Summer project to upgrade ageing gas main in Chester

Major work to ensure a section of Chester’s underground gas pipes is ready to keep homes warm over winter will take place through the school summer holidays.

Cadent, which manages the local gas network, is calling time on a 600-metre section of pipe under Queens Park Road, outside the high school and university campus.

The old metallic main is now showing signs of its age and, to protect supply to the local area, it needs to be replaced with a modern, durable plastic pipe.

Carrying out this work now also future-proofs the network, helping get it ready for the arrival – as soon as this decade – of cleaner gases such as hydrogen.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has allocated the school summer holidays for Cadent to complete this complex engineering project.

Work will begin on Monday 25^th July.

The road stays OPEN throughout, although motorists are advised to expect some waiting as only one-lane of the two-lane carriageway will be available.

Metallic gas mains like this one in Queens Park Road are being upgraded across the North West, as part of an £800m investment by Cadent in the North West over the next five years.

This programme is helping to get the network ready for a move away from fossil gases to hydrogen, which is essential for a ‘net zero’ future.

Gas stays ON during the work – there should be no disruption to supply, aside for a couple of properties which take a direct gas feed from this pipe. Their supply with be stopped while the new connection is made and will be restored the same day.

Craig Horrocks, Head of Cadent’s North West Investment Planning Office, said: “Our job is to keep gas flowing to heat homes, schools, offices and many other buildings in the local area, as well as future-proof the network ready for hydrogen.

“This work in Queens Park Road is an essential part of our programme to upgrade the older pipes within the network. More than 83 per cent of homes in Cheshire West and Chester have gas central heating, so this work now ensures we’re ready to safely deliver that gas both now and through the colder winter months.”

Contacting Cadent about this project

Customers with questions about this work can contact the team by:

Phone: 0800 090 3071

Email: CustomerCareNW@cadentgas.com

Online: https://cadentgas.com/contact-us/contact-form-nw

If you smell gas

If you smell gas during this work, nearby or anywhere, always ring the national gas emergency service immediately, day or night, on 0800 111 999*. Do not delay, or assume it’s related to this work. It may not be and must be checked.

Cadent in the North West

Cadent operates four of the UK’s eight gas distribution networks – North West England, West Midlands, Eastern England and North London.

Its North West network stretches from the Lake District to Crewe and is home to 21,000 miles of distribution pipes (most of them underground) and hundreds of above ground installations. If placed end to end, that amount of pipes would stretch from Cheshire to Sydney, Australia, and back again.

Around £800m will be invested in the North West’s gas network over the next five years. This will maintain safe, secure supplies to homes, hospitals, schools, offices and other sites, as well as support the UK journey to net zero carbon emissions.

Backed by Cadent and many partners, the North West region is set to lead the way in a major shift from fossil gases to hydrogen. Producing only heat and water at point of use, hydrogen is key to the UK’s net zero future and is set to be introduced at volume in the North West during the 2020s

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