Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Introduction
A message from
David Butler, Director, Evolve
Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland marks the culmination of one of the most significant energy infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the province. The Gas to the West project was conceived to bring the benefits of gas to the towns of Coalisland, Cookstown, Dungannon, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Magherafelt, Omagh and Strabane and followed years of campaigning from many interested parties. Building the new gas network has been a huge undertaking but one that brings many opportunities for residents and businesses in the network area – delivering a more cleaner, competitive and convenient energy source. Following a competitive tender process, triggered by the Department for the Economy and managed by the Utility Regulator, the contract was awarded to a joint bid from Mutual Energy Ltd (MEL) and Evolve on the basis of their combined expertise and capabilities as well as delivering the project at the least possible cost to customers. MEL was granted the licence to own and operate the gas transmission assets (the crosscountry high-pressure pipeline) and Evolve, a newly formed company wholly owned by Evolve were awarded the licence for the distribution assets (the intermediate and low pressure pipelines in the roads and connections to customer premises). The Department for the Economy also committed a grant up to £32 million to support delivery of the high pressure element of the project. After careful consideration to maximise the benefits, minimise the disruption and futureproof the networks capability, a design was agreed that involved a 78km cross country high pressure pipeline from Portadown to Fivemiletown, with three offtakes that would link to approximately 112km of intermediate pressure pipelines that would bring gas to all the targeted town gates. Additionally, an offtake at Maydown from the existing North West gas pipeline would feed a 30km intermediate pipeline to feed the Strabane area. From project inception in 2015, there have been many exciting discoveries and complexities addressed along the way, including archaeological digs, key river crossings and unpredictable adverse weather conditions. Communication and positive relationship building has been crucial in successfully delivering the new network. There has been extensive engagement throughout with key stakeholders, councils and local communities involved in all aspects of the construction phase. The partnership between our teams and the local communities we serve is paramount and we greatly appreciate all the patience, support and cooperation shown during the project. Delivering Gas to the West has been an exhilarating experience for all those who have worked on the various stages from planning to commissioning. This project will benefit thousands of energy customers across the west of Northern Ireland for generations to come, and we look forward to strengthening our bonds in these vibrant and welcoming towns in the future.
The development of the Evolve network to its current advanced stage is indeed a cause for major celebration. The arrival of gas in our Licence Area marks the culmination of one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the western region of Northern Ireland for a generation. Over the next 40 years, we will be delivering gas mains, services and meters to nearly 40,000 customers in Coalisland, Cookstown, Derrylin, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Magherafelt, Omagh and Strabane. Homes and businesses will now have access to gas which not only provides an affordable and more convenient form of energy, but is also cleaner than other fossil fuels typically in use today. It is also our goal to help domestic consumers to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to gas wherever possible. Our company will look to help in enabling customers to move out of fuel poverty by connecting to our new network. The hugely successful NISEP scheme has ensured that lower income households benefit from funding to help convert their homes from oil and solid fuel to gas and it is imperative that we continue to further assist this audience. We will continue to lobby for further support for residents within our network area on an ongoing basis. We are delighted that a number of key manufacturing companies have taken the lead and converted their production lines to gas already and we see this is a huge vote of confidence in our network. By enabling businesses to drive efficiency savings,
Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
we believe we can potentially help them to be more competitive in local and global markets. I would like to thank all our key stakeholders, whose positive engagement and support has been integral to the successful delivery of this major energy investment project. The commissioning of our new network heralds an exciting new era for consumers in the west and for everyone involved in bringing this project to fruition. My thanks also go to everyone associated with the project for their support and cooperation, particularly over the past few years during the main construction phase to install the new gas pipelines across such a large geographical area in the west. Proactive and positive community interaction is ongoing and we look forward to further engaging with residents, businesses and young people in particular, to promote effective gas safety which is at the heart of everything we do. Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude to members of the project team and the contractors for their hard work and commitment to the successful delivery of the project to date. The future for the new Evolve network is bright, we are now looking forward to many more exciting new milestones in the months and years ahead. Page 3
Project inception
A message from
Paddy Larkin, Chief Executive, Mutual Energy
Gas to the West was formally launched on 4 March 2015, marking a significant investment in Northern Ireland’s energy infrastructure. Following a transparent competition process, Mutual Energy Ltd and Evolve Gas were awarded licences by the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland to build and operate the High Pressure (HP) and Low Pressure (LP) gas pipelines which will extend the gas network into the west of Northern Ireland.
