National Grid completes major gas pipeline project (Comment)
16 Nov 2012
Tirley, UK – Construction of National Grid’s new pressure reduction installation (PRI) at Tirley in Gloucestershire is now complete following 18 months of building and commissioning, National Grid announced 18 Oct.
The PRI is the last element of the 316km Milford Haven-to-Tirley natural gas pipeline project, which will be able to carry up to 20% of the UK’s gas supplies.
Tirley PRI is now the largest above ground gas installation in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. The installation will control and regulate the flow of gas into the National Gas transmission system, enabling the pipeline to operate at its full capacity.
The 1.3 hectare PRI is surrounded by over five hectares of landscaping and screening in which over 23,000 trees and bushes are being planted to help the PRI blend into the surrounding area.
Principal contractor Murphy Pipeline Ltd and National Grid’s own team spent over 760,000 man hours working on the project.
“Commissioning the PRI brings to an end the seven-year construction programme as it is the final piece of the jigsaw and means the National Grid’s South Wales pipeline can operate at its designed pressure,” said Ian Sarson, senior project manager responsible for construction of the PRI.
PRIs help to control and regulate the flow of gas and need to be located at strategic points to ensure the country’s gas network operates efficiently and economically.
