West Circular and Belfast Road dual carriageways in Bangor, County Down
Working with our long term partners Kier and Phoenix Natural Gas, Nuline Utilities are pleased to be providing construction and welding services on the new 355mm x 3700mm Intermediate Pressure network reinforcement pipeline on the West Circular and Belfast Road dual carriageways in Bangor, County Down. The project, which commenced on 20th March 2023, is Phase 1 of the overall Gas Network Reinforcement Project being delivered across greater Belfast over the next three years. We wish the Nuline Site Manager Damhan, the Nuline, PE3 and HBS teams every success on the high-profile scheme.
Bay Estate Sewer Upgrade, Dundalk
As a resident contractor on the Irish Water Civil Engineering Framework, Leinster Region Nuline Utilities as part of the Nuline Coras Joint Venture with Coras Pipeline Services were appointed as Design & Build Contractor on the Hazelwood Avenue, Bay Estate Sewer Upgrade Project in early 2018.
The existing sewer network in Hazelwood Avenue included a major 24” trunk sewer which was routed through private gardens from No.1 to No.20, installed at a depth of 5 to 5.5m. Ground conditions on the 250m route were particularly challenging, in addition to deep dig, were compounded by a combination of filled and sandy ground with a high-water table under tidal conditions. The pipeline had been installed in the 1960’s and while remaining functioning in terms of sewerage transmission was failing severely in terms of ground water infiltration and leakage through failing joints and gaskets. In combination with the ground conditions the scheme was identified as high priority given to potential for ground settlement in the carriageway and adjacent garden walls. Following detailed site investigation including a full geotechnical analysis following rotary and percussion drilling, Ground Probing Radar GPR, slit trenches, CCTV, structural and condition surveys of adjacent structures, a detailed design and methodology proposal was agreed with Irish Water Project Managers, Louth County Council Water Services, our appointed designers Hanna Hutchinson Consulting Engineers and the Nuline Coras enabling team. Works involved the full replacement of 252m of existing main with new 600mm concrete main, 6 new manholes and renewal of a 40m section of sewer under the main Coes Road arterial route by insertion of a 560mm HPPE sewer into the 24”.
The poor ground conditions and high water table directed the requirement to deploy innovative geotechnical solutions to facilitate works which included full dewatering by well pointing and 24 hour ground water pumping under full time monitoring. This reduced ground water over the full length of the pipeline route from a depth of 1.8m to 6.0m (0.5m below invert). The control of the ground water removed a significant safety hazard for the project which facilitating deep excavation under controlled conditions allowing rapid construction along the route. New sewer construction works commenced in late October 2018 with completion, testing and commissioning of the new sewer in early March 2019. Ancillary works to the scheme included full carriageway and new footpath construction along the route, the replacement of 110m of uPVC water distribution main with 225mm HPPE, service diversions, extensive landscaping in private property, construction of new boundary walls and renewal of domestic property driveways. A proactive approach was taken to customer engagement and the residents of Hazelwood Avenue were identified as key stakeholders with early and continual engagement and communication applied on the project. The project was delivered on time and budget and delivered on consistently high Irish Water KPI and SHEQ scoring. Key partners in the project were Irish Water, Louth County Council, Bay Estate Residents, Hanna Hutchinson Consulting Engineers, AG Wilson (HPPE Welding), JC Enviro, Trench Control, Geodynamics, Causeway Geotech, Xylem Pumps and Alba De-watering.
Newbliss Water Mains Rehabilitation
In spring 2018 Nuline Utilities were appointed by the Farrans as delivery contractor on the Newbliss Water Mains Rehabilitation Project in County Monaghan. As a resident supplier to Irish Water on the civil engineering framework Nuline are familiar with the particular specification for live mains rehabilitation and building on our relationship with Monaghan County Council we delivered the 1200m x 125mm SDR1112 mains connections, 98 long side and 184 short side service connections under budget and two weeks ahead of programme.
The network in the village of Newbliss had been established for more than 50 years without significant upgrade works and following the enabling and need analysis phase had been prioritised with Monaghan County Council and Irish Water for early renewal under the new Regional Network Management Contract. Nuline deployed an early entry site investigation and enabling team and worked closely with the County Council Network Staff and the Farrans Engineer to establish the existing supply characteristics and agree a programme for delivery ensuring minimal interruption to supply via a combination of back feeding, local pressure management and dedicated commercial supplies to key customers. Focus was placed on ensuring a strong relationship with Monaghan County Council Traffic and Water Services, and with the local traders and residents to ensure a condensed programme for delivery was achieved. The mains were upgraded, tested, commissioned and handed over two weeks ahead of the 8 week programme with high productivity pipe bursting, pneumatic moling of service connections, open cut and real time permanent reinstatement delivering to the satisfaction of the stated Key Performance Indicators.
