Costain upgrades cooling towers at Connah’s Quay Power Station

Costain has successfully completed packing upgrades on the cooling towers at Uniper’s Connah’s Quay power station, in Flintshire, North Wales.

Connah’s Quay power station’s cooling towers are constructed in concrete cubes which made the upgrade a particular challenge; it involved works on ten cell units, making the largest volume of cells repacked in a single site visit. The particularly complex work, was delivered ahead of schedule by Costain’s Industrial Cooling team; the project’s complexity was heightened by the need to replace a total of ten individual cooling cells within 33 days.

Costain, in collaboration with their client Uniper, dedicated extensive time and effort to meticulous planning and organising of the works. Their dedication and expertise led to the successful execution of the onsite project, which was completed ahead of schedule; in 30, rather than the projected 33 days.

Costain’s scope of work involved the total removal of heavily contaminated PVC packing material from the cooling towers; the PVC was then recycled and reused by the construction industry. To ensure the safety of personnel involved in the removal of PVC waste, Costain implemented an innovative approach- using remote control ‘bobcat’ diggers in areas where there was a potential collapse of structural supports, reducing or eliminating safety risks to personnel.

Laura Hughes, Costain’s energy sector director, commented: “The complexity of this project meant that there are only very few companies equipped to undertake it; I am very pleased that Costain was able to work diligently and safely, and ultimately deliver ahead of schedule.”

Ant Landers, Uniper Plant Manager at Connah’s Quay said: “A clean and efficient cooling water system is a critical component in optimising the use of natural resources in the generation process. The work carried out by Costain was part of the ongoing maintenance program of the power station’s cooling water system, ensuring Connah’s Quay continues to operate efficiently when needed.

“It was a pleasure to work with Costain on this project. The close cooperation between our two companies ensured that we were able to complete the work safely and to budget which is no small achievement, given the magnitude of the project.”

image courtesy of Costain

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