Glencorse water treatment plant looks set to make a financial splash

A NEW £130 million water treatment plant for Edinburgh and the Lothians is taking shape and is expected to come in under budget.

The current economic climate could lead to millions of pounds worth of cost savings on Scottish Water's Glencorse Water Treatment Plant in Midlothian, which is currently under construction.

The plant will provide fresh drinking water for the Capital and the Lothians.

The outline of the new 90 million litre clean water storage tank is already taking shape.

It will cover an area the size of four football pitches and hold enough water to fill 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Senior project manager Richard Anderson said the plant is due to be completed by 2011.

And while he conceded that it was still possible for prices to rise over the next two years, the project is currently expected to come in below its 130 million budget.

He said: "We're currently making savings of around 100 a ton on steel, and with 6,000 tons of steel going into the walls you're looking at a saving of about 600,000 in these walls alone.

"There is also a considerable amount of steel going into the roof and the pipeline, so when all of this is taken into account the savings could run into the millions.

"It may be a bit of a selfish point of view, but the recession has definitely been good news for the Glencorse Treatment Plant."

In addition to making savings, Scottish Water has been able to provide jobs for the 200-plus construction workers currently engaged in the civil engineering phase of the construction, which is progressing well, having benefited from an unseasonably dry winter.

Once the civil engineering phase is over, the plant will also provide jobs for the army of mechanical and electrical engineers required to fit and test the machines and make the plant fully operational.

The plant is required to replace the antiquated Victorian pumps at Fairmilehead and Alnwickhill.

Mr Anderson said: "Although the water in Edinburgh just now is safe, the existing pumps are coming to the end of their natural life and it's time for something new.

"While the plants at Fairmilehead and Alnwickhall are a testament to Victorian architecture, the new plant will be viewed as an exercise in landscaping."

Edinburgh is one of the last major cities to benefit from upgraded water treatment facilities, with Glasgow's Milngavie Water Treatment Works receiving its royal opening in August last year and giving Edinburgh a taste of what is to come.