Page 39 - Gi flipbook September 2018

negotiations with all parties to get the
best price for the works. FIGURE 5 Top and tail tie-ins for the TLHB
Going forward, I will be managing
the project as the client to Northern
Divers, writing permits/authorisations
for the works near the pipeline,
carrying out quality assurance and
monitoring works on site.
I would like to thank all my
colleagues at Cadent for fully
supporting me in this project, giving
me the freedom to manage all aspects
myself and always giving me guidance
and input when needed. I would also
like to thank Northern Divers and Cain
Bioengineering for their continued
effort and consultation over the last
year and look forward to working with
them in the construction phase.

CONCLUSION
Mother Nature doesn’t sign easements,
we do not have control over her path
and, for that reason, we have to act
quickly before it is too late.
On the Manchester/Stockport
border, I am moving the River Mersey
back to its 1967 channel to protect
Cadent’s 32bar gas pipeline from
exposure, undermining and potential FIGURE 6 Long cross section of the river, showing the location of the attenuation riffle
damage, securing supply to around and plunge pool
250,000 properties.
Doing this proactively is financially
beneficial to our customers, with an
expected cost of a little over a £1
million, compared to diversion costs
of over double this. If nothing were to
be done this year, then the costs
would likely to be in excess of £1.5
million, inclusive of weld inspections
and remedial work, plus the non-
financial damages associated with
having to undertake emergency works
(i.e., damage to reputation, security of
supply concerns, resource planning
and environmental planning).
My works will move the river over
30m towards its previous channel, FIGURE 7 Example of a sand martin colony built by Cain Bioengineering
reclaiming all the material for reuse on
the TLHB. The scheme also replaces
the steep, poor energy, dissipating bank
with shallower, angled banks,
resulting in greater energy dissipation
into the gradual flood plain,
preventing further erosion. This will
remove the threat from Mother
Nature on the asset and secure the
gas supply to Manchester safely, with
no detriment to the environment.
This project is an excellent reminder
that pipelines are laid with the best of
intentions to avoid environmental and
human problems, but due to the age
of our industry’s assets we cannot just
bury and forget. ■

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