New Civil Engineer
26 April 2012
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Africa water reserves need care
Water experts have reacted cautiously to news that huge reserves of groundwater have been identified in Africa.Scientists from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and University College London last week published a report claiming that there is between 0.36M.km3 and 1.75M.km3 of underground water in Africa, more than 20 times the amount stored in its lakes.But the resources are unevenly distributed, with the largest volumes in North African countries like Libya, Algeria, Egypt an -
Alison Munro re-appointed as chief executive of HS2 Ltd
Alison Munro has been re-appointed as chief executive of HS2 Ltd, the government-backed company responsible for delivering a high speed rail network between London and the North of England. -
Another nuclear reactor closes down for good
One of Wylfa’s twin reactors ceased generating electricity on Wednesday, five days earlier than planned after an issue was identified with the plant. -
Arcadis and EC Harris win place on Abu Dhabi ports framework
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has appointed consultant Arcadis, along with its subsidiary cost consultant EC Harris, to a three year framework contract to provide masterplanning, engineering design and programme management skills among other services. -
Architecture and engineering bursary invites entries
The RIBA ICE McAslan Bursary, worth £7,500 and funded by architect John McAslan + Partners, will open to entries on Wednesday 2 May. -
Arup team triumphs in 2012 Merit prize competition
A team from Arup’s Solihull office led from start to finish in the finals of the 2012 Merit prize at Loughborough University earlier this month. -
Atkins drawn into dispute over Cambridgeshire guided busway
Contractor Bam Nuttall this week refuted a £55M claim made against it by Cambridgeshire County Council for delays to its guided busway scheme and issued its own £43M counterclaim. -
Awards celebrate geotechnical excellence
Almost 400 people gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel this afternoon to find out who were the winners in this year’s Ground Engineering Awards. -
Balfour Beatty wins offshore wind farm cabling contract
Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions has been awarded a £19M contract by Eon to install the cable for its Humber Gateway offshore wind farm. -
Bexhill to Hastings link road gets early start
East Sussex County Council yeseterday approved a plan to allow an early start to work on the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road following the government’s pledge to provide £56M towards the cost of the road last month. -
Chrimes watch: Peter Barlow, British engineering pioneer
1 March marked the 150th anniversary of the death of Professor Peter Barlow (1776-1862). Father of William Henry Barlow, ICE President and designer of St Pancras train shed roof, Barlow can be regarded as the pioneer of modern British engineering science. -
Clarke urges construction to drive low carbon economy
Former Atkins chief executive Keith Clarke has used an ICE backed lecture to urge construction leaders to drive forward the creation of a low carbon economy. -
Construction downturn pushes economy into double dip recession
Official government figures today reveal that a sharp drop of 3% in construction sector output has forced the UK overall economy to plunge back into recession. -
Cost cutting forces redesign of Mersey Crossing
Bidders for the £600M Mersey Gateway crossing in north west England are considering radically changing its cable-stayed bridge design in favour of a cheaper alternative, NCE understands. -
Crossrail appoints new health and safety director
Crossrail has today announced the appointment of Steve Hails as health & safety director. -
Downpours do nothing to ease drought - Environment Agency
The recent wet weather sweeping the UK has done little to restore groundwater supplies and relieve drought conditions, the Environment Agency has warned. -
Embankment collapse closes Highland rail line
Heavy rain is believed to have caused a landslip on an earth embankment on the Aviemore to Inverness rail line this morning. -
Gatwick airport expands offering with Korean Air
Gatwick Airport has stepped up its expansion drive by signing up Korean Air to provide passengers with flights to and from the South Korean capital Seoul three times per week. -
Government ploughs £60M carbon capture cash into international pool
Climate change minister Greg Barker today announced that the government would plough £60M to help develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in emerging markets. -
Government slow to improve procurement
Public sector clients must do far more to change procurement practices if the industry is to deliver the £2bn to £3bn annual savings demanded by the Treasury. -
Hammersmith flyover cable tensioning works complete two days early
Amey and Transport for London engineers last night finished the installation and tensioning of new post tensioning cables inside London’s Hammersmith flyover, two days ahead of schedule. -
Highways Agency Area 8 ASC to go out to tender
The Highways Agency has given advance notice of its plan to put out to tender its Area Support Contract for Area 8 at Bedford. -
Hill International wins Iraq hospital deal
Project manager Hill International has won a contract worth $5.2M (£3.2M) to provide design management and construction management services for the new Al Bayaa Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. -
HS1 renews contract with Network Rail to 2025
High speed rail owner HS1 Ltd has extended its contract with Network Rail allowing the latter to operate and maintain the line until at least 2025. -
Huhne warns against kneejerk ban on fracking
Former energy secretary Chris Huhne this week warned against any kneejerk ban on hydraulic fracturing in the UK, as has happened in the US, before the method has reached a commercial scale. -
ICE launches careers initiative
Graduates struggling to find permanent work now have somewhere to turn to for help following the roll out of a nationwide roadshow of workshops run by the ICE. -
ICE move to 8 Storey’s Gate on hold after contractor goes bust
The ICE was last week forced to abandon plans to move staff into its new 8 Storey’s Gate offices in June, after main contractor Killby & Gayford went into administration. -
International Tunnelling Awards back and open for entries
The 2012 International Tunnelling Awards are now open for entries - and this year we are taking the event to Toronto, Canada. -
Letters: Who should pay to insure homes against flooding?
