Costain, the UK infrastructure business, has reached an important milestone in its gas distribution network upgrade programme with Cadent.
Costain is replacing approximately 340km of gas main line each year in Cadent’s East of England network, the largest of Cadent’s five gas networks across the UK.
Through working collaboratively with Cadent and supply chain partners during the design, procurement and delivery stages, the scheme is on track to see 380km replaced by the end of the financial year, 31 March 2024. Costain passed its 340km-per-year target more than a month ahead of schedule, aided by the application of agile operational processes around planning, programme management, reporting and control that have delivered to targets and have led to efficiency gains.
Reaching the milestone means that around 33,000 homes have had new gas mains fitted. The upgraded pipeline will reduce the risk of supply disruption to households and businesses while also helping end-users benefit from the safety and environmental improvements being made. The project has seen more than half a million excavations to date.
The programme is in the third year of a five-year contract, with the option to extend by a further five years. Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network managing more than 80,000 miles of pipes and transporting gas to 11 million customers.
Laura Hughes, energy director at Costain, commented: “This is a hugely fulfilling programme for our team and the whole of the supply chain. We’ve passed an important milestone and are on track to exceed our target by an additional 40km of new gas pipeline.
“The UK’s gas distribution network needs to undergo significant improvements to allow us to decarbonise our energy system, comply with environmental legislation and upgrade ageing assets. Collectively with Cadent, we are improving the lives of thousands of people in the East of England by upgrading pipelines to ensure homes remain heated. I’m particularly impressed with our strong performance on safety and efficiency.”
Mark Briggs, head of investment planning at Cadent, added: “We’ve been working alongside Costain for a number of years now and we are very pleased to see these sorts of results being achieved.
“The work carried out by Costain is part of a big investment programme across the East of England to modernise the gas network – keeping people warm in their homes now and getting the network ready for lower-carbon gases in the future.
“Of course, we won’t be resting on our laurels and as one financial year comes to an end, we’ll continue to work collaboratively with Costain to make sure that we push on with this fantastic work; looking forward to driving further efficiencies ensuring a safe, more customer focused plan.”
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