Killeavy Castle Supply Upgrade
In summer 2018 Nuline Utilities working in the Nuline Coras Joint Venture were appointed by the NI Water WMMWF Team as the Design & Build Contractor on the Killeavy Castle Water Supply Upgrade Project in County Armagh. The project was a fast track mains supply upgrade of 4000m of network to facilitate early opening of the new Killeavy Castle Hotel and Wellness Centre (www.killeavycastle.com), set in a 330 acre estate on the slopes of Slieve Gullion.
The works required rapid deployment of a Design & Enabling team to evaluate characteristics and condition of the existing supply network on Ballintemple, Dernaroy and Aghadavoyle Roads, fast track a detailed design, supply interruption management schedule, construction programme and approvals package. Working closely with the Newry NI Water team, with our designers Byrne Looby Partners, under the control of the Nu Line Enabling Manager, the package and proposals were ratified with construction commencing in early August on a 12 week programme with completion, commissioning and handover by the end of October. The existing mains were predominantly 3 inch Class C uPVC with the new mains directed as 180mm SDR 17 HPPE facilitating a two fold increase in supply capability to the new pumping station in the Killeavy Castle Estate. Nuline deployed combined trenchless and open cut teams working at high productivity to deliver the new mains, domestic and mains connections along the 4kms of approach roads. In conjunction with the improved supply to the new hotel the works facilitated improvement in water quality and supply pressure locally in the Meigh and Killeavy region. Works were completed one week ahead of programme ensuring early opening of the hotel and drawing compliments from Newry, Mourne & Down Council.
Gas to the East Network Extension
The Phoenix Natural Gas, Gas to the East expansion is a 3 year trunk and distribution main project across County Down and was an integral part of the £58 Million, 13 town network rollout to 28,000 commercial and domestic customers. Nuline Utilities were appointed as Contractor for the provision of planning, procurement, construction, reinstatement, testing and commissioning of 20kms of trunk main and 20kms of distribution infill gas mains.
Working in collaboration with the Project Management team of Kier Utilities (www.kier.co.uk) and the Client team at Phoenix Natural Gas the project involved :- planning, site investigation, procurement and installation of 20000m of new 63, 90 and 125mm distribution infill mains in the urban environments of Dromore, Downpatrick, Newcastle, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Annahilt and Crossgar, through housing estates and 21,000m of 225 and 315mm mm HPPE through a combination of main arterial routes within the towns. The combined efforts of the team generated high levels of productivity with an average of >500m per week of new gas distribution network being constructed, reinstated, tested and commissioned by the site operations team.
East Belfast Lead Pipe
NI Water has a 25 year programme to improve water quality by identifying and replacing lead pipes within its infrastructure. The Lead Pipe Replacement (LPR) projects are street by street upgrade of individual premises water supply pipe typically in areas of previous high density communication pipes. Nuline Utilities are a resident contractor year PC15 Framework working with NI Water to replace an average of 1200 lead service pipes per annum.
The Design and Build Contracts are awarded subject to preparation of a bespoke Works Order (WO) Application process involving a high degree of preparation including:- notification, stakeholder management and safety, health, quality and environmental planning working in close partnership with NI Water’s Project Management Team. Five Works packages concentrating in East Belfast, each averaging 200 replacements were delivered in 2018 and 2019 in the Ravenscroft Avenue, Kirkliston Park, Willowholme, Orby Drive and Castledona Crescent areas of the city. Nuline Utilities approach to the work was to deploy a highly skilled ten person team delivering high productivity installation of 50 to 65 replacements per week, rapid commissioning and right on time permanent reinstatement and handover.
The programme continues and Nuline welcome inquiries from prospective clients across the UK and Ireland in relation to solutions to their Lead Pipe Replacement challenges.
Bellewstown WTP Rationalisation
As a resident contractor on the Irish Water Civil Engineering Framework, Leinster Region Nuline Utilities as part of the Nuline Coras Joint Venture with Coras Pipeline Services were appointed as Design, Build & Operate(DBO) Contractor on the £400K Bellewstown Water Treatment Plant Rationalisation Project in early 2018.
The works involved the installation of approximately 2.3km of new rising main between Carnes Reservoir and Woodview Housing Estate in Bellewstown, construction of a new duty standby booster pumping station at the Reservoir, installation of telemetry, chlorine dosing and analysing, flow control and measurement, pressure monitoring and measurement plant and equipment. The watermain tied in to an existing outlet main from the reservoir at its western end to the existing distribution network within Woodview Housing estate at its eastern end. Works include operation of the new supply system in conjunction with maintaining the current (original) borehole supply system with ultimate demolition and decommissioning of the existing treatment facility. Working closely with our delivery partners Cully Automation, Campion Pumps and Byrne Looby Designers works were delivered ahead of budget and schedule in 2018 with operation continuing in 2019.
