en.Wedoany.com Reported - UK infrastructure and construction developer Kier has secured contracts for improvement projects at three wastewater treatment plants owned by water company Severn Trent, with a total contract value exceeding £51 million. These projects are part of Severn Trent's Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8) investment plan, involving facilities in Droitwich, Warton, and Worksop, aimed at enhancing wastewater treatment performance, strengthening stormwater management capabilities, and improving operational resilience.
As part of the broader investment in the UK water industry during AMP8, these projects are designed to help water companies meet stricter environmental standards, improve treatment performance, and increase the capacity of existing infrastructure. The projects also support regulatory requirements related to the Water Industry National Environment Programme (Winep), including stricter phosphorus discharge and emission permits, addressing future population growth demands, and promoting long-term improvements in river ecology.
At the Droitwich wastewater treatment plant, Kier has delivered a contract worth approximately £11.7 million, focusing on phosphorus treatment improvements. The scope of work includes tertiary solids removal, chemical dosing and aeration system upgrades, as well as other process modifications to enable the plant to meet stricter phosphorus discharge standards by December 2026. The Droitwich project is listed as part of Severn Trent's "Green Recovery" program.
The Warton wastewater treatment plant project has a contract value of approximately £12 million, primarily involving treatment capacity and capability upgrades to accommodate higher dry weather flow demands from future catchment growth. Specific work includes constructing new stormwater balancing infrastructure, upgrading the activated sludge plant, improving sludge treatment systems, and building new final settlement facilities.
The Worksop project has a contract value of approximately £27 million, involving pump station upgrades, activated sludge treatment process improvements, final settlement infrastructure, and other plant-wide modifications. This project underwent a lengthy development and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase between the Kier and Severn Trent teams, including construction feasibility assessments and pre-construction value engineering.
Andy Lingham, Managing Director of Kier Water Infrastructure, stated that these contracts reflect the stability of the partnership between the two parties and the collaborative approach adopted by the team during development and early engagement. He noted that the projects involve complex upgrades to operational wastewater treatment plant infrastructure, supporting treatment performance, resilience, and environmental compliance across multiple sites, and emphasized that early engagement between the client, design, and delivery teams is crucial for mitigating risks, improving construction feasibility, and developing efficient long-term solutions.
A Severn Trent spokesperson stated that these major investment projects will bring benefits to customers, communities, and the environment. The work helps improve network resilience, increase capacity to accommodate population growth, and reduce phosphate emissions during treatment, thereby further improving water health. The three projects demonstrate that the company is investing in areas of concern to customers and society.
The projects will be delivered through collaboration between Severn Trent and the design and delivery teams, with a focus on construction feasibility, operational continuity, and efficient delivery at operational wastewater treatment plants. The latest contracts further consolidate Kier's ongoing role in AMP8. The contractor currently supports nine major UK water companies through long-term frameworks, alliances, and enterprise delivery models, delivering water and wastewater treatment infrastructure upgrades, network maintenance, and major capital delivery programs across over 130 active projects.
