Civils contractor sought for Cheshire geo-observatory

The British Geological Survey has launched its search for a principal contractor to undertake borehole drilling and civils works for a new groundbreaking observatory in Cheshire.

The Cheshire Observatory, which is known as the Cheshire Energy Research Field Site, will provide world class infrastructure for research into energy storage and subsurface engineering.

The contract is worth £5.9M, with applicants able to submit tenders until 22 November. Works are expected to start in April next year and complete by March 2023.

Along with a sister observatory in Glasgow and an urban observatory in Cardiff, which have been completed, the observatories will provide first-of-their-kind research facilities which will generate knowledge that will contribute to the responsible development of new low-carbon energy technologies both in the UK and internationally.

Plans for the new observatories were given backing by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2017 with the observatories delivered by the British Geological Survey for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The observatory is a research field site comprising a novel, highly instrumented borehole array, which will be used to undertake research into thermal storage and other related topics. According to the contract notice “this opportunity gives the Principal Contractor the opportunity to contribute to a highly unique and specialised project”.

Source Civils contractor sought for Cheshire geo-observatory | New Civil Engineer

Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering – International Burch University (ibu.edu.ba)