Our once pipedream is now a reality – quite literally. We are extremely proud to have worked with various partners in the Gas to the West project to successfully deliver one of Northern Ireland’s most significant and complex energy infrastructure projects – now bringing the benefits of gas to the west of the province.
The project was split into two distinct construction phases. The first phase involved the construction of a Pressure Reduction Station at Maydown to feed a newly constructed 30km intermediate pressure pipelin to Strabane. Construction commenced in late 2015 and was commissioned in January 2017.
As we celebrate the conclusion of the construction phase and ramp up the connection phase, we believe it heralds a new era bringing a clean, competitive and convenient fuel source to the area. The local appetite from both commercial and domestic customers for the benefits it brings is already very clear. While there is a compelling case that gas enables major economic and environmental improvements, the Gas to the West project still required vision, leadership and partnership to make it happen. It is a huge credit to all those involved – from those local stakeholders who campaigned for it over many years, the government who recognised the strategic imperative for it, those who partnered with us to deliver the project and the local communities and landowners who co-operated throughout the construction phase. I would particularly like to thank all our delivery partners and contractors who helped deliver this critical project – meeting and overcoming all obstacles along the way. This project and more importantly the benefits it will bring will stand as a fitting testament to all their hard work, commitment and dedication so clearly demonstrated over the last number of years. Through the Mutual Energy model and competitive financing we have applied to the project, we have beenable to lock in long term financial savings for customers and we now look forward to many more commercial and domestic customers benefitting from this investment and to the new gas network playing an integral role in the future decarbonisation agenda.
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The next phase of works which included the construction of 78km of cross country high pressure pipeline, seven high pressure Above Ground Installations (AGIs) and 112km of intermediate pressure pipeline which were subject to a full planning application to the Strategic Planning Department. This included a 12 month environmental impact assessment and RPS Group were appointed as environmental consultants in February 2015, starting work on surveys of the affected land parcels the following month. To ensure the pipeline route was not only acceptable from an environmental perspective Dalcour MacLaren were appointed as land agents and from early 2015 commenced engagement with all those affected within the reference area of 176km, liaising with nearly 700 landowners. This work, along with input from stakeholders, was key in informing the final route corridor. The planning application for this phase of the construction works was submitted in May 2016 and by mid- 2017, full planning permission had been granted that would allow work to begin in late 2017.
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High Pressure (HP) pipeline
Intermediate Pressure (IP) pipeline
Roadbridge Ltd was the main works contractor for the HP pipeline and AGIs which ran largely cross country from Portadown to Tullykenneye, just south of Fivemiletown.
The IP pipeline consisted of two separate projects – a 30km pipeline from Maydown to Strabane awarded to McNicholas Construction and 112km of pipeline to bring gas to Fermanagh, Omagh and MidUlster awarded to a joint venture company Murphy GMC. Both projects were predominately constructed in public owned highways, with specialised off-road sections and river crossings as required.
Following discharge of planning conditions, construction commenced in mid-October 2017 on the cross country pipeline and involved laying 78km of 400mm and 300mm pipe and constructing seven AGIs. The HP construction was split into works on the pipeline (Pipe Works) representing right of way fencing, pre construction drainage, top soil stripping, pipe stringing, pipe welding and Main Works which included trenching, ditching of the pipework and backfilling. These works were carried out in close consultation with all landowners and monitored by an ecological clerk of works and archaeologists. At peak production in the summer of 2018 over 700m of these works were being completed daily. Numerous roads, rivers and a disused railway had to be crossed during these construction works with the most notable being the M1 motorway, the A5, the A4 and the Blackwater. Following the completion of the Pipe Works and the Main Works in October 2018, the pipeline was then hydrostatically tested in sections which were then tied in for final drying and pre-commissioning pigging. Pigging is the running of foam, magnetic and calliper pigs (pipeline inspection gauge) to assist with drying, cleaning and testing of the integrity of the pipeline. Following successful testing and auditing of construction records the pipeline was ready to be commissioned in June 2019. Skilled resource from the Evolve maintenance team in Scotland had visited site on a number of occasions in the lead up to develop a commissioning plan which was executed without issue and allowed gas to be introduced into the HP and IP networks and onward to customers.
