Suez Eau France renovates drinking water pipeline with SLM® in Bordeaux

Not far from Bordeaux’s boulevard, a cast-iron drinking water pipeline was renovated using the egeplast SLM® 3.0 protective jacket pipe system – by means of relining. Tight space conditions and high time pressure placed special demands on the product and the installer.

In summer 2019, Suez Eau France needed a fast and sustainable solution for a leaking DN 1000 cast-iron drinking water pipeline. The local utility SUEZ Eau France is one of the largest water suppliers in France, supplying more than 750,000 people with water in the Bordeaux metropolitan area alone. The pipe was newly installed as part of major road construction works. The drinking water pipeline was located directly
in Bordeaux city centre near the main boulevard.

The egeplast SLM® 3.0 drinking water pipe OD 800 was used. The SLM® pipe was pulled into the cast-iron pipe by means of relining. The construction company Axeo TP renovated the pipe over a total length of 330 m.

The experienced welding company 2A2M welded the pipes on site directly in the trench during the pulling process. Due to the tight space conditions in the city centre, not all pipes could be welded at the same time and pulled into the pipe as one long pipeline. Instead, it first had to be welded section by section and then pulled in. The SLM® 800 protective jacket pipe is ideally suited for this application. The additional outer layer protects the core pipe from damage during the installation process and therefore enables trenchless installation methods such as HDD, relining, etc.

In addition to the challenging location and installation, delivering the pipes was also a major challenge. The tight working area and the on-site situation in the busy city centre required a precise delivery schedule to ensure everything was delivered on time and without major restrictions on site. Close contact between all parties involved enabled flawless delivery and project implementation.