The R&D team of our British company GPS partnered with the German Aliaxis business FRIATEC to deliver a number of key solutions for the installation of a new 800 mm gas pipeline in the busy London boroughs of Chelsea and Fulham.
National Grid, responsible for the gas mains network in London, has embarked upon an eight-year project to create a robust, medium-pressure pipe network to replace the 100-yearold pipelines which are currently deteriorating. Phase one of the project, now completed, involved replacing strategic gas mains in Chelsea and Fulham along the traffic-congested King’s Road. The pipeline needed to run alongside major shopping hotspots and affluent residential areas, in addition to running close to Stamford Bridge. This posed a host of challenges for logistics and traffic management. To ensure that the new pipeline would have the capacity for London’s growing population and be capable of withstanding an increase in pressure, an 800 mm pipe was selected, a size never previously used in the British gas industry.
Early engagement and collaboration with the entire supply chain were key factors for the successful delivery of this phase. The cross-fertilisation between GPS and FRIATEC and the close collaborative approach with National Grid allowed the team to manufacture, test and accredit the new pipeline within a strict timeframe. Aliaxis also provided added value by developing a training programme for more than 50 installers prior to the project’s start in London.
Thanks to the successful delivery of this first phase, GPS won the bid to be the supplier for the next phase of this large-scale project.
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