The work carried out included the installation of 300/250mm steel and 400/315mm Polyethylene (PE) mains by a combination of traditional open-cut and Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) techniques. Weather conditions at times adversly affected the construction and, where necessary, additional resource was mobilised. Throughout the planning and construction phases of the project regular meetings and site walkovers with representatives from the Department for Infrastructure (Roads) were held and liaison continued with local residents, landowners and farmers to ensure any works involving road closures had minimal impact upon their daily routine. At commercially sensitive times, such as Christmas, teams were relocated to rural areas to minimise the impact on traders and shoppers alike. This second section of the IP works was completed in a phased manner with gas being made available in Mid-Ulster and Fermanagh in July 2019 and with Omagh following in December 2019. The key remaining anchor loads for the project of Dale Farm, Moy Park, Linergy and Encirc were connected during this time.
Reinstatement of the lands commenced in spring 2019 to remediate all affected land and return it to landowners. This process will continue into 2020 and will be complete during the summer months. The HP construction phase of the project was challenging but was executed with skill and professionalism by all involved.
Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
Construction of the first IP pipeline – to Strabane – began in November 2015 with first gas being made available to LacPatrick Dairies in Artigarvan in January 2017 and Strabane in June of the same year. Work on the remaining IP pipelines, as with the High Pressure (HP) pipeline, got underway in October 2017. Construction was spread across Fermanagh and Tyrone with upwards of seven teams working on the ground and was spread across three pipelines bringing gas to the towns of Coalisland, Cookstown, Derrylin, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Magherafelt and Omagh.
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Distribution development
Innovation A number of significant pipeline river crossings have taken place during the construction of the Evolve network.
To run alongside the HP and IP projects, Evolve awarded a contract to construct Distribution gas mains – operating at Medium and Low Pressure (MP/LP) – in Strabane to McNicholas Construction (now Kier Ltd). Distribution mains are constructed to make gas available for direct connection to Domestic and Commercial customers. Distribution work commenced in November 2016.
The River Mourne in Strabane was successfully crossed at an earlier stage in the project, while specialist engineering work in County Fermanagh was a hugely significant element of the project to bring gas to the western area. Specialist drilling work was successfully completed throughout the network area. The major installation of a new gas main under the Colebrooke River at Maguiresbridge in Co. Fermanagh was featured in an edition of natm, the UK’s specialist civil engineering journal. Modular shoring equipment from Groundforce, a specialist construction solutions company, was deployed in the Murphy GMC joint venture. A section of the new gas main runs parallel to the A4 Belfast Road and in two locations where the carriageway passes over the Colebrooke River, the buried pipeline had to be installed underneath.
A second Distribution contract, again awarded to Kier, began in May 2018 for the construction of gas mains within Strabane and each of the remaining towns. This five-year contract was for the construction of mains and services.
Work at Maguiresbridge was undertaken using augerboring techniques, a standard rig operating from a sheet-piled drive pit which was dropped close to the riverbank. Groundforce designed a structure comprising three hydraulic frames to support the excavation. Two of the frames were designed to be removed as soon as the concrete base slab had been cast and reached full strength. The top frame had to remain in place to support the opening at the top of the excavation.
As with the IP and HP pipelines, close liaison with stakeholders ranging from councils, road authorities, local representatives, commercial properties and householders has been a necessary requirement Work has been phased in conjunction with many of these stakeholders with, for example, gas mains installation in Enniskillen town centre being brought forward in advance of Public Realm works. Since the commencement of these Distribution works, over 140km of Distribution mains have been installed, of which 130km have been commissioned. Gas is now available to over 9,000 domestic and commercial properties with a further 6,000 properties planned for the coming year.
Meanwhile, a new state-of-the-art gas training and assessment facility is to be provided at South West College Technology and Skills Centre, subject to confirmation. This is to build local capacity in support of the Evolve network.
This phased approach to the construction of the distribution system has allowed Evolve to be in the position of making gas available to the maximum number of properties once gas became available from the HP and IP pipelines.
