United Utilities has announced its preferred bidder to design, build, finance and maintain the replacement of six tunnel sections of the Haweswater Aqueduct.

The Strabag Equitix Consortium has been tasked with designing, constructing, and maintaining six replacement sections of United Utilities’ 68-mile Haweswater Aqueduct as part of a GBP 2.9 billion (US$ 3.5 billion) upgrade project. Originally built between the 1930s and 1950s, the aqueduct delivers water from the Lake District to communities in Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. The partnership includes Strabag, an Austrian civil engineering firm and tunneling expert based in Vienna, and Equitix, an infrastructure-focused developer, investor, and fund manager.

The replacement of these six sections will help United Utilities secure a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water for future generations. The Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP) is set to become one of the largest water infrastructure projects in the North West. The procurement process is nearing completion, with financial close underway and the contract expected to be awarded in the first half of 2025.