Gas project developer defends plan to use largest UK hydrocarbon field to mine Bitcoin | New Civil Engineer While the UK moves towards decarbonisation and the adaptation of its energy grid for renewables, UK natural gas is being touted as a necessary source to

A firm positioning itself as a gas project developer for “European energy security” has defended its decision to use the UK’s largest onshore hydrocarbon field for mining Bitcoin

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Japanese earthquake and tsunami warning forces evacuation from Fukushima nuclear plants | New Civil Engineer Japan’s nuclear power company Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Company) issued statements where they sought to reassure the public about its plants. “At around

Workers at two Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan were forced to evacuate to higher ground following earthquake and tsunami warnings today
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EDF granted extension to address failings which led to workers hospitalised | New Civil Engineer The company was supposed to have met requirements set by the ONR by 17 April, but has now been given until 29 May to come into full compliance. In a

Energy provider EDF has been granted a six-week extension to comply with an improvement notice issued by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), following an incident at Hartlepool nuclear power plant
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MPs to probe Treasury’s influence on climate policy | New Civil Engineer The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said it will examine how decisions taken by the Treasury influence spending, to investigate whether those

A cross‑party committee of MPs has launched an inquiry into the role of the Treasury in shaping the UK’s approach to climate change, biodiversity loss and wider sustainability
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UK advances surface water flood forecasting | New Civil Engineer Surface water flooding - which is caused by intense rainfall overwhelming drainage systems - is now recognised as one of the most significant and

The UK has taken a significant step forward in improving its ability to forecast surface water flooding, says the government, as a three-year programme to enhance national capability reaches completion
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Two sites in Derby have made the final shortlist for a new Great British Railways (GBR) HQ, from the initial list of five
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Costain upgrades 1625km of gas pipeline in five years | New Civil Engineer Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network, managing more than 131,000km of pipes and transporting gas to 11M customers. Since 2021, Costain has

Costain has marked the completion of five years of its Contract Management Organisation (CMO) agreement with Cadent by delivering 1625km of gas main line
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Kier, Bam Nuttall, Volker Stevin and Taylor Woodrow avoided nearly £100M of project costs after training scheme | New Civil Engineer Kier, Bam Nuttall, Volker Stevin and Taylor Woodrow (part of the UK division of Vinci construction) enrolled in Giri’s Productivity Training Commission in

Kier, Bam Nuttall, VolkerStevin and Taylor Woodrow avoided £92.6M worth of errors after signing up to a “landmark” training programme from the Get It Right Initiative (Giri) to reduce error in construction
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‘Detailed inspections’ reveal £550k of ‘urgent works’ needed to repair Yorkshire bridge | New Civil Engineer The bridge is described by NYMR as a “vital structure” which “allows trains to run from Grosmont to Whitby”. It is needed to allow the heritage railway to

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) says Bridge 42, which connects Grosmont to Whitby, needs £550,000 of “urgent repairs” to ensure the safety of the structure
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NCE launches digital app | New Civil Engineer The NCE app provides a new way for readers to access industry news, interviews, analysis and digital editions of its monthly magazine, through Android and

New Civil Engineer (NCE) has launched a mobile phone app, giving industry professionals easier and faster access to the latest news, views and features
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£100M maintenance framework awarded for Kent highways | New Civil Engineer Each lot is valued at approximately £16.6M over the full term. The contracts, which will support local highway maintenance operations, have an initial

Kent County Council has awarded a £100M highways maintenance framework, split across six lots, covering districts across the county
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Russian submarine was 'distraction' for ‘nefarious activity’ near critical underwater infrastructure | New Civil Engineer In response, British forces exposed and drove off the covert Russian submarine operation operating in and around UK maritime approaches.  “The submarine

The defence secretary John Healey has said an incursion into British waters by a Russian submarine was a “bluff” for other “nefarious activity” being conducted near “critical underwater infrastructure”
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South Staffs Water admits road marking 'mistake' after repairs | New Civil Engineer The statement came after community news channel Chase TV reported on the issue. It posted a video to its TikTok account on 4 April, showing a patchwork on

South Staffs Water said an error occurred during the reinstatement of bus stop markings, following repairs on a burst water main in Tamworth, Staffordshire
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OpenAI shelves multi-billion pound UK data centre project citing energy costs | New Civil Engineer The company, which is best known for creating ChatGPT, announced its intention to build a data centre in the UK on 16 September 2025. The project was

OpenAI has paused plans for a UK data centre, which would have formed part of its $500bn (£371bn) Stargate project, citing concerns about energy costs and regulation
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£3.7bn mega-project cancelled: Artificial lake, dam and winter sports resort in Saudi Arabia scrapped | New Civil Engineer The Italian construction company posted a statement on 25 March 2026 confirming that developer Neom had terminated the contract. “It is hereby announced

The $4.7bn (£3.7bn [Jan 2024]) contract awarded to WeBuild for the construction of an artificial lake at Trojena, in Saudi Arabia, has been cancelled, after 30% of the work has been completed
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Network Rail to restore two Brunel-designed historic landmarks | New Civil Engineer The footbridge in Sydney Gardens, Bath, is the last surviving cast iron footbridge of its kind on the Great Western Main Line. It was designed by Isambard

