Coire Glas adit scheme wins Tunnelling Ground Investigation Project of the Year

A collaborative ground investigation programme supporting SSE Renewable’s Coire Glas pumped storage hydropower scheme has been named Tunnelling Ground Investigation Project of the Year at New Civil Engineer’s (NCE) 2024 Tunnelling Awards.

The NCE event celebrates the year’s most outstanding projects, innovations, and teams from across the global tunnelling sector. The award-winning programme was carried out for SSE by a project team comprising BGS, COWI, Fugro, Stantec, and Strabag.

The works involved the creation of a 1.2-kilometre exploratory adit using a ‘drill and blast’ method rarely used in the UK. The project included drilling boreholes up to 650 metres deep, specialist mapping, geotechnical testing, analysis, and a range of comprehensive supporting studies.

Stantec—a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting—and COWI worked in partnership to develop a bespoke design for the tunnel. The adit is now being used for extensive ground investigations to inform the detailed design of the transformative hydro scheme in the Scottish Highlands.

Once built, Coire Glas will be the first large-scale pumped storage hydropower scheme developed in the United Kingdom in more than 40 years. The site’s remote location, rugged terrain, complex bedrock, and restricted access offered challenging conditions for the investigation. During the project, some team members lived in self-contained accommodation accessible only by helicopter.

Innovative logistics solutions were needed to transport equipment to the site, leading the teams to source drill rigs light enough to be dismantled, transported, and reconstructed in situ, while still powerful enough to complete the necessary tests.

The team’s ability to respond quickly to the project challenges has allowed SSE Renewables to progress through its delivery schedule while incorporating high-quality data needed to inform the detailed design stage of Coire Glas.

Judges at the awards remarked: ‘The project excelled across all criteria, demonstrating remarkable technical skill, innovation, and successful delivery. The innovative use of tunnelling added significant value to the overall project, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the complex ground conditions. Collaboration between different departments and companies was essential to the project's success, showcasing exceptional planning and coordination of multiple investigation techniques across difficult terrain.’

Andy Sloan, managing director, COWI in the UK, said: “We are delighted with our COWI/Stantec team, who have worked hard, along with SSE and Strabag, to reach this important milestone in the project. The teamwork between all the parties has been excellent, with the right balance between challenge and cooperation to achieve the required outcomes for the project. The award really does demonstrate the value of the significant investment that SSE has made in the exploratory adit and the underground ground investigation.”

‘We’re incredibly proud of our team, which has relentlessly harnessed the power of innovation, creativity, and collaboration to deliver an exceptional project for SSE Renewables,’ said John Ord, UK & Ireland energy business director at Stantec. ‘Pumped storage hydro projects like Coire Glas really help countries and communities move the needle when it comes to the transition to secure low-carbon economies, and we’re delighted Stantec is able to play its part in this essential journey towards national resilience.’

Mike Seaton, director of development for Coire Glas at SSE Renewables added: "Coire Glas will be pivotal in helping deliver on the UK's net zero ambition and to receive this award for the successful completion of our complex tunnelling GI works is a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the project.

"The project team and our delivery partners have shown through our work to date what can be achieved through collaboration in remote and challenging large-scale project sites."

Find out more about Stantec and its holistic range of interdisciplinary services, by visiting www.stantec.com/uk.

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