Connections Since the commissioning of the first pipeline in Strabane in January 2017, over 560 customers have connected to gas. These have ranged from the major industrial connections of LacPatrick, Encirc, Dale Farm and Moy Park through to smaller commercial and domestic connections. The majority of connections to-date have been in Strabane but, with gas available across the towns, new customers will be connected throughout the Evolve licence. Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Environment On the HP pipeline alone, there were 22 very high and medium sensitivity watercourses, six Northern Ireland Priority Habitats (NIPHs) and several badger setts, bat roosts, nesting and/or breeding bird areas, nesting raptors as well as the potential to uncover archaeology during topsoil stripping. Sensitive watercourses During the planning stages of the project, extensive fisheries surveys were carried out across all rivers and streams within the planning corridor. During this stage it was determined that a number of watercourses were of very high sensitivity (i.e. a watercourse containing salmonids or supporting a fishery or river ecosystem of at least national, and, in some instances, international importance). For these watercourses, design was such that the pipe installation was undertaken using trenchless techniques such as Horizontal Direction Drilling (HDD) or auger-boring to minimise the potential for direct impact on these highly sensitive watercourses. There were also a number of watercourses considered to be of moderate sensitivity (i.e. watercourses containing trout and upstream of locally important fishery or river ecosystem) and the options for pipe installation included either open cut methods carried out under a Section 48 licence outside the salmon migration season between May and September or trenchless methods.
by detailed project design. In most instances, the contractor proposed trenchless techniques, but when this was not possible, they proposed to minimise disturbance by design (reduced land take, bogmat roads, etc.) and by preparing and adhering to a site specific ‘Habitat Management Plan’ which detailed the approach to construction and reinstatement of the habitat post-construction. Terrestrial ecology Evolve was proactive in minimising impacts to terrestrial ecology during the routing of the pipeline. During the construction stage, the contractors strove to reduce impact to terrestrial ecology through careful planning and ongoing ecological surveys. – The impact on birds was minimised by undertaking all hedgerow removal and tree felling outside of the bird nesting season. – The impact to bats was minimised by avoiding known or potential bat roosts and, if necessary, only felling trees after conducting bat roost inspections under licence to check for the presence of bats. – The impact to badgers was minimised by the avoidance of all known main badger setts and, where avoidance of outlier setts was not possible, carrying out closures under licence.
NIPHs NIPHs are those habitats which require conservation action and careful planning consideration because of their decline, rarity and importance. Priority habitats are extremely vulnerable and are often impacted by changes in land use caused by development. A total of nine NIPHs were identified along the route of the HP pipeline corridor. Of the nine, six had the potential to be impacted during pipeline construction. These included: lowland fens; lowland meadows; mixed ashwoods; purple moor grass and rush pasture; traditional orchards and wet woodland. Potential impact to these six NIPHs was minimised Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Archaeology Archaeology is an important resource to help us understand how and why human behaviour has changed over time. It is a finite resource, meaning that once it has been removed, it is gone. The construction of the pipeline posed no direct impact on recorded cultural heritage, however, there was potential impact during the construction phase to previously unrecorded archaeology encountered during ground works. The planning corridor was selected (in consultation with the project archaeologist) to avoid known archaeological monuments, other cultural heritage features and areas of high archaeological potential based on surrounding landscape, detailed analysis of earth observation data and walking the entire length of the proposed route. Prior to the commencement of construction, archaeological testing was undertaken to assess the areas of highest archaeological potential. Archaeological works A number of previously unrecorded archaeological sites were uncovered and a variety of artefacts retrieved. These date from the Neolithic period (c. 4000 – 2400 BC) up to the post medieval period (c. AD 1550 – 1800). The most numerous sites discovered throughout the scheme were Burnt Mounds or ‘Fulacht fia’. The low-lying areas between the drumlins are an ideal place to find this site type, which are the most numerous prehistoric sites found in Ireland. Burnt mounds or fulacht fia are circular or irregularly shaped mounds of material consisting of burnt stones, ash and charcoal with no surface evidence of a trough or depression. Levelled examples can appear as a spread containing burnt stones. They are normally located near or adjacent to a water supply, such as a stream or spring, or in wet marshy areas. The first recorded use of the Irish term ‘fulacht fiadh/fia’ (cooking pit of the deer or of the wild) as relating to ancient cooking sites was in the 17th century. Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
The purpose was to heat water in the trough using stones that were heated on a bonfire. These are generally interpreted to have been associated with cooking though they may have had a variety of uses. They date primarily to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC) though examples from the Neolithic period right up to the late medieval (circa AD 1200 – 1550) have been found. Settlement sites A number of small prehistoric and medieval settlement sites were identified by the remnants of postholes and pits found cut into the natural subsoil after the topsoil overburden had been removed or by subsurface scatters of pottery. These sites provide a glimpse into the lifestyles of the people who inhabited this landscape in the past. A possible corn-drying kiln, which may date from the medieval period (5th-16th centuries AD), was excavated. These would have been a very common feature of the rural Irish landscape. Prehistoric burial sites Prehistoric burial sites potentially dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC) and Iron Age (c. 500 BC – AD 400) were uncovered at three locations along the scheme. These generally consist of ringditches and/or cremation pits. Ring-ditches can be described as ‘a circular or penannular ditch, usually less than 10m in diameter containing deposits of cremated human remains’.