Network Rail engineers will begin work later this month to restore two important railway heritage structures - the Grade II listed Sydney Gardens footbridge and the eastern entrance of Box Tunnel - which were both designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
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Galliford Try staff shortlisted for National Business Women’s Awards | New Civil Engineer Katherine Kinsey, Galliford Try’s Environment division discipline manager for electrical, instrumentation, control and automation, has been shortlisted in

Two senior Galliford Try managers have been named finalists at the 2026 National Business Women’s Awards, recognising work to boost diversity in engineering and to embed social impact across a construction services business
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North East water infrastructure project sees completion of £92.5M first phase | New Civil Engineer The engineering work has been completed on Phase 1 of Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley. It involved the creation of a

More than 30km of pipeline has been constructed in the first phase of Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley
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£30M Newcastle space centre reaches construction milestone | New Civil Engineer The new facility is being constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine at Northumbria University's Newcastle campus. It is expected to open in late 2026, when it

Northumbria University’s North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) reached a significant stage in its development, with a traditional topping-out ceremony. It is being constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine and is expected to open in late 2026
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Upgrades needed on ‘very busy’ section of Cambridgeshire rail line | New Civil Engineer The work, which will begin on Saturday 25 April, is necessary because the section of the network “is very busy and sees a lot of heavy freight which can

Engineers will renew nearly 1km of track, replace six sets of points and renew old sleepers and ballast in the vicinity of Ely station, in Cambridgeshire, later this month.
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DESNZ launches pilot for non-pipeline carbon capture transport | New Civil Engineer The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has today (9 April) launched the Non-Pipeline Transport (NPT) Pathfinder, previously announced as

The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) has welcomed the launch of a scheme to explore alternative CO₂ transport methods, as part of efforts to expand Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) deployment, alongside existing pipeline infrastructure
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Van Elle, one of the UK’s largest specialist geotechnical engineering contractors, has been acquired by Strabag UK, a division of Austrian Strabag Group
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Podcast | Restoring a 200-year-old suspension bridge with VolkerLaser | New Civil Engineer This month’s guest is VolkerLaser senior project manager Lee Jackson, who joins to discuss the fascinating challenge of restoring Whorlton Bridge – an

The latest episode of the Engineers Collective podcast is out now.
Our guest is VolkerLaser senior project manager Lee Jackson, who discusses the restoration of Whorlton Bridge, a near 200-year-old structure above the River Tees
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New section of Southsea coast opens after ‘months of meticulous engineering’ | New Civil Engineer The Portsmouth City Council project is the largest local authority-led flood defence scheme in the UK, worth £185M and spanning 4.5km of Hampshire

VSBW, a joint venture between VolkerStevin and Boskalis Westminster, has opened the latest phase of the Southsea Coastal Scheme
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Kier inducts 100-strong team for Norfolk highways and infrastructure works | New Civil Engineer The £700M contract was awarded by Norfolk County Council and will run for up to 14 years. It covers the maintenance and improvement of 9,836km of the

Construction and maintenance firm Kier has mobilised its staff to deliver its £700M Norfolk highways and infrastructure services agreement
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Engineers publish manifesto calling for Welsh infrastructure reform | New Civil Engineer The 16-page document sets out a wide programme of proposals aimed at improving how infrastructure is planned and delivered across Wales, including

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has today (8 April) launched its Delivering Infrastructure 2050 manifesto ahead of the upcoming Senedd elections on 7 May
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£56M infrastructure programme launched across Cumbria’s electricity network | New Civil Engineer Phase one of the project will see 152 pylons and other electrical assets replaced. The project will support the region’s economic growth and demand for

Engineers from SP Electricity North West have begun a major engineering project which will see the replacement of a 47km stretch of overhead power lines along the West Coast of Cumbria
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£3.5bn government contracts awarded for global infrastructure projects but supplier names withheld | New Civil Engineer Details of the selected suppliers have been withheld under Section 94 of the Procurement Act 2023, which covers matters of national security or sensitive

The UK Government has awarded construction and infrastructure works valued at £3.5bn, but details of the selected suppliers have been withheld under Section 94 of the Procurement Act
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Industrialise small modular reactor delivery to help unlock a nuclear golden age | New Civil Engineer Energy security is currently at the top of the national agenda due to the conflict in the Middle East. However, a resurgent nuclear industry has deeper

The UK is once again finding its feet as a pioneer in nuclear power and we need to match that with an equally innovative approach to delivery.
🖋️ Alan Sinclair, director and UK head of energy and natural resources at Turner & Townsend
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Government has broken promise over BNG for NSIPs timeline, says sector body | New Civil Engineer In an open letter sent today (7 April 2026), the trade body said despite mandatory BNG for NSIPs being expected to go live next month, “no consultation

BNG Federation has accused the government of leaving the nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) sector in a “regulatory vacuum”, due to uncertainty around the planned implementation of biodiversity net gain for NSIPs
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