Renewables Conference

Onshore Windfarms

Construction and Operation

ICE Scotland

Edinburgh and Area Branch G&S

21 March 2012

Jim Wilkinson BEng CEng MICE

Contracts Manager

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Introduction

� C A Blackwell are a privately owned civil engineering contractoroperating nationally

� Established in 1956

� Directly employ around 110 staff and over 400 skilled operatives

� One of the largest privately owned

plant fleets in the UK with over

300 items of major plant

� Offices in Earls Colne, Tewkesbury,

Wakefield and Grangemouth

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Onshore Windfarm experience

� Staff have, in the aggregate, experience of over 30 windfarm projects

� Extensive experience of Scottish onshore sites� Projects currently in hand include

� Clyde South 56 Turbines (SSER)� Clyde North 27 Turbines (SSER)� Carraig Gheal 20 Turbines (GreenPower)� Clashindarroch 18 Turbines (Vattenfall)� Withernwick 9 Turbines (EnergieKontor)� Crookhill 12 Turbines (Coronation Power)

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Construction scope

� Typical Scottish Windfarm project size� £20M+ BOP / D&B

� 20+ 3.5MW WTG

� 30 – 60km access tracks

� Off site enabling works

� Location� Geographically remote

� Poorly connected to infrastructure

� Exposed weather conditions

� Sensitive ecological constraints

� Poor ground conditions

� Programme � Time critical

� 12+ month programme

Renewables Conference

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Pre-Construction : Organisation

� Organisational structure

� Contractor multi disciplined team� 50 professional and management positions

� 250 operatives

� 150 contractors and subcontractors

� Client multi disciplined team

� 20 professional and management positions� Project management team

� ECOW

� CDM-C / H&S Advisor

� Technical Authority / Engineer

� Bank Engineers

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Project Director

Contracts Manager Commercial Manager

Environmental Manager

Quality Manager

Agent

Windfarm

&Sub Station

Structures

& Batching

Project Manager

H&S Advisor

Project QS

QS

Visiting

Site based

Professional Services

H&S Manager

HSEQ Manager

Tracks

&Quarry Operations

Work Activity

Design Coordinator

Section Engineers

Design coordination

&Surveying

Assistant QS

Electrical

General Foremen

Setting Out Engineers

Environmental Advisor

EnvironmentalSquads

Electrical teams

Labour / Plant / Equipment / Sub-contractors

Electrical ManagerAgentAgent

General Foremen General Foremen

Sub Agents

Section Engineers Section Engineers

Sub Agents Sub Agents

Section Foremen Section Foremen Section Foremen

Civil Design

Land Surveyors

Electrical Design

Commercial

&Contractual

Cabling teams

Plant Manager

Plant Yard

&Vehicles

Plant Fitters

Plant