Thursday 31 March 2022

Doncaster pumping station opens to defend against climate change

A £14 million pumping station has opened in Doncaster to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the region.

Built in Bentley, the station has been built to protect around 1,700 local properties from flooding.

In 2007, this pumping station was flooded and became impossible to access for response teams. This has led to its refurbishment, increasing its pumping capacity by 20%, as well as reducing its carbon emissions by 20%.

The government predicts the refurbishment, rather than rebuilding the station, has saved the taxpayer £8 million and 60% of the possible carbon emissions.

The Coal Authority also contributed £1.5 million to the project.

Chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd, said: “At 80 years old, Bentley Ings Pumping Station is a great example of combining history with cutting edge engineering to prepare for rising climate shocks.

“The teams working on this scheme have reduced carbon emissions in construction and operations by 60%, made savings of £8 million and increased pumping capacity by 20%.”