Gloucester 2007 floodsThe flood insurance issue has dismayed me since the Association of British Insurers (ABI) first signalled its unwillingness to renew the statement of principles.The justification for the ABI’s reticence is that people in low risk areas will -
London Underground trains hit ‘bulge’ in tunnel lining
Transport for London is carrying out an urgent investigation after two Bakerloo line trains hit a “bulge” in the tunnel’s steel lining under the River Thames yesterday. -
Making an entrance
Peri formwork is helping Bam Nuttall make space for a sliding dock wall at the Rosyth submarine base in the Firth of Forth. NCE reports. -
McNulty rail cost report ‘harsh’, says senior industry figure
Claims that building and operating railways costs up to 40% more in the UK than Europe have been roundly criticised by the train operators’ most senior figure. -
Member satisfaction with ICE improves
Engineers have reacted positively to the ICE’s efforts to promote the public image of civil engineering, according to the Institution’s latest membership survey. -
NCE 03.05.12 Ocean Drive
Mega treatment works and 11km of tunnel solves Brighton’s sewage problem -
NCE 26.04.12 Cleaner Nuclear Future
British Engineers lead incredible quest to prove nuclear fusion is the key to future energy supply. NCE reports from Cadarache in France. -
Network Rail battles to repair Highland line after landslip
Network Rail engineers have been working over the weekend to repair damage caused to the railway by a landslip on the Highland main line between Carrbridge and Slochd on Friday. -
No.12 Disaster at Chernobyl
A flawed reactor design operated by poorly trained staff resulted in the biggest ever nuclear accident when one of the four reactors exploded at Chernobyl’s power plant in April 1986. -
One World Trade Center becomes tallest building in New York
One World Trade Center, while still under construction, yesterday became the tallest building in New York, overtaking the current tallest, the Empire State Building, by 6.4m. -
Panama Canal programme defended
The massive $5.25bn (£3.3bn) Panama Canal Expansion scheme will open on time despite a six month construction delay, a senior programme manager claimed last week. -
Power connection between Britain and Denmark to be studied
National Grid and Denmark’s Energinet.dk yesterday announced the start of a study to look at the possibility of a first electricity power connection between Great Britain and Denmark. -
Record first quarter results for Volvo
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has reported strong results for the first quarter 2012, with sales up 17% and record levels of operating income and operating margin for a first quarter. -
Shortlist revealed for innovation-focused £500M Bank station contract
London Underground (LU) yesterday revealed the shortlisted bidders for its £500M Bank Station Capacity Upgrade project, which is pioneering a new procurement process that aims to reward failed bidders if they come up with money saving ideas that are adopted by the winning team. -
Skilled operator shortage reported by foundation recruiter
Demand for piling operatives is currently outstripping supply, according to recruitment agency Barker Ross Civil Engineering. -
Spreading the word
How we can all help the profession. -
Tarmac and Lafarge merger given green light - provided they sell plants
The Competition Commission (CC) has ruled that Tarmac owner Anglo American and Lafarge must sell a significant portfolio of their operations, paving the way for entry by a new competitor into the UK cement market, before their proposed construction materials joint venture can go ahead. -
The Treasury loves to prune, but at what price growth?
This week’s Infrastructure Cost Review annual report by Treasury body Infrastructure UK once again highlights the scale and importance of activity and spending now underway across the nation’s infrastructure sectors. -
Three more big names sign up for CARE Construction Challenge
Teams from Enterprise Mouchel, Ramboll and Fairhurst are the latest to sign up for the CARE Construction Challenge supported by NCE and Ground Engineering. -
Turnover up but margins squeezed at Bam Nuttall
Contractor Bam Nuttall saw a strong increase of 16% in turnover to £809M last year but has battled to keep margins from suffering in tough market conditions. -
Updated government funded construction pipeline highlights £40bn of work
The government has updated its construction pipeline last published in November alongside the National Infrastructure Plan update and the infrastructure investment pipeline. -
Warning as sales of aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt collapse
The Mineral Products Association has warned of a grim 2012 for the industry after releasing figures showing that sales of key construction materials has fallen dramatically in the last three months. -
What will the civil engineer's world look like in 2052?
As NCE prepares to celebrate its 40th birthday, we are looking 40 years ahead to 2052 and asking our readers to tell us what they think their world will look like.
