Bespoke solution for new hydroelectric development

Heap Bridge, Bury

Project Overview

Location	Heap Bridge, Bury
Sector	Water Power & Energy
Products	Formwork & Falsework

The River Roch in Bury, Lancashire, has a huge natural weir. This weir is next to a large industrial park, with many businesses and heavy energy usage.

A feasibility study delivered a solution to use the weirs natural resources to feed the estate. After extensive ecological surveys, the project was given the go ahead. The plan was to build a reverse turbine hydroelectric power plant.

The challenge

We were contacted by Boys Construction Ltd in the concept stages of the project, which enabled us to assess any likely challenges early.

Access to the site was a problem and an existing sluice gate construction, which controlled water levels was another challenge.

The project is at heart a “Green Energy” scheme, so every aspect of sustainability and environmental impact were key in any build planning.

Harnessing Natural Energy

The River Roch in Bury, Lancashire, features a substantial natural weir beside a busy industrial estate. A feasibility study identified the opportunity to harness this resource through a reverse turbine hydroelectric power plant.

Early Contractor Involvement

Appointed during the concept stage by Boys Construction Ltd, we assessed site challenges early, including restricted access and the presence of an existing sluice gate controlling water levels.

Sustainable Project Delivery

As a green energy scheme, sustainability and environmental impact were central to the planning and construction approach at every stage.

Our solution

By working closely with the contractor and the project consultants Hallidays, we were able to understand the challenges and use our experience to create a cost effective plan.

Our design team were instrumental in early site visits to resolve the three main areas:

How to install temporary works to allow construction alterations to the existing structure
How to provide a formwork design to allow the new structure to be built and incorporate part of the old foundation structure
The final removal of the temporary works, as part of the project was in a fast flowing river bed with many environmental considerations

Learn more about formwork & falsework

As we have national teams, the design, depot and technical sales team were all local to the project. This made support for revisions and site visits, which were crucial to this project a lot quicker and easier for the customer.

Re-engineering of the old structure into modern integrated CAD drawings was necessary by our design team, as the original structure had no drawings due to its age.

Many alternatives for the scheme were discussed, but our panel formwork system, Frami, was the best solution due to its flexibility. This enabled us to adapt a flexible, modular system to create a bespoke solution.

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