The Humber Tunnel can transport between 70m to 100m cubic metres – or around a quarter – of Britain’s gas for National Grid.

National Grid completed the gas pipeline 30 metres under the surface of the River Humber earlier this year.  This included replacing a trench-laid gas pipe which had become exposed to volatile tides in one of the busiest waterways in the world.

The World Record Breaking pipeline is part of the national transmission system and connects the import terminal at Easington, to the wider gas network.

Having been fully commissioned, the pipe is now operational and can transport between 70 to 100 million cubic metres of gas to National Grid.

The feat of engineering involved an 18-month journey drilling a 3.65metre diameter tunnel beneath the estuary to enable the new pipeline to be installed.

World Record Breaker

The push continued until all 4.69 kilometres of pipeline were fully installed in July 2020, securing a place in the Guinness World Record, by becoming the world’s longest hydraulically inserted pipe.

The tunnel boring machine ‘Mary’ was equivalent in length to 11 double decker buses and weighed 220 tonnes. At peak, 250 people were employed on the project, with operations at Goxhill and Paull, the landfall locations.

National Grid began the project in 2016 with joint venture project partners Skanska, A.Hak and Porr.

Emma Ford, Head of Gas Construction for National Grid said:

“Complex engineering projects such as these require a huge amount of skill and dedication from all those involved. To have delivered this ahead of the cold winter months despite COVID-19 restrictions is a fantastic achievement."

The grid operator adds the pipeline has the potential to play a “big role in the future” as National Grid explores how cleaner alternatives of hydrogen and biogas can be used on the gas network, helping the UK hit its 2050 net zero carbon target.

James holmes, operations director for Skanska said:

“Working with A.Hak and Porr we have delivered a project that will help ensure a reliable and resilient supply of up to 25 per cent of Britain’s gas.

“It has been a real feat of engineering that has been delivered thanks to a collaborative team spirit which has been created over the past four years."