One of the UK’s leading engineering solutions providers, Costain, alongside the pipeline specialist Land and Marine were awarded a contract for engineering procurement and construction services by Centrica Energy.
The Barrow Terminals Project will see a total investment of £84m by Centrica Energy.
The new pipeline is required due to new European Union legislation, which will prohibit the sale of a refrigerant – freon - from the start of 2015.
The refrigerant is utilised in cooling the gas piped to the south terminal for cleaning processes before it can be pumped into the National Grid.
The project will see the upgrade of the terminal to comply with future environmental requirements, and will consequently extend the life of East Irish Sea gas production.
The alternative technology to freon is a ‘drying bead’, which works in a similar way to the silica gel often used in accessories such as bags and shoes for the purpose of water absorption.
Centrica Energy is already using this technology in its north terminal in Barrow, and with the creation of new pipeline the south terminal gas will be transferred 1.1km underground to the neighbouring terminal.
Preliminary engineering works have already begun on the project, which will result in the creation of a 1.1km 36inch pipe running underground from the south to north terminals.
Andrew Wyllie, Chief Executive of Costain, said: “The Barrow Gas Terminals provide enough gas to meet the demand for 1.5m homes in the UK and are key to securing the nation’s future energy needs.
“Having previously provided Centrica Energy with front-end consultancy for the terminals project, we are now delighted to build on our five-year collaboration with the company with this further contract.”
Photo Source: The Construction Index
