By Fiona Nicolson
The crisis at Thames Water will have no impact on the £4.5bn construction of a 25km ‘super sewer’ for London, Tideway has said.
The construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project is being funded by Tideway, which is owned by a consortium of investors, with money paid for by Thames Water’s 15 million wastewater customers.
A Tideway spokesman said: “Thames Water is completely independent [entity] and we do not expect any impact on the Tideway project”.
Thames Water is on the brink of administration, with £14bn of debt. The government is scrambling to come up with a plan to save it.
Contractors on the project include Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, Balfour Beatty Group, Ferrovial Agroman, Laing O’Rourke Construction, Costain, Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Bachy Soletanche and Amey.
The Thames Tideway tunnel phase has been completed and progress is being made on the secondary lining. Work is now focused on connecting the sewer to the existing infrastructure while the public spaces above ground are being built.
Once the project is complete, Thames Water will operate the Tideway tunnels as part of London’s sewer network, while Tideway will take charge of day-to-day maintenance.
The new sewer is designed to capture more than 95 per cent of sewage spills entering the Thames and is expected to improve water quality and provide a better environment for wildlife.
Costs have spiraled at Tideway, which recently reported a £100m sewer contract increase.
Its overall estimated cost has risen to £4.5 billion from the original budget of £3.52 billion announced in 2014.
Contractors working on the project were approached for comment.
