STRABAG-led newly formed consortium wins £3bn Haweswater deal with £300m NWF backing

The consortium, which includes STRABAG, infrastructure and asset management firm, Equitix, and project partner, GLIL Infrastructure, was selected by United Utilities to deliver the project through the newly formed company, Cascade Infrastructure.

STRABAG UK will lead the design and construction efforts, while Cascade will finance, design, construct, and maintain the asset for 25 years.

Originally appointed for tender services by the consortium in 2023, Arup has now been signed up to provide a range of detailed design services to the project.

It includes water and hydraulic engineering, tunnelling and ground engineering, civil structural and materials engineering, as well as mechanical and electrical systems.

Meanwhile, Turner & Townsend has also been confirmed as the independent technical adviser under an 11-year contract.

HARP will replace six critical tunnel sections of the 1933-1955-era aqueduct, upgrading the vital 110-kilometre pipeline that serves 2.5 million people across North West England.

Expected to take nine years starting next year, the project is estimated to create 1,200 jobs at its peak and is the UK’s first major Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) initiative.

Simon Green, CEO at Cascade Infrastructure said: “Reaching financial close on the HARP project, marks the beginning of a transformative journey that will deliver vital infrastructure improvements throughout the North West and, importantly, deliver infrastructure fit for the future. 

“Beyond infrastructure, the project will create jobs, support skills development, and bring lasting economic and social value to the region.”

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