who not only have the technical skills, but who water can foster strong working relationships with consultants, clients and contractors and who can Bristol | EdinBurgh | lEEds | nEwport promote our sweco values. | pEtErBorough | solihull

to find out more, please visit our website: Do you want your work to make www.sweco.co.uk/career/open-positions a Difference? then sweco is the place to be.

New Civil Engineer WE ARE RECRUITING

It is an exciting time to be an engineer It is an excellent opportunity KEY SKILLS and an equally exciting time to be an for an engineer looking to move engineering journalist. into the exciting world of modern l Demonstrable knowledge of civil New Civil Engineer has transformed journalism or a qualified journalist engineering profession and/or ability to itself into a multi-platform brand. As a eager to learn more about civil quickly grasp technical issues result of the transformation we have an engineering. l Eager to explore how technology will opportunity for a Technical Reporter. A thirst for analysing technical change what and how engineers build issues and disseminating them in l Ability to write concisely, accurately TECHNICAL REPORTER an engaging and compelling style is and informatively in an engaging style vital. l Comfortable presenting to camera Your passion for engineering This role also requires a finger and the future role of the profession on the pulse of the international Apply by sending your CV and cover will be key to your success. news agenda. letter to [email protected]

66 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | FEBRUARY 2017 Careers c O n T acT DEBORAH TAYLOR 020 3033 4303 debO rah.T aylO [email protected] m

Searching Executi ve TalentGlobally

MiddleMiddle EastEast MiddleRest of EastWorld MiddleSE Asia East

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR – DRAINAGE COUNTRY MANAGER - INFRA BUSINESS LEADERS – RAIL Qatar Tanzania Singapore & Indonesia £110k - £120k pa TAX-FREE £90k - £100k pa TAX-FREE + Expat Bens £120k - £140k + Expat Bens A leading engineering consultancy is seeking a A large European engineering consultancy seeks Required for internati onal engineering consultancy Chartered Technical Director, Drainage, to play a qualifi ed and experienced Civil Engineer with groups. These roles will take on the mantle of Project a key role in the delivery of numerous Drainage experience of managing a large consultancy Director for acti ve projects in Southeast Asia whilst and Surface Water schemes relati ng to large-scale offi ce. The role involves managing the Tanzanian also identi fying new prospects across Metro-Rail, Infrastructure projects in Qatar. You must be operati ons, overseeing projects (which include Light-Rail, High-Speed Rail and other similar projects degree qualifi ed, Chartered and have 20+ years’ transportati on, water and social engineering), in the region. You must have a proven track record post graduate experience in the detailed design business development, preparing tenders and report of winning and leading projects for design and and design review of Drainage and Surface Water into the main offi ce Nairobi. You should have at least constructi on supervision acti viti es, ideally within schemes relati ng to Infrastructure projects. Previous 20 years’ experience, 5 years in a similar role, and Southeast Asia. experience in client-facing positi ons are preferred. have knowledge of the Eastern African region. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR TEAM LEADER - HYDRO RAIL SYSTEMS SPECIALISTS Qatar Pakistan/Ethiopia/Lesotho Indonesia/Malaysia/Singapore £150k pa TAX-FREE + Expat Bens £90k - £100k pa TAX-FREE + Expat Bens c. £100k - £140k + Expat Bens One of the leading and globally recognised A large European engineering consultancy is seeking Opportuniti es available in Indonesia, Malaysia constructi on organisati ons is seeking a Chartered a Hydro Power Engineer for Team Leader acti viti es and Singapore. Working for a leading engineering Constructi on Director to manage a $multi -billion for the project management & constructi on consultancy, you will lead design and constructi on infrastructure project within the region. The supervision of a Hydro Power Rehabilitati on project supervision acti viti es for rail systems such as train positi on requires an expert in managing large scale in Pakistan as well as other Dam projects. You must control, signalling, communicati ons, power and infrastructure projects including roads, highways be degree qualifi ed (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil) with rolling stock associated systems for Metro and and drainage systems. Ability to lead and deliver MSc being advantageous and possess over 20 years’ Light-Rail projects. You will need to be comfortable all technical and commercial aspects of the project experience with 15 years in Rehabilitati on Design with client-facing duti es and working to dynamic, including constructi on and procurement processes Acti viti es. Must be English speaking and possess fast-paced Southeast Asia ti melines. is essenti al. You must be degree qualifi ed with 20+ previous experience working in the region. years’ post graduate experience from a consulti ng or contracti ng background. Arabic speakers preferred. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

LEAD QS TEAM LEADERS - WATER DESIGN LEADERS – HIGHSPEED RAIL Qatar/Indonesia Sub-Saharan Africa & Eastern Europe Malaysia/Singapore £90k - £95k pa TAX-FREE + Expat Bens £80k - £100k pa TAX-FREE + Expat Bens £Negoti able An internati onal engineering consultancy is Leading internati onal engineering consultancies seek Seeking applicati ons to join High-Speed Rail projects urgently seeking a Lead QS with extensive claims degree qualifi ed Chartered Civil Engineers looking commencing in Q1 2017. You will ideally have 10+ management experience to join their team on a to work in Sub Saharan Africa or Eastern Europe years’ relevant experience in either civil & structural Rail programme. Client side experience is essenti al as Team Leaders. You should have prior working or systems (e.g. communicati ons, train control, and requires an individual who is proacti ve with the experience on Internati onal Development Financed tracti on power) engineering for transport projects, ability to ensure contracts are being met and monitor projects such as KfW/WB/AfDB/EU on either Potable which includes experience on previous High-Speed costs. You must hold a degree in Civil Engineering, Water schemes or Wastewater/Water Resources Rail projects. Candidates with Southeast Asia Chartered status is highly preferred, with a minimum projects. Prior programme management experience experienced preferred, though not essenti al. of 12 years’ experience with previous projects to would be benefi cial. include rail programmes. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

We have a wide variety of Internati onal vacancies available so if you are seeking your next overseas assignment please email [email protected] for a confi denti al discussion.

www.menasaandpartners.com

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