The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded a £500,000 private sector contract to clean up a legacy fuel spill at RAF Odiham air base, following an equipment failure last year which resulted in up to 31,000 litres of diesel escaping into the local environment.
The contract, awarded on March 30 to environmental clean up specialists Adler and Allan, was expected to commence on April 1 and conclude at the end of 2022.
Releasing details of the award in an April 5 notice, the MOD stated that the RAF Odiham site had to deal with “a Tier 2 spillage” resulting from plant equipment failure. Further, the notice said it was believed that 80% of the leak could be located under the backup generator building, with the diesel plume extending into service family accommodation.
“Defence takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. The station immediately enacted their response plan and ensured that relevant safety and containment measures were taken. There was no impact to operations,” a British Army spokesperson told Key.Aero.
RAF Odiham also sits on a grade 1 aquifer that provides water to approximately 1,500 homes in the local area. An investigation into the diesel leak is underway, with, as a result of…
