This month, the north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks, will begin work to dismantle the gas holder in Tindale Crescent, Bishop Auckland.

The steel gas holder which was built in 1951, could store up to 3 million cubic feet of gas – enough to supply more than 3000 homes for a full day.

For more than 50 years the holder played a vital part in the local gas supply system, responsible for supplying gas to thousands of residents in the area. In more recent years it has been used to bolster the network’s gas supplies during colder weather, and at peak times in the early evenings. Advances in technology and the enhanced capability of the modern-day gas network, however, mean that this gas holder is no longer required.

Main works contractor KDC will commence work to dismantle the gas holder, using tried and tested techniques to clear the site in a safe and environmentally friendly way.  Long-armed shears will be used to take apart the structure and the site will be cleared of all redundant equipment. The work will take approximately 16 weeks to complete.

Tim Harwood, Programme Manager Major Projects said; “The decision has been made to dismantle the Bishop Auckland gas holder as it no longer serves a purpose in maintaining gas supplies to the local area. The ongoing costs of keeping the gas holder in good repair have become economically unviable.”

As part of the deconstruction work, a number of environmental initiatives are being considered such as treating and solidifying the oily sludge that has settled at the bottom of the gasholder tank and recycling all the steel from the gasholder dismantling operations.

The Bishop Auckland gas holder has become a local landmark over the years, and Northern Gas Networks is encouraging local residents or workers to share their memories and photographs of the gas holder, by emailing them to gasholdermemories@northerngas.co.uk or contacting us through Facebook or Twitter.

The UK’s gasholders were originally built to store gas made from coal at a local gasworks. With the discovery of North Sea gas, the gas holders increasingly became redundant and were eventually phased out as new gas pipelines were laid to supply gas to homes.

For further information about this project, please contact our Customer Care team on 0845 634 0508 and select option 7.