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Medieval ecclesiastical sites Clogher is the location of an important early medieval (c.AD 400–1200) ecclesiastical site, from which the Diocese of Clogher takes its name. There are several historic graveyards and church sites within the wider landscape. A small number of artefacts potentially associated with ecclesiastical sites were unearthed during the archaeological programme. A bullaun stone, or holy water font, was found. From the Irish word ‘bullán’, which means a round hollow in a stone, or a bowl, these are boulders of stone or bedrock with hemispherical hollows or basin-like depressions, which may have functioned as mortars. They are frequently associated with ecclesiastical sites and holy wells and so may have
been used for religious purposes. Other examples which do not appear to have ecclesiastical associations can be found in bedrock or outcrop in upland contexts, often under blanket bog, and are known as bedrock mortars. They date from the prehistoric period to the early medieval period (5th12th centuries AD). A small lead cross potentially dating to the later medieval period (c. AD 1200 – 1550) was recovered during topsoil stripping on Trasna Island. Islands were often the focus of early ecclesiastical activity in Ireland, though there is no recorded early ecclesiastical site on Trasna Island. The lead cross found there may have been a personal ornament that was lost hundreds of years ago.
Prehistoric pottery
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Giving something back Evolve has been involved in a number of projects and collaborations with local communities in Counties Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh since project inception. Some of the key collaborations to date include: – In 2015/2016, pupils from Chapel Road Primary School were asked to create artwork featuring the Gas to the West project for a calendar. Proceeds from sales of the calendar would go to Foyle Hospice, with Evolve agreeing to match any money raised up to the value of £500 through its ‘Into Action’ scheme. A combined total of £800 was donated. •
Contractors McNicholas Construction (now Kier) delighted the staff and pupils of Artigarvan Primary School at Christmas 2016 when they donated a new Christmas tree as a thank you for their cooperation and patience whilst work was carried out in their area. Evolve donated Christmas lights and Santa decorations.
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Evolve supported the fourth annual Strabane Lifford Half Marathon in May 2017 as well as the Summer Jamm, featuring country music and family fun.
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To celebrate the arrival of gas and the first domestic connection in Strabane, Evolve gave away a new ‘A’ rated condensing gas boiler through their Facebook page, in October 2017.
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– The company was ‘highly commended’ in the Community Engagement Initiative of the Year category at the 2017 British Construction Industry Awards in London in October, having been nominated by the project’s environmental consultants, RPS.
Bringing gas to the west of Northern Ireland
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Primary school pupils across the network learned valuable information about gas safety during a roadshow series in late 2017 organised by Dominic Scullion, Safety, Health and Environmental Manager at Evolve.
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Evolve gave its backing to popular annual fishing festival in County Fermanagh in 2019. Roslea Lakes Festival, organised by Erne Anglers, attracted a record number of entries.
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Aughakillymaude Community Association in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh hosted its familyfriendly 2019 summer festival over two days on the shores of Lough Erne with help from Evolve.
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The ‘Excellence in the Hospitality Sector’ award at the 2019 Omagh Business Awards was sponsored by Evolve. This was one of nine categories to celebrate the dedication, commitment and success of local businesses and individuals.
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Delegates from a range of key organisations within the western area attended a carbon monoxide (CO awareness training event in May 2019 hosted by Evolve. The workshop offered free local training to staff and volunteers from the public and voluntary & community sectors, as well as private companies such as home care agencies.
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In October 2019, Strabane Ethnic Community Association (SECA) received support from Evolve for its annual Diwali Festival, a five day festival of lights which originated in India.
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Evolve lit up towns across the network area for Christmas 2019 with a real tree delivered to every participating primary school in the 8 key towns and prizes for winners of the naturalgas themed decoration competition.
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In December 2019 Evolve supported the Enniskillen BID Christmas Festival in aid of Cancer Connect NI.
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0800 975 7774 evolvenetwork.co.uk info@evolvenetwork.co.uk
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