Bachy Soletanche recently concluded its £7.5m geotechnical contract for Cory’s second energy-from-waste facility, Riverside 2, located on the banks of the River Thames in south-east London.
Once complete, Riverside 2 will be one of the largest and most efficient energy-from-waste facilities in the UK. It will treat 650,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste, generating enough electricity to power 176,000 homes each year. The expansion of Riverside Energy Park will help meet the critical need for more waste processing and energy generation infrastructure across London and the South-East. It is the only energy-from-waste facility in the UK that can receive residual waste via river, an access method that removes around 100,000 truck journeys from the roads.
Working on behalf of principal contractor Hitachi Zosen Inova AG (HZI), Bachy Soletanche constructed an underground bunker and foundation piles for the new facility.
The geotechnical works involved constructing a 165-metre-long secant wall box, comprising 228 cased CFA piles, as well as the installation of 1,273 CFA foundation piles. To validate the performance of the installed piles, 10 static load tests were carried out, which required the installation of 39 CFA reaction anchor piles. Bachy Soletanche also employed Green Piling to install 585 driven precast concrete piles and VINCI subsidiary, Dunton Environmental, to complete the muck away and provide attendant plant.
Commenting on the project’s completion, Bachy Soletanche’s UK Operations Manager Martin Stanley said:
“Thanks to our experience of delivering the first Riverside facility in 2008 and based on client audits of other recent projects, we built a strong relationship with the principal contractor at an early stage. This meant that we had a good understanding of the project and were able to work collaboratively with HZI and its partners to address a number of challenges that arose during the programme.”
To enable the timely delivery of the underground bunker, which was the key project milestone, Bachy Soletanche mobilised four piling rigs and four service cranes within a tight working area.
The project was completed in line with the client’s programme expectation and without delay to any follow-on works. This was a testament to the dedication of Bachy Soletanche’s project team and supply chain, as well as their collaboration with Hitachi Zosen Inova.
