Portugal project off to a great start

Demolition works at Matosinhos Refinery, Porto, Portugal are now well underway and going well. Hughes and Salvidge were appointed as the principal contractor for the project last year, with works commencing in July 2024.

The scope of works include the removal and disposal of all asbestos and all other regulated materials, a soft strip of the buildings pre demolition, and the demolition and dismantling of all above ground structures to include brick, concrete and steel structures within the selected zones of works.

We prepared for this project thoroughly, with a great deal of work going into making sure that every eventuality is catered for, to ensure a smooth project from start to finish. This included the installation of site security, conducting site inductions, providing thorough training for our staff, installing welfare facilities and first aid provision, and putting procedures in place for accident reporting, fire and emergencies, and hospital routes for emergencies.

Assessing risk and ensuring a safe site is always a top priority for us. Due to the scale of this project, many elements had to be considered and catered for, including:

• Provision of service facilities

• Protection of plant/service utilities

• Planning and provision for asbestos removal

• Maintenance of plant and equipment

• Working at height

• Lifting equipment and operations

• Traffic management

• Environmental health risks (noise, vibration, dust, air quality, water pollution)

• Waste management

• Working in a COMAH site

• Residual hydrocarbons products

The part of the project that we’re involved in is expected to take around 18 months to complete and will be overseen by our experienced management team including our Managing Director Martyn Burnett, SHEQ Manager Tony Jack, Contracts Manager Joe Parnell, and two site managers.

Our client for this project is Galp, owners of the refinery site. We have been working in consultancy with RVA Group, an engineering consultancy responsible for the overall running of the demolition works in their entirety.

Galp is a Portuguese multinational energy corporation, consisting of more than 100 companies engaged in every aspect of the oil and natural gas supply, including refining, trading, logistics and retailing, and renewable energy.

The demolition plan for Matosinhos was submitted to the Portuguese Environment Agency, and Galp is committed to strictly complying with it, adopting all measures to protect people involved in the demolition work and minimise any risks to public health and the environment.  

Our project team will comprise around 30 staff over the course of the contract. Contract Manager Joe Parnell said: "All the team are very proud to be working on such a large and exciting project, and for a prestigious client. We are now approximately 25% through the project programme, and to date have had zero injuries or environmental incidents as a result of the works. Everybody is striving to ensure we can say the same at the completion of the project, whilst also delivering the project on time."

Find out more about Hughes and Salvidge and what we do. You can also check out our case studies to discover some of the other projects we’ve been involved with.