Lochaber Pipeline

Lochaber Pipe D forms part of the penstock infrastructure serving the Lochaber Power Station and aluminium smelter at Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. Dart Industrial Services was appointed to undertake essential maintenance painting works between Anchor Blocks 5 and 7, ensuring the continued protection of this critical hydropower infrastructure within a remote and exposed Highland environment.

The £120,000 project involved pressure washing the pipework to remove contamination, followed by wet abrasive blast cleaning to Sa 2½ standard. A PPG protective coating system was applied, incorporating Sigmacover Aluprimer, Sigmacover CM MIO, stripe coating and a protective finish coat. Additional treatments included the application of Denso HiTack Primer and Denso Mastic to saddle and steel pipe interfaces, alongside detailed quality inspections and dry film thickness checks.

The project presented several challenges, including remote site access, exposed weather conditions, working on large-diameter pipework using scaffold access and managing environmental controls during abrasive blasting. Works were carefully phased between Anchor Blocks 5–6 and 6–7, with a dedicated two-person environmental team overseeing blasting operations. Coating applications were sequenced to accommodate curing periods, supported by daily site records and quality inspections. The works were successfully completed in June 2026 over a five-week period, with no accidents or incidents, delivering a high-quality protective coating system and a fully documented handover to the client.