Hertfordshire-based developer RES has awarded the main contract for the construction of its 17.5MW Turncole wind farm near Maldon to McNicholas.
The contract, which is valued at an estimated £5m, marks RES and McNicholas’ second collaboration in England, having worked together in 2014 to deliver Jack’s Lane in Norfolk.
The deal was first reported last year by subscription-only newsletter reNEWS.
Construction of the seven-turbine project has started and is due online by the end of the year.
RES estimates that an average of 27 people will be employed on site throughout the wind farm’s construction programme, with a proportion of these being filled by local people.
RES’ construction site manager for Turncole Jimi Edwards said: “Having worked together in the past, we know that RES and McNicholas share a similar approach to the construction of renewable energy projects, namely working to an agreed timetable, maintaining a good relationship with the local community and delivering high quality results.”
McNicholas’ senior operations manager Daniel Meadowcroft added: “Prior to the main contract award, we had been engaged in a collaborative manner, within an early contractor involvement contract.
“This has ensured design robustness and has allowed logistics strategies to be developed that will deliver RES’s stringent planning requirements, whilst balancing the extremely tight construction programme with the high social and sustainability standards needed.”
Once the wind farm becomes operational, it will provide an index-linked community benefit package equating £87,500 per year.
This will involve a community fund providing at least £35,000 per year for investment in local social, environment and educational projects, as well as RES’ Local Electricity Discount Scheme (LEDS).
This offers an annual discount of £153 off the electricity bills of properties within 2.5km of the wind farm.
Image: Woolley Hill wind farm (RES)
