Costain has successfully completed packing upgrades on the cooling towers at Uniper’s Connah’s Quay power station, in Flintshire, North Wales. 

Connah’s Quay power station’s cooling towers are constructed in concrete cubes which made the upgrade a particular challenge - it involved works on 10 cell units, making it the largest volume of cells repacked in a single site visit. 

The complex work, to replace a total of 10 individual cooling cells within 33 days, was delivered ahead of schedule by Costain’s Industrial Cooling team. 

Infrastructure solutions company Costain, in collaboration with client Uniper, dedicated extensive time and effort to meticulous planning and organising of the works. 

This meant the project was completed ahead of schedule in 30, rather than the projected 33 days.

Costain’s scope of work involved the total removal of heavily contaminated PVC packing material from the cooling towers; the PVC was then recycled and reused by the construction industry.

Laura Hughes, Costain’s energy sector director, said: “The complexity of this project meant that there are only very few companies equipped to undertake it; I am very pleased that Costain was able to work diligently and safely, and ultimately deliver ahead of schedule.” 

Ant Landers, Uniper plant manager at Connah’s Quay, added: “A clean and efficient cooling water system is a critical component in optimising the use of natural resources in the generation process. 

“The work carried out by Costain was part of the ongoing maintenance program of the power station’s cooling water system, ensuring Connah’s Quay continues to operate efficiently when needed. 

“It was a pleasure to work with Costain on this project. The close cooperation between our two companies ensured that we were able to complete the work safely and to budget which is no small achievement, given the magnitude of the project."