MCS Drilling Specification Launched

February 28, 2022

The British Drilling Association (BDA) is pleased to announce that the MCS Specification for Ground Source Closed-Loop Drilling is now available.

The specification is the result of a collaboration between the MCS and the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA) Drillers Action Group to create formal criteria for the drilling of boreholes, associated with the installation of ground source heat pumps.

The specification was formally launched on a free webinar (25 February 2022) hosted by Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, accompanied by a panel, which included including Andrea Ellison, a director of the GSHPA; Richard Fielden, chair of the BDA; and Chris Davidson, chairman and technical director of Genius Energy Lab.

This new specification is intended to cover that part of the installation of a Ground Source Heat Pump that does not currently attract specific MCS requirements, against which a driller’s performance can be assessed. It sets the quality criteria for borehole drillers and their drilling activities and addresses the following:

  • A definition of a driller’s competency and associated qualifications.
  • The contractual arrangements that are expected to be in place between driller and installer (MCS contractor).
  • A series of pre-drilling requirements, including the provision of site surveys, permissions, and a method statement in advance of the drilling activity.
  • A series of requirements relating to the drilling activity itself, including the equipment and materials to be used, and the disposal of waste once the drilling activity is complete.
  • Requirements for the handover and commissioning of boreholes, ready for the installation of the Ground Source Heat Pump by the MCS installer (MCS contractor).

The launch event took participants through the new specification in detail as well as providing an opportunity for questions from industry.

A recording of the webinar is available here: https://tinyurl.com/4t4zhuee and the document can be downloaded here: https://tinyurl.com/53ye58cp

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