Ground conditions at Sizewell C have forced the Civil Works Alliance to depart from the Hinkley Point C reference design for the offshore intake and outfall tunnels, driving new solutions for lining, support and construction sequencing. Contractors have had to re-optimise tunnel geometry and TBM drive strategy for the North Sea sediments and local stratigraphy, rather than the harder rock and different stress regime at Hinkley. The changes affect segment design, joint detailing and groundwater control, with direct implications for durability, settlement behaviour and marine interface works.

Keller has completed a ground improvement scheme for Encinal High School Stadium in Alameda, California, collaborating with the project geotechnical engineer to satisfy California Geological Survey seismic requirements. The solution, delivered as part of a larger stadium renovation, used ground improvement to mitigate liquefaction and lateral spreading risks identified in the site’s young bay mud and loose granular fills. For practitioners, the project shows how early contractor–engineer integration can tailor seismic ground improvement to school facilities on soft, seismically active coastal deposits.

AGS’s July update launches an Early Careers Video, “Discovering a Rewarding Career in the Geo-Industry”, for use by industry representatives in schools and universities, and reports 2023 geotechnical and geoenvironmental accident statistics based on a 127% increase in contributing organisations. A new two-part SiLC PTP series critiques the standard of land contamination reports submitted through the planning system, echoing regulator concerns about report quality and consistency. Forthcoming events include a 25 September EDI-focused webinar and a November Manchester meeting on groundwater impacts across design and construction stages.