£11.6m gas project completed in Rochdale and Oldham

Both projects took place in the grounds of the existing gas yards off Dane Street, Rochdale (pictured), and Mersey Road North, Hollinwood

New ‘above-ground installations’ (AGIs) have been built within the grounds of existing depots in Rochdale and nearby Hollinwood, managing the safe flow of gas into thousands of homes.

Both projects took place in the grounds of the existing gas yards, and now have the most modern pressure reducing systems, boiler houses, filter streams and heat exchangers, as well as instrument buildings that enable the sites to be monitored remotely, 24/7.

The existing site at Rochdale was replaced section by section, in situ, with the team commissioning each section as they progressed. Space was tight, so precision and continuous adherence to safety protocols were paramount.

Gas supplies remained on throughout the process.
 

Read more: £11.6m gas project in Rochdale and Hollinwood is on track for completionPublished: 22 June 2020

“What we’ve achieved here are the first full AGI rebuilds in many years, built at the same time,” said Callum Finegan, project engineer at Cadent, who managed the delivery of these rebuilds.

“We started work before anyone had ever heard of Covid-19 and, despite the challenges that presented, we adapted to new ways of working to keep the projects on track.

“It’s been amazing to deliver these two new sites and ensure gas is safely and reliably distributed for many years to come. With the introduction of hydrogen to our network now only a few years away, our gas network will have a major role in helping the UK achieve net zero.”

Cadent contracted J Murphy & Sons Ltd to deliver these two upgrades, as well as two other similar projects in Cadent’s Eastern and North London networks. In total, the four builds represent more than £20m investment by Cadent.

“It’s major investment, and big engineering, to secure a safe and reliable gas supply for generations,” said Callum.

“What I’m incredibly proud of is that the team was so agile – responding to many challenges thrown at us – and that we did all this with not one single lost-time injury.

“It’s been a big team effort and credit is due to every individual who’s worked on the projects.”