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The Wire Friday 6 November |
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The Wire · Friday 6 November Good morning. Here is today's Energy & Infrastructure news. 👇 | Five items overnight, every one dated, opened at the primary source and checked before it went in, with our read on each. Three minutes with your coffee and you are up to speed. | |
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The Pulse · figures to 5 Nov · the full board → |
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01 |
 Rail · Network Rail · 5 November 2026
Network Rail to replace Wakefield railway bridge over Christmas in £5m scheme
Network Rail is replacing the bridge that carries the Doncaster to Leeds line over Agbrigg Road, next to Sandal and Agbrigg station, because its main steel girders are structurally substandard and it carries a weight limit. The old bridge will be demolished and replaced while no trains are running, from the early hours of Christmas Eve to 8am on 27 December. The new one is designed to last 120 years, and work on the £5m scheme continues until February 2027.
| | Our read Once the new bridge is in, Network Rail can lift the weight limit on a route used by passengers and freight, and the bridge should cope better when road vehicles hit it. |
Read the source → |
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02 |
 Energy & Grid · SSEN Distribution · 5 November 2026
Electricity network firm SSEN to replace Oban town centre cables, with roadworks until 2028
SSEN Distribution will replace the underground electricity cables in Oban town centre to cut the risk of power cuts and add capacity. The work comes in two phases, from 9 November to mid-January 2027 and from October 2027 to March 2028, each with a two-week break over Christmas. The timing was chosen after discussions with Argyll and Bute Council to avoid the busy summer tourist season, and the work will bring lane and pavement closures.
| | Our read The extra capacity will let more heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers connect in the town centre. |
Read the source → |
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03 |
 Water · Uisce Éireann · 5 November 2026
93% of Ireland's large towns and cities met EU sewage standards in 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency's latest report shows 177 of 190 large urban areas in Ireland (93%) met EU wastewater treatment standards in 2025. Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) spent €454m on wastewater services that year, more than €120m above the 2020 figure, and has built new infrastructure, or started building it, in 41 towns and villages that were discharging raw sewage. Work in 2025 included the €550m Ringsend upgrade in Dublin and the completion of the €114m Athlone Main Drainage Scheme.
| | Our read The 13 large urban areas short of EU standards in 2025, and the EPA's concerns about incidents at treatment plants, point to years more upgrade work for Irish water contractors. |
Read the source → |
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04 |
Water · Uisce Éireann · 5 November 2026
Uisce Éireann wins planning permission for new Askeaton sewage plant to serve new homes
Released by Uisce Éireann |
Water |
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Uisce Éireann has received planning permission for a new wastewater treatment plant and pumping station at Abbey View in Askeaton, west Limerick, with extra stormwater storage and upgrades to the sewer network. The scheme will raise treatment capacity to support new homes and other development. Construction is expected to start in the second half of 2027, once a contractor has been chosen and the scheme signed off.
| | Our read Uisce Éireann said on 5 November that it is looking for a contractor, so the build contract is the next opening for firms in the Irish water industry. |
Read the source → |
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05 |
 Transport · Department for Transport · 5 November 2026
Government proposes letting councils in England license hire e-bikes to stop pavement clutter
To stop nuisance parking and keep pavements clear, the Department for Transport has launched a consultation on national standards for shared e-bike schemes such as those run by Lime, Voi, Beryl, Dott, Forest and Bolt. Under the proposals, local leaders in England could license schemes in their area. Operators would need plans for parking, antisocial riding, fleet size and maintenance, and the government is also asking whether councils should be able to set fees and require operators to share data.
| | Our read If the proposals go ahead, councils and other local leaders would set the terms for shared e-bikes on their streets, replacing a patchwork of local rules that operators themselves have asked to see go. |
Read the source → |
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