Drax Power Station Emergency Works

Civil Engineering, Earthworks & Drainage, Multi-disciplinary, Water & Scour

Brief Description

The branch line to Drax Power Station DRA1 runs through EA controlled flood cells adjacent to the River Aire. This line is of significant importance as it is used to supply biomass fuels to the power station, which supplies ~6% of the UK electricity. Heavy rains in February 2020 caused significant flooding in the area, leaving the embankment slopes exposed to multiple failure mechanisms caused by wave action, wash-out and rapid drawn-down. CML responded during the initial flooding event to design and install a piled cess restraint system to the worst affected areas as a rapid solution to keep the line operational. Teams of divers were employed to assess the integrity of structures in order to establish if the line could remain operational.  A 24-hour track monitoring system was put in place to ensure the track remained safe for use.

Project Overview

The branch line to Drax Power Station DRA1 runs through EA controlled flood cells adjacent to the River Aire. This line is of significant importance as it is used to supply biomass fuels to the power station, which supplies ~6% of the UK electricity. Heavy rains in February 2020 caused significant flooding in the area, leaving the embankment slopes exposed to multiple failure mechanisms caused by wave action, wash-out and rapid drawn-down. CML responded during the initial flooding event to design and install a piled cess restraint system to the worst affected areas as a rapid solution to keep the line operational. Teams of divers were employed to assess the integrity of structures in order to establish if the line could remain operational.  A 24-hour track monitoring system was put in place to ensure the track remained safe for use.

As the flooding retreated it became apparent that further embankment erosion had occurred and that repairs would soon be needed along approximately 2km of embankment. CML remobilised in June ‘20 to begin extensive removal of vegetation and prepare the site for the re-construction of the embankment slopes. Over 40,000t of aggregate was imported to re-construct the embankment slopes, finished with soil-filled and seeded geocell to establish vegetation and mitigate any future surface erosion during flood events. The track monitoring programme provided daily information to support the safe operational use of the railway throughout the construction phase. Regular dialogue with the local community and our supply chain helped to minimise disruption to nearby residents and adjacent landowners – additional protocols were established to manage operations safely during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and protect the reputation of all stakeholders involved.

Stakeholder Management

A collaborative approach between CML, the NR client team and 3rd party stakeholders was adopted from the onset of the project, helping to define project outcomes/objectives at the very start of the process. This ensured that the scheme was delivered to a high standard and achieved the primary output objectives; causing minimal disruption to fuel deliveries into Drax, providing a quick repair to stabilise the earthworks and protect the asset from future flooding events. Through robust detailed planning of the construction works, Drax Power Station operated as normal throughout the implementation phase. A major factor in the success of the project was the use of an established supply chain which consistently delivered high volumes of materials on time and within budget.

Delivery Challenges

Given the urgent nature of the project and the criticality of the route, existing GI data (NR Archive & BGS) was utilised to provide a rapid design solution, supplemented by exploratory drilling operations at track level whilst the river was still in flood.  The constrained timeframe for delivery negated the option to purchase additional land and as a result the designers focused on developing a solution that sat within the existing footprint of NR ownership.  Our design & construction teams achieved this by working together to develop a slope regrade detail that re-instated stability to the earthworks, whilst being buildable under ALO conditions to minimise disruption to the operational railway during construction.

A Great Crested Newt population was identified adjacent to the site in the habitat surveys, which led to the implementation of mitigation measures including amending plant routes and amendment of vegetation clearance methodology so as to not interfere or impact on their habitat.

The primary driver in developing the construction methodology was to ensure that Drax Power Station could operate at its normal output and that its fuel supply was not affected.  Given the contribution the power station makes to the nations power demand, the project attracted political interest adding to the criticality of this issue.  Following detailed planning and collaborative working with the client team and stakeholders, a methodology was developed which achieved this objective and resulted in the construction phase progressing without any adverse impact on the operation of the line.  Track geometry was reviewed daily in support of this, and outputs distributed to stakeholders for review.

Environment and Sustainability

The project was relatively non-complex from an engineering perspective but high-profile politically given the criticality of maintaining fuel supplies to Drax Power Station. The urgent nature of the repair and site constraints led the design team to develop the simplest solution that would be most cost effective and quick to deliver, with minimal impact on railway operations and stakeholders.  In addition to the initial piled cess retention works, the main repair involved benching into existing embankment slopes, managing temporary works and re-grading slopes with engineered fill. Managing the COVID pandemic also resulted in logistical challenges through maintaining social distancing in briefings and at the point of work, bearing in mind that during the peak there were over 50 Nr operatives on site and over 20 Nr excavators in operation. Credit was given to the team with the way the site was set up to manage this, with commendation coming from NR.

Difficult access conditions and having to negotiate with 6 different landowners simultaneously in order to construct several kilometres of access proved a major challenge in such short timescales.  The fact that this didn’t delay the project is testimony to the strength of the site management team involved.

Successes

In addition to maintaining fuel supplies into Drax power station during the initial stages of the pandemic, the delivery team also developed an innovative access solution to improve access for the site team during the piling works.  There is generally limited safe access the crest of aging railway embankments, leaving little safe space for workers. With 6-metre-deep flood waters lapping up against the upper embankment slope, the site team designed and fabricated a steel platform with handrails that easily fixed to the last pile installed, providing greatly improved safe access for site operatives to work from with subsequent increases in productivity.

Drax Power Station Photos

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