Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, Natural Power, has been appointed as Owner’s Engineer providing construction management services to Brockwell Energy’s North Kyle onshore wind farm in East Ayrshire, Scotland.
The 49-turbine development in the North Kyle Forest will have a nominal capacity of up to 220MW, with turbine tip heights at a maximum of 149.9m. Upon completion, the wind farm will have the capacity to generate enough clean, green renewable energy each year to meet the needs of more than 160,000 homes.
As Owner’s Engineer, Natural Power will provide project management, safety support, resident engineer, planning assistance, and deliver the Principal Designer role throughout the construction phase.
Ralph Spernagel, Construction Director at Natural Power, said: “This is a really interesting and innovative project carefully designed around the former Chalmerston, Pennyvennie and House of Water coal mining complexes which have been left partially unrestored following the collapse of Scottish Coal in 2013.
“It’s rewarding to be involved in such a project, focussed on providing additional funding that will assist the restoration of the former mining site, improve public access and provide a truly ground-breaking community benefit programme.”
The scheme, which will begin generating power in August 2024, is forecast to generate around £65 million of community benefit during its lifetime, providing a major financial boost to surrounding communities which have been heavily impacted by the demise of the coal industry.
Richard Buckland, Brockwell Energy’s Project Manager for North Kyle, said: “Brockwell is delighted to be working with Natural Power on this project. We greatly value Natural Power’s experience, and the team’s diverse skillset has benefitted the project through tendering and construction.”
