When we install the replacement pipeline, we commit to:
Investing in the
future
We (Esso Petroleum Company, Limited) launched our Southampton to London Pipeline Project late in 2017. The project proposes to replace 90km of our 105km aviation fuel pipeline that runs from our Fawley Refinery near Southampton, to our West London Terminal storage facility in Hounslow.
We have now completed two public consultations on our project. We undertook our second consultation in September and October 2018 where we asked for your views on our preferred route. We would like to thank everyone who took part: either downloading materials from our website, talking to members of the project team at one of the consultation events or providing us with their written feedback. The information we gathered has improved our knowledge of the environment and communities along the route. We will shortly be publishing the results of the preferred route consultation on this website.
We are now looking at how we can respond to feedback. In some cases, we are looking at making changes to our preferred route. These are known as design refinements.
We will be consulting in early 2019 on any design refinements which could affect new landowners or local communities in different ways to our previous proposals.
However, before this we have a legal duty to identify people who have an interest in land which may be affected by a design refinement. This must take place before the consultation in early 2019.
We are also meeting with Local Authorities, community organisations and landowners who may be affected by design refinements to help us improve them ahead of our third consultation.
To see how our project has progressed so far please click here for the project timeline. To view the preferred route in full and impacts on a specific postcode or area of interest, use our interactive map . For access to materials about our consultations to date please visit our document library. If you would like to view our Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.
Project Commitments
Protect habitats by using a 10m working width when crossing boundaries between fields where there are hedgerows, trees or watercourses.
Avoid all areas of existing classified Ancient Woodland.
Reduce disruption to travel by using trenchless installation techniques for crossing trunk roads, motorways and railways.
Include remotely operated valves to enable sections of the pipeline to be isolated, if necessary.
Ensure that the principles of safe design have been incorporated into the design of the pipeline, as per Esso’s design standards for fuel pipelines, relevant industry codes of practice, and the requirements of the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996.
Reduce impacts on habitats and soil quality by typically using a standard working width of 30m for open cut trench installation in rural areas.
Protect waterways that are over 30m wide by using trenchless crossings.
Install ‘water stops’ to reduce the risk of underground water impacting on the materials that support the pipe.
Avoid installation in existing Source Protection Zone 1 (SPZ 1) areas to reduce impacts on sources of drinking water.
Monitor the operation of the pipeline 24 hours a day to detect any changes and remotely shut down the pipeline if needed.