Aughnagun
The prolonged drought conditions of summer 2018 necessitated rapid mobilisation works to facilitate treated water supply to the Aughnagun Command Reservoir in South Down. Working on collaboration with the NI Water Project Management and Newry Networks Teams Nuline Utilities worked around the clock to deliver the bulk water transfer, pressure, flow and inlet control system upgrades adapting the existing supply infrastructure to the Mayobridge facility.
Summer 2018 will be remembered as the driest summer in Northern Ireland in over 40 years, which combined with a low rainfall winter put the water supply network under significant delivery strain. This necessitated a country wide hosepipe ban and behind the scenes a concerted effort from NI Water and it’s supply partners in maximising efficiency of it’s network to ensure the risk of disruption to supply was kept to an absolute minimum. One such effort was the rationalisation of the supply system in South Down to transfer treated water from Lough Neagh to the Mournes to supplement the existing regime. A key component of which was utilisation of the command reservoir at Aughnagun to receive the water via the Carnbane Trunk Main and supplement the local network in Mayobridge, Rostrevor and Warrenpoint.
As a Framework Suppliers to NI Water, network consultant, WSP and works contractor Nuline Utilities, were appointed to work in collaboration with NI Water to deliver rapid alteration works to the network to facilitate the works. Works included deployment of a temporary pump at Goss’ Field outside Mayobridge to boost pressure and flow in the 450mm trunk main to Aughnagun. The pump deployed, a Premier Pumps 150CX was capable of delivering 16 MLD at 160m head procured from England through Xylem Pumps and was the largest temporary pump ever deployed by NI Water. Additional works included the isolation of the Break Pressure Tank at Aughnagun, the alteration of the supply pipework to include 300mm Low Torque Hawle Valves, Cla-Val Pressure Reducing and Pressure Relief Valves, Air Valves, Float Valve, Chambers, Reinstatment and Landscape Works.
![Aughnagun Pipework[1]](https://nulineutilities.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Aughnagun-Pipework1-150x150.jpg)
RO Plant Upgrade
Ballylumford Power Station extracts sea water from Larne Lough for use within the facility. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant Room processes the extracted sea water into deionised water. The deionised water is used as the main coolant on the main generation turbines. The existing dual media carbon steel trunk header pipework (350mm dia) entering and exiting the eight filter vessels via 150mm control station pipework had developed leaks and localised failures due to destructive aqueous corrosion.
The project included the replacement of 40m of header pipework with 355mm SDR 11 Polypropylene Pipework external and inside the RO Plant Room, temporary removal and refitting of flow meters, static mixer, sampling and dosing pipework as well as the decommissioning of the 8 filter vessels, 40 actuators, and control pipework to allow replacement with 8 control station assemblies incorporating 80m of 160mm PN10 Polypropylene SDR11 pipework, 100 aqueous corrosion resistant gate valves and associated support and pipe brackets.
The works were delivered in partnership with the in house AES Engineering Team and IPS Flow Systems (http://www.ipsflowsystems.com/) of Durham and the locally based Nuline Córas Engineering team headed up by Dermot Devine and Patrick Magorrian. Client design was by Project Design Engineers of Randalstown County Antrim with pipe supply and technical support is provided by specialist polypropylene pipe manufacturers AGRU Gmbh of Bad Hall, Austria and Reinert Ritz Gmbh of Nordhein Westfalen, Germany.
The RO Plant Pipework Replacement Project represented a significant success for the Engineers of Nuline Utilities and Córas Pipeline Services as there is limited locally based expertise in Polypropylene Pipework assembly and the Joint Venture was able to further demonstrate capability in successfully project managing and delivering complex process pipeline solutions in restricted timeframes and work environments.
Belfast Harbour Commissioners
In 2018 Nuline Utilities were appointed by Belfast Harbour Commissioners to provide civil engineering upgrade works to the new sub-station at the Lissan Coal Company (LCC) Plant on Sinclair Road which included provision of 38kV infrastructure from the existing substations on Dufferin Road and McCaughey’s Road within the Belfast Harbour Estate.
Works were concentrated in the main Dufferin Quay are within the Belfast Harbour Estate and included civil engineering, road construction, concrete works, traffic management, traffic calming works associated with the new electricity substation. The site spanned a length of 1150m of quayside which formed the main access route to the Cruise Liner Terminal and included key businesses including the Harbour Police, the Harbour Commissioners Dept., Precision Liquids, United Molasses, Whitemountain at Barnett Dock and the Lissan Coal Company.
Nuline Utilities Engineers working in close collaboration with the Harbour Commissioners Engineering Team delivered the works in an accelerated programme with extensive shift working over the summer in advance of the commissioning deadline in September 2018.
![Dufferin Road 3[1]](https://nulineutilities.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dufferin-Road-31-150x150.jpg)
![Dufferin Road 7[1]](https://nulineutilities.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dufferin-Road-71-150x150.jpg)
![Dufferin Road[1]](https://nulineutilities.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dufferin-Road1-150x150.jpg)