Jones Bros puts Komatsu PC220LCi-12 to work on Havant Thicket reservoir earthworks

Jones Bros is using a Komatsu PC220LCi-12 excavator with iMC 3.0 machine control to form drainage channels on the Havant Thicket reservoir site in Hampshire, Komatsu Europe said on 15 October.

The contractor is installing a network of channels as part of the earthworks for the reservoir, which Komatsu said is designed to store up to 8.7 billion litres of water. Jones Bros is delivering the reservoir works with Mackley Construction under the Future Water name, according to Komatsu.

The machine on site carries iMC 3.0 with integrated tiltrotator control. Komatsu said a posture hold function keeps the tiltrotator's orientation during digging and grading, and that engineers can send updated design data from the office to the machine, reducing site visits.

Operator Joe Mahoney said: "I can create designs on the fly, meaning I no longer need to rely on an engineer for every tweak." He also said the machine is quicker hydraulically and that the cab comfort lets him stay productive for longer.

The machine

Komatsu announced the PC220LC/LCi-12 in April 2025 ahead of its international debut at Bauma 2025. The excavator is built on a 129kW Komatsu next generation engine, and the manufacturer claimed an 18% reduction in average fuel consumption against the previous model.

According to Komatsu's launch release, iMC 3.0 is compatible with tiltrotators and offers 3D boundary control and automated steer-to-line. It also introduces auto swing for semi-automatic truck loading, which Komatsu described as a step towards autonomous operation.

The cab has 30% more legroom than its predecessor, Komatsu said, and an operator ID system stores up to 50 profiles so settings are ready when an operator returns for the next shift. Rob Macintyre, product manager at Komatsu Europe, said at the launch that Komatsu pioneered fully factory integrated machine control on excavators in 2014.

The fleet

Jones Bros, headquartered in North Wales, works on projects ranging from sea defences to power networks. Komatsu said its relationship with the contractor goes back more than 40 years, to some of the first Komatsu machines delivered in the UK, and that it remains the dominant brand in a fleet of almost 500 machines.

Huw Jones, chairman of Jones Bros, said: "We have built a solid relationship with Komatsu and find their products to be ideally suited to our operations."

The project

Mackley, a member of the Van Oord Group, said that it and Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK had been appointed by Portsmouth Water to build the reservoir under a £167m contract, with the joint venture registered as Future Water MJJV Limited. A separate £41m tunnelled pipeline to and from the reservoir is being installed by Ward & Burke Construction Limited, Mackley said.

Portsmouth Water describes Havant Thicket as the first large-scale new water storage reservoir in the UK since the 1980s. Havant Borough Council says the 8.7 billion litre reservoir spans 160 hectares between Leigh Park, Havant and Rowlands Castle in East Hampshire.

The scheme is being delivered through a partnership between Portsmouth Water and Southern Water. Portsmouth Water will build and operate the reservoir, which is being paid for over time through Southern Water's bills. It is intended to supply 21 million litres a day during long dry periods, with a further 90 million litres a day possible through Southern Water's separate water recycling proposals.

Portsmouth Water says it has been working on the site since 2021, with lined surface water channels and settlement ponds installed for silt and water management. Its timeline page says the main construction phase got under way in spring 2025.

What happens next

Portsmouth Water's planning page still gives a completion date of 2029, but its construction timeline page now says the reservoir will be finished later than originally planned, with an updated timescale still to be confirmed.

Ofwat's 2026 cost change draft determinations consultation lists Havant Thicket among the schemes that additional allowances would fund.