Amount awarded: £5,319,913
Led by: Northumbrian Water
Partners: Water Research Centre, HR Wallingford, The University of Sheffield, Southampton University, Anglian Water, Thames Water, Severn Trent, Portsmouth Water, SES Water, United Utilities, Irish Water, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Northern Ireland Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water, British Water, Isle Utilities
Water leakage is a serious environmental problem and it must be drastically reduced to protect water security. There are plenty of ideas to tackle leakage but development of solutions needs to be accelerated. The National Leakage Research and Test Centre will be a 5km buried water pipe network specifically for developing and testing inventions without disrupting customers’ supplies or affecting water quality. It allows things like repair robots and sealants to be inserted into the water supply to see how they perform. The centre’s staff will issue certifications to show water companies how well each innovation performs. The network will include new and old pipes in a variety of materials and diameters just like a live water network but it will allow researchers to insert and move deliberately leaky section of pipes. It will collect and recycle leaked water and will even simulate customers drawing water whilst tests are taking place. There is also scope for the centre to be used for training and other research.
“Establishing the National Leakage Research and Test Centre is a significant step in enabling the water industry to achieve its ambitious leakage reduction targets. It will accelerate innovation in the field of leakage repair and detection helping us to conserve precious water resources and deliver more resilient service to our customers.”
Keith Haslett, Water Director, Northumbrian Water Group
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The detailed design is now substantially complete, and the construction contract is currently out for competitive tender with three perspective contractors. The construction cost and programme will be known at this time. Planning work is almost complete with the final archaeological work being undertaken. The planning application is to be submitted W/C 5th May 2025. Ongoing discussions with both Northumbrian Water and HR Wallingford relating to the formation of the special purpose vehicle to ensure the long–term operating model is in line with the original Ofwat bid intention and therefore protecting the long–term investment
Resources
For more information on the National Leakage Research Test Centre, take a look at the following resources:
