The project will replace 90km of an existing 105km aviation fuel pipeline running from Fawley Refinery on the Waterside to Esso’s West London Terminal storage facility in Hounslow.

The existing pipeline runs through Hampshire and Surrey and the proposed pipeline will take a similar route, aiming to contribute to the local economies.

Consultant Jacobs is project manager for the infrastructure scheme.

Work on the underground pipeline is now expected to start next year.

The 30cm diameter pipeline will be installed in open-cut trenches, which are less than one metre wide.

Esso plans to keep working site width to between 20 and 30m to minimise the impact on the countryside, while deploying trenchless technology to cross road, rail and river routes.