Costain and A E Yates have brought on board Hyperion Robotics to deliver low-carbon concrete sleepers for a landmark East Coast Cluster project on Teesside.
Northern Endurance Partnership’s (NEP) onshore CO2 gathering system will provide the CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure for Teesside-based carbon capture projects. Costain is the delivery partner to NEP with A E Yates providing civil engineering services.
Costain and A E Yates will work with Hyperion to produce approximately 90 high-strength concrete pipe support bases, or sleepers, along 1.3km of onshore CO2 pipelines across Teesside using its advanced robotic manufacturing and digital technology.
Through robotic 3D printing, Hyperion’s technology eliminates formwork and enables precise, repeatable production of the sleepers. This approach, when compared to traditional precast solutions, will require less soil excavation, reduce concrete and steel use by 40% and carbon emissions by up to 50%. The engineering-led solution is up to ten times stronger than traditional structures despite being up to 60% lighter thanks to a thin, reinforced base design. This will enable faster and safer installation of the sleepers, which will also be manufactured offsite to reduce on-site labour and plant.
Hyperion will oversee its role in the project from Forge I, its new UK manufacturing facility near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.
Mark Howard, Programme Director at Costain, said: “Hyperion’s 3D printing solution will provide a myriad of efficiency, sustainability and safety benefits for this important project, while at the same time support economic growth and prosperity across Teesside.”
Fernando De los Rios, CEO at Hyperion Robotics, said: “Working alongside Costain, A E Yates and the Northern Endurance Partnership on this project shows what is possible. By combining engineering expertise, digital design and automated manufacturing, we can reduce material use and carbon emissions while meeting the highest standards of quality, performance and code compliance.
“This is more than a single project milestone. It is a practical example of how the UK can build critical infrastructure faster, more efficiently and with a lower carbon footprint by bringing together strong delivery partners, advanced technology and local manufacturing capability.”
Rich Denny, Managing Director at Northern Endurance Partnership, said: “This kind of collaboration is critical to delivering a world‑class CCS network that will help decarbonise industry, protect jobs and drive long‑term economic growth in the region.”
Costain is also the delivery partner for Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power), which aims to be the world’s first gas-fired power station with carbon capture and storage. To date, approximately 200 people from Costain are delivering and managing the engineering, procurement and construction (EPCm) elements of the NZT NEP OSBL project, in addition to approximately 100 designers and engineers based in Manchester. Of the subcontractor contracts awarded to date, 90% are with UK-based suppliers.
