Gas holder decommissioning contract for KDC Contractors

KDC Contractors has won a £3 million (US$4.8 million) contract to decommission and demolish 12 gas holders in the south west and Wales, UK. The contract was awarded by Wales and West Utilities (WWU) following a competitive tendering process and is scheduled for completion in December 2012.

WWU is a regulated gas transport company with a network of more than 35,000 km (21,750 miles) of gas mains covering a sixth of the UK and serving more than 7 million people.

New underground gas storage methods mean that many of the older large surface containers are now redundant, leading to the decommissioning of a number of them.

KDC director Stephen Hardy, who is leading the decommissioning project, said: "I'm proud our project team outperformed expectations on the last phase of the project and as a result, we have won the entire contract for this next phase. We've built a strong business relationship with the WWU team and are pleased to continue this."

"Gas holders are made of sheet metals and girders and we'll be recycling as much of this material as possible. We're committed to doing all we can to minimise our environmental impact and we typically recycle more than 96 per cent of waste materials. The facilities can be contaminated with oil, water and various other materials and we'll be operating strict environmental controls to ensure compliance with all regulations."

Neil Dalley, WWU programme manager, said: "We appointed KDC for this next phase of work because of the team's extensive experience and knowledge of the gas works decommissioning process and their commitment to best health, safety and environmental practices. We were pleased with the results KDC delivered on the last phase of the project where they met all deadlines and carried out the work according to exacting Health, Safety and Environmental standards."

"Many of the gas holders are located near businesses and private homes so it is imperative that disruption is minimised. Along with the KDC team, we'll be working closely with resident groups and local businesses to ensure minimum impact while the work is carried out."