Thames Water has launched the tender process for a £242 million ($505.9 million) contract focused on trenchless tunnelling and connection works as part of its Teddington Direct River Abstraction project in south-west London.
The scheme, aimed at securing drought resilience, involves two key trenchless components:
- A 4.2km recycled water conveyance tunnel from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works (STW) to a new discharge point on the River Thames, upstream of Teddington Weir. The 3.5m-diameter tunnel will be constructed using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and include four shafts.
- A river abstraction pipeline, around 175m long with a diameter of up to 2.2m, which will use pipe jacking to connect the abstraction point to the Thames–Lee Tunnel.
The contract will be awarded under an NEC4 two-stage model. The first stage involves early contractor involvement to support Thames Water through the planning process and refine the DCO (development consent order) design for construction. Stage two covers full delivery and build, subject to planning approval, accepted design, and agreed target price.
The contract is scheduled to run from October 2026 to March 2033, with tunnelling works potentially starting in 2028, pending DCO approval.
Thames Water’s Mohit Farmah said the utility is seeking “industry-leading tunnelling experts” to deliver what is a nationally significant infrastructure, which is part of the firm’s Water Resource Management Plan and backed by Ofwat funding through 2030.
The deadline for participation requests is 7 July 2025, with the award decision due by October 2026.
For more information on the project, visit thameswater.co.uk/news/thames-water-seeks-tunnelling-contractors
Do you have news for the international trenchless industry? Contact journalist Gerald Lynch at gerald.lynch@primecreative.com.au
