Menzel Great Britain has provided ten seven-ton electric motors to the UK water utility Thames Water, which serves 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley.
This strategic motor replacement is crucial for extending the lifespan of a key water treatment plant by ten years and securing the water supply for the Greater London area.
Menzel won the contract for its economical and well-considered concept.
The high-lift pump station at the Coppermills Water Treatment Works had experienced repeated failures, mainly due to the age of the existing equipment.
As Thames Water is planning to build a new station in around ten years’ time, the utility put out a tender for a cost-effective drive solution to ensure reliable operation of the existing pumps in the interim. Other OEMs suggested costly variable-frequency drives (VFDs), which would have required major building reconstruction to accommodate control systems and transformers. Menzel, however, proposed slip-ring motors that are compatible with the existing installation and make use of the current electrical infrastructure and starting equipment.
The state-of-the-art motors are superior to the originals, offering nearly 5% increased efficiency, greater ease of maintenance, and an expected lifespan of at least 25 years.
Menzel’s motor engineers worked closely with the project team from Thames Water’s contractor, MWH Treatment.
The ten new motors have a shaft height of 500 mm and are designed for vertical mounting on the pumps. Six of the motors feature cooling type IC 81W (air-to-water heat exchanger) and four use IC 611 (air-to-air heat exchanger). They provide IP55 ingress protection, operate at 3300 V, and, between the different models, deliver outputs of 746 kW or 343 kW and rated torques of 12,075 Nm or 5,551 Nm.
This project earned Menzel a place in the finals of the 2025 AEMT Awards from the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades.
Economic tailor-made pumps for London water supply
