Skip to main navigation
Home
UK
  • Group PLC
  • NG in the UK
  • NG in the US
  • About us
  • Stories
  • Electricity Transmission
  • Gas Transmission
  • ESO
  • Careers
  • Media
  • Contact us
A line of people wearing hard hats and high-vis walking through the Humber Tunnel - used for the National Grid story 'Celebrating the completion of the Humber Tunnel'

Celebrating the completion of the Humber Tunnel

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

13th January 2020 - Grid at work

Marking the completion of the new Humber Tunnel that will house a key gas pipeline, two local mayors from either side of the tunnel have met at the site.

Councillor Pat Smith, Mayor of The East Riding of Yorkshire, shaking hands with Councillor Jonathan Evison, Mayor of North Lincolnshire, in the tunnel - used for the National Grid story 'Celebrating the completion of the Humber Tunnel

To mark the completion of the 5.4km tunnel that has been bored 30 meters beneath the surface of the River Humber, mayors from the communities at either end of the tunnel met up there. Councillor Pat Smith, Mayor of The East Riding of Yorkshire, shook hands in the tunnel with Councillor Jonathan Evison, Mayor of North Lincolnshire, to celebrate this huge engineering feat.

Construction of the tunnel began in April 2018 and it now stretches under the Humber estuary at a depth of up to 30m, with a diameter of 3.65m. Given this scale, the excavations involved were complex. Carried out by a tunnel boring machine affectionately named ‘Mary’ by the project teams, they resulted in as much as 160,000 tonnes of material.

Infographic of 'Our tunnel under the Humber - used in the National Grid story 'Celebrating the completion of the Humber Tunnel'


The new pipeline replaces an existing one that sat on the riverbed, but this had become exposed due to erosion. The replacement will help ensure the reliability of supply to UK homes and businesses, bringing in as much as a quarter of Britain’s gas supplies.

The mayors who visited the tunnel this week got in there just in time – soon it will be (intentionally) flooded with water before the pipeline itself is inserted into it, ready to start operating in Spring 2020. Expected to be a record breaking event, this will be the longest hydraulically inserted pipeline anywhere in the world.

Visit the River Humber Pipeline Replacement Project resource centre for videos and images

Similar reading

'4 things about National Grid’s role in our renewable energy future' story Group : Grid at work

4 things about National Grid’s role in our renewable energy future

7 April 2021

In the run-up to the eagerly anticipated global climate change summit COP26, UK Executive Director Nicola Shaw and US President Badar Khan explain what we’re doing to tackle climate change now and in the future.

Read article
National Grid Gas National Control Centre for International Women's Day 2021 story Group : Grid at work

I wanted to make a difference and lead change

8 March 2021

Nikki Jamieson is Chief Information Officer for our UK gas business. She joined National Grid in 1995 and has seen a marked change in both the number of women in her field and in attitudes towards women.

Read article
National Grid US VP Trisha Brabbs for International Women's Day 2021 story US : Grid at work

Women should always take that seat at the table

8 March 2021

Trisha Brabbs has worked in the utilities industries for 18 years and seen increasing numbers of women rise to leadership roles. But here she reflects on the challenges we still need to overcome, including women suffering from ‘imposter syndrome’ and the tendency to self-criticize.

Read article

Safety and emergencies

  • Smell gas? Call 0800 111 999
  • Power cuts? Call 105
  • Power lines? Call 0800 40 40 90
National Grid
© National Grid 2021

Connect with us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • youtube
  • Connect with us
    • Contact us
    • Media contacts
  • About us
    • Electricity System Operator
    • Electricity Transmission
    • Gas Transmission
    • UK Leadership team
  • Work for us
    • Careers UK
    • Careers US
  • Safety and emergencies
    • Power cuts
    • Smell gas?
  • Our policies
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Modern slavery statement
    • Accessibility
    • Cookie policy
  • More from National Grid
    • Stories
    • Investors
    • Energy explained
    • Suppliers
    • Pay your bill (US)
© National Grid 2021
Top