- Senior Department of Transport manager finds out how Cadent is keeping the capital cooking on gas
- Visit showcased Cadent’s work with robots and other utilities to ensure work is delivered with minimal disruption
- Cadent manages the national gas emergency service number and is also Britain’s largest gas distribution network
A top civil servant has been given a glimpse into how Britain’s biggest gas distribution network is keeping Londoners connected to safe and reliable gas supplies.
Department for Transport, Streetworks Policy and Regulation Delivery Manager Tom Pinchbeck, was guided through the streets of London by Cadent representatives, who showed him how the company helps keep 8 million Londoners connected to their gas supplies.
His visit included a trip to an operational depot where Cadent’s Head of Operations in London, James Harrison, explained how the company is maintaining; repairing and replacing gas mains across the capital, to ensure safe and reliable gas supplies keep flowing.
Mr Pinchbeck was then given a tour of two operational cadent sites in Westminster, where the world’s first public gas works opened in 1813.
He saw the innovative CISBOT robot at work in the gas mains below Covent Garden. Developed by ULC Robotics the gas-bot is able to extend the life of gas mains by decades by ‘rehabilitating’ ageing gas main joints with a special sealant.
CISBOT needs only one small excavation to access each 500m section of pipeline, negating the need for large excavations thus enabling work to be done faster and with minimal disruption to the public.
After seeing the robot in action Mr Pinchbeck moved onto see essential repairs which Cadent is undertaking to gas mains in Monck Street.
Repairs are also taking place to gas mains in adjourning St Peter Street, where Thames Water and Westminster Council are carrying out work too.
Cadent plans its work carefully with other utilities and local authorities and it carries out joint working where possible to reduce disruption.
Reflecting on his visit Mr Pinchbeck said: “ It has been really valuable to come and see first-hand the extensive and varied work that Cadent is carrying out in North London to keep gas flowing to homes and businesses, whilst trying to keep disruption to a minimum.”
Meanwhile Mr Harrison of Cadent commented: “It was great that Mr Pinchbeck was able to come and see how Cadent is helping to keep Londoners on gas over 200 years after the world’s first public gas works opened in Westminster.”
He added: “However proud as we are of our historic roots we’re all about taking things to the next level in terms of levels of service and efficiency.
“Constantly innovating and using new technologies such as CISBOT and making sure we keep talking to others so we can cut disruption by working together where possible are just two ways we do that, as this visit showed.”
For more on Cadent and its work visit
www.cadentgas.com
ENDS