Longest-ever directional drill for Isle of Wight gas link
24 April 2012
Two new 3.8km underwater gas pipelines, from Lepe in the New Forest to Gurnard on the Isle of Wight, are now in place. The £20m pipelines have been buried up to 30m beneath the Solent seabed to avoid snagging by anchors and replace three lines from the mainland to the island installed in the 1960s.
The pipelines' construction by Southern Gas Networks (SGN), which began 18 months ago, is believed to be the longest directional drill of its kind anywhere in the world.
The pipes, which will serve about 56,000 people on the island, were put in place using two separate tunnels drilled underneath the seabed from both sides of the water. Once the drill heads met in the middle, the new gas mains were pulled through and the supply connected.
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