
BIG WORKS IN THE PIPELINE FOR ESS
Following the recent announcement of the landmark Gas To The West security solutions contract, ESS provides further insight into upcoming work and plans for development.
With work set to commence in November, preparations are already underway to design and integrate bespoke systems which will ensure the safety and security of this high-profile national infrastructure project.
The £250m Gas To The West pipeline project will support the expansion of the gas network in Northern Ireland and bring natural gas to the towns of Coalisland, Cookstown, Derrylin, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Magherafelt, Omagh and Strabane.
In terms of the technical specification for the upcoming project, there are some aspects of solutions which are commercially sensitive, however ESS can reveal plans to install and manage high definition CCTV systems, intruder alarm systems and access control systems for each location applying the latest technology and meeting current industry and enhanced security standards.

ESS Director David McCullough, who was one of the key planners of the contract win spoke about the upcoming work and what it means for ESS:
“Clearly the Gas To The West project represents a highly significant work stream for ESS. The contract will require us to install and manage seven new national infrastructure sites at which we will fit our equipment and provide ongoing servicing and maintenance for our client.
Having built a strong, long term working relationship with the client over the last 5 years, the additional sites and systems will more than double the current number of locations we maintain for our client.”
What does this mean to ESS?
“This is one of a number of significant contracts ESS has in its sights, and whilst we previously installed a similar security system for the same client, that work was at one location, so the scale this time is much greater.
ESS is able to provide a world class service on national infrastructure sites – this clearly confirms our capabilities and adaptability to all current and future customers.
When this contract is complete this could lead to us doing similar works in other parts of the UK too.”
Through this contract ESS will play an integral role in a national initiative benefitting more than 40,000 customers in delivering a greener and more energy-efficient alternative to oil and coal for the region.
ESS Non-Executive Chairman, Paul Campbell added to David’s sentiments:
“ESS is now affirming it’s technical capabilities and competencies to meet the demanding technical design and delivery standards required by the gas industry. ESS is excited to commence work and add value to this socially and economically important national infrastructure initiative.
“ESS has shown itself to be at the cutting edge of security for decades now, with an exceptionally committed staff base who worked hard to secure this contract. ESS has been working with Mutual Energy for a few years now maintaining their existing sites. This was initially a very challenging task with a steep learning curve, ESS has demonstrated real commitment and excellent technical skills. The team is clearly grateful to SE and SGN for their confidence in ESS capabilities. This is undoubtedly an exciting period for the business which continues to thrive on working with quality partners on hugely significant and demanding projects.”