Jones Bros completes key wind farm contract with Dutch energy giant, Eneco7th Dec 2010

North Wales civil engineering company Jones Bros, has completed a key wind farm contract with Eneco – officially launched today.

Jones Bros built the infrastructure for Tullo – a seven-turbine wind farm near Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, the UK’s first wind farm for the Dutch utility.

Tullo Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 17 megawatts, capable of generating sufficient electricity for up to 9,000 homes annually.

The successful completion of the £3.5m contract strengthens the position of Jones Bros as one of the UK’s main balance of plant providers for wind farms.

It follows on from the launch of Crystal Rig II wind farm in the Scottish borders last month (Sept) – one of the largest in the UK.

Jones Bros launched an operations base in Scotland earlier this year with the opening of its first Scottish office in Linlithgow.

Jones Bros Contracts Director John Dielhof, said: “It is testimony to our depth of expertise in the field that Jones Bros was selected by Eneco to provide the balance of plant for their first project in the UK.”

Although the Tullo wind farm is smaller scale than Crystal Rig II, it is significant because it is the first venture in Britain by Eneco Wind BV.

Eneco Wind UK Director Guy Madgwick said: “Construction has gone very smoothly. We started on site in September last year and allowed a two-month winter break in anticipation of bad weather. The job has been delivered on schedule and we are particularly grateful to Jones Bros for their input and to Natural Power for their co-ordination and management role.”

One of the Netherlands’ biggest renewable energy suppliers, Eneco has announced its intention to make substantial investments in sustainable energy production over coming years. With a head office in Rotterdam, it employs 5,300 people and serves two million business and domestic energy customers.

Construction of the Tullo Wind Farm involved 7,000 tonnes of locally sourced concrete for turbine foundations and 20,000 tonnes of local aggregate for roadways.

The turbines are each 100 metres high to the tip. The blades each weigh nine tonnes.
Amongst the environmental provisions was a habitat management plan designed to benefit wildlife. Areas of dense conifers were felled outside the bird-breeding season and replanted with scrub woodland habitat – a total of 5,000 new native trees and shrubs.