Leading wind farm contractor Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has won the contract to build the Brenig wind farm in Denbighshire.
The scheme is the first wind farm to be built from scratch in the UK by Chinese developer, CGNEE.
The Ruthin-based firm has already started on the site of the 16-turbine project. It will upgrade 6km of existing access roads, build turbine bases, carry out on-site cabling works and construct a control building.
The bulk of its work will take place before the end of March 2018, following which turbines deliveries will start. The overall scheme is due for completion in September 2018.
In 2015, Jones Bros completed preparatory works for the wind farm, comprising construction of access roads, as well as harvesting and exporting of trees.
The contractor, which expects to have 40 workers on the site at the peak of construction, will establish a temporary quarry to source material for the turbine bases and minimise vehicular journeys to and from the site.
Jone Bros project manager, Eryl Roberts, said: “We are due to start installing the steel reinforcement for the foundations in early September. Each turbine base will require 500 cubic metres of concrete and 48 tonnes of reinforcing steel. The scheme will be substantially complete by March.”
CGN Energy Europe project Manager, Romain Pelissier said: “We’re delighted to see construction work commence at Brenig. The development has undoubtedly brought about significant positive impact to the local economy and once complete, the 37.6MW site will have the capacity to power more than 25,000 UK homes”
Jones Bros managing director John Dielhof, who travelled to Paris to the European office of CGNEE to sign the contract, said: “We’re very pleased that CGNEE has chosen Jones Bros Civil Engineering to provide the infrastructure for its first complete wind farm project in the UK.
“We’re looking forward to applying the skills and expertise for CGNEE that have made us the leading wind farm infrastructure provider in the UK.”
Founded in the 1950s and employing almost 350 people, Jones Bros has grown rapidly in the last decade. It is currently working on contracts in various sectors including the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence and renewable energy projects around the UK.