Member Article

Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty scoop gold for considerate construction at Wales’s largest onshore wind farm

Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty have been recognised nationally for their work as considerate constructors on Wales’s largest onshore wind farm.

The joint venture scooped a coveted gold award in the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) 2017 National Site Award for its work on the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project.

The award recognises the efforts of the 50:50 joint venture between the two firms to be considerate towards the public, its workforce and the environment.

Their construction of the wind farm, which stretches over the borders of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf, was assessed against five criteria including respect for the community, care about appearance, protecting the environment, safety and valuing the workforce.

The partners, contracted by Vattenfall to deliver the construction civil and electrical works for the 76-turbine wind farm, will shortly hand over the final phase of the development to the client.

Eryl Roberts, project manager for the joint venture, said: “This award demonstrates the whole team’s efforts.

“In addition to the work carried out by Jones Bros Balfour Beatty, Vattenfall has been fantastic and has played a key part in helping us achieve this award. For example, their activities around the community fund have been brilliant.

“It was also good to look back over the community work we carried out in 2016 as we provided cuttings and emails to show the scheme the difference we had made.

“One of our contributions that stands out for me is the reconditioning of community lanes at the back of a housing estate. The residents were thrilled with the end result.”

Emily Faull, project communicator for Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm said: “Engaging with the communities hosting our projects is key to our work.

“Around 600 school pupils and local community members came to see the construction works with their own eyes.

“Jones Bros Balfour Beatty were hugely supportive of this effort and have contributed towards a number of initiatives in the local area.

“We are now looking to the future and hope that the community continues to engage with the project, making the most of the Community Fund which came online earlier this year.”

An auditor from the CCS scheme visited the Pen y Cymoedd site twice in 2016.

Comments made include:

Exceptional levels of attention towards promoting positive appearance of the works Significant engagement with the local community throughout the project has been continually surpassed Continued promotion of the industry has been applied via local schools and community group site visits Exceptional measures in place when considering the safety and welfare of the workforce Continued sourcing of local labour has been maintained with 78 per cent employed within a 35 mile radius

Edward Hardy, chief executive of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, said: “The national site awards are one of the highlights of the industry year and an annual opportunity for the Scheme to celebrate and reward the UK’s most considerate sites.

“The awards continue to go from strength to strength and this year is no exception, with sites more determined than ever before to improve the image of the industry in increasingly innovative and impressive ways.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .