Coates has expanded its engineered dewatering capability with a new fleet of electric BBA Pumps, including PT200 D265 (8″/200mm), PT150 D185 (6″/150mm) and PT100 D130 (4″/100mm) units for urban construction sites. The electric configuration targets groundwater control on projects from small residential excavations to complex basements, water assets and civil infrastructure in dense urban areas where diesel emissions, noise and access constraints are critical. For geotechnical and civil contractors, the range allows closer-to-face installation and longer runtimes on grid power, simplifying dewatering design and temporary works planning.

Newport City Council has issued a £2.7M procurement for a solar farm and battery energy storage system at the capped Docks Way Landfill Site in Newport, South Wales, aiming to convert the former waste facility into a grid-connected renewable energy asset. The design-and-build contract will need to address foundation detailing on landfill cover, settlement behaviour and gas management, as well as integrating the BESS with local distribution network constraints. Civil and geotechnical bidders will be expected to manage construction over waste, including differential settlement and leachate control.

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering, VSL Systems (UK) and Bachy Soletanche have formed a dedicated Geotechnical Sub-Alliance for the Sizewell C nuclear project, in what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind delivery model on a UK megaproject. The alliance is expected to coordinate complex ground engineering packages for the twin EPR units, including deep foundations, retaining structures and heavy temporary works for major nuclear island and marine structures. For contractors and designers, the move signals tighter integration of design–build geotechnical risk management on a highly regulated, coastal, soft-ground site.