Natural Power appointed for construction phase at Vattenfall’s South Kyle wind farm development

Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, Natural Power, has been appointed by Vattenfall to undertake services during the construction phase at the 240MW, 50-turbine South Kyle wind farm in East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Natural Power will undertake the day-to-day site management on behalf of Vattenfall as well as providing other services including: FIDIC engineer, principal designer, ecological clerk of works, planning monitoring officer and geotechnical engineer.

This follows Vattenfall’s recent announcement that Glasgow based contractor RJ McLeod will deliver roads and access tracks, electrical infrastructure, turbine foundations and other infrastructure as part of the balance of plant contract for South Kyle.

Ralph Spernagel, Director of Construction at Natural Power, said: “We’re excited to be continuing to build on our relationship with Vattenfall here in our head office county, Dumfries and Galloway, where we have a strong history and excellent relationships with local stakeholders. Many of our team are based in nearby communities and it’s a fantastic development for the area’s economy and workforce, and we look forward to bringing our global knowledge and experience to Vattenfall’s largest onshore wind farm in the United Kingdom.”

Paul Nickless, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for South Kyle Wind Farm, added: “South Kyle Wind Farm is one of the county’s most significant renewable energy projects of recent years and we are delighted to be working with Natural Power to deliver this major investment. As a business head-quartered around 15 miles from the site, this key contract signals Vattenfall’s continued commitment not only to the Scottish supply chain, but also to maximising opportunities for local businesses, jobs and skills development.”

Natural Power has already been working with Vattenfall at South Kyle during the pre-construction phase, delivering site investigation, pre-construction planning work, ecology and hydrology services.

The wind farm at South Kyle will provide a boost to socio-economic benefits for the region including the delivery of a £38 million community benefit investment throughout the lifetime of the wind farm. This will be shaped by the needs of the communities of Dalmellington, Patna, New Cumnock and Carsphairn.
Preparatory works are already in progress on site and the wind farm is expected to start generating electricity by early 2023. At the peak of construction, the project is expected to require at least 150 workers on site.

Once constructed, the wind farm will be able to power approximately 170,000 UK homes, saving close to 300,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions annually, the equivalent of taking around 65,000 cars off the road.

Natural Power provides construction project management with three main aims: to safely construct clients’ projects on time, on cost and on specification. To find out more, please visit: https://www.naturalpower.com/project-phase/construction/