Pen y Cymoedd construction milestone reached – First turbine bases completed8th Sep 2014

The first turbine bases have been completed at Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project, which straddles the county boroughs of Rhondda Cynon and Taf Neath Port Talbot.

The 76 turbine bases are being constructed at the wind farm site in the South Wales valleys by joint venture partners Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty, who are employing many local people as part of this work.

More than 50,000m³ of concrete and 6,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement will be used to construct thewind farm’s turbine bases, which are scheduled to be completed by June 2015.

The process of laying the turbine bases involves excavating for each one, constructing steel reinforcement in the excavation and then completing the base with a concrete pour. The concrete has to be poured continuously for around 12 hours for each base and each pour starts at around 5.30am, finishing around 6pm.

Eryl Roberts, project manager for the joint venture, said: “We are very pleased that work is progressing well on site and that the first bases have been completed on schedule. Each base requires the expertise of up to nine steel fixers and eight concrete workers to carry out the laborious concrete pour, as well as guidance from the project’s management team.”

Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project will be the largest onshore wind farm in England and Wales, generating enough electricity to power 140,000 homes

The joint venture’s work is due be completed in August 2015, with the overall Pen y Cymoedd project scheduled for completion in Spring 2017.