Welcome to the latest edition of the Friday Feed, our rundown of this week’s construction news
🚉 Rail
In this week’s rail news, Balfour Beatty Vinci engineers are preparing a lift and slide operation in Birmingham to put a 112m-long HS2 bridge deck in place. Network Rail is looking for steelworks suppliers to support efforts electrify the UK’s rail infrastructure, inviting bids on a £240m framework. And the Government looks set to revive the Northern Powerhouse Rail plan as part of a bid to boost northern infrastructure, with more details set to be announced before the Labour Party Conference.
🚢Ports and Aviation
Looking at airport news VolkerFitzpatrick has won an £18.6m airfield resurfacing job from the Ministry of Defence at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. The Government has provided funding for an autonomous container transport trial at Port of Tyne, with the vehicles set to move containers between dockside and storage compounds, marking a significant advancement in port automation.
⚡Energy
In the energy sphere, British Gas owner Centrica is taking a stake in Europe’s biggest LNG terminal, Grain LNG alongside Energy Capital Partners in a £1.5bn deal, taking over the site from National Grid. SSEN Transmission is seeking consent for 173km of overhead lines across northern Scotland, linking Spittal, Loch Buidhe and Beauly. The UK government’s Nuclear Waste Services has awarded Graham a £49.6m contract for infrastructure works at a nuclear waste repository; the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) near Drigg in west Cumbria will be modernised as part of the works. On Eastern Green Link 3, Hitachi Energy has been named as preferred bidder for converter stations, for the project which will provide electricity connections between North East Scotland and Norfolk.
🚗 Roads
In the roads sector, National Highways is preparing £8bn worth of next-generation maintenance and response contracts to go to market with covering the Strategic Road Network. Elsewhere, Aecom has released Alfreton Bridge plans as part of a £5m regeneration plan near Wembley which will open up cycling and pedestrian routes. The £47m Long Stratton Bypass on the A140 in Norfolk is now open, following the completion of critical tie‑in works last weekend.
🏠Property and development
The Government will invest over £100m in 10 new construction technical colleges, with the hope of training more than 40,000 more tradespeople by 2029. Homes England has appointed Amy Rees as its new chief executive, she is due to take up the role on 8th September, and will oversee the launch of the National Housing Bank. Steel specialist Severfield has appointed a Laing O’Rourke director as its next chief executive with Paul McNerney, who currently director for clients and government at Laing O’Rourke, due to replace Alan Dunsmore later this year. Oxford United have been given permission for a new 16,000 seat all-electric stadium which will operate entirely on renewable energy, integrating 3,500sqm of roof-mounted solar panels, an air-source heat pump and an energy efficient building fabric.
💧Water
FTI consulting have been appointed to advise troubled Thames Water to plan for the company’s potential collapse. Meanwhile, Knights Brown have been awarded a contract for the £29.4m Poole flood defence scheme, aiming to prepare an area near the city for regeneration. And finally, Kier has won a Southern Water contract worth £15.8m as part of the company’s strategic delivery partner framework. The contract includes work at the Portswood and Thornham wastewater treatment sites.
Don’t miss the latest construction news
Receive the Friday feed from Copper to discover the latest construction news. Covering rail, energy, roads, water, property development and more!
Sign up to the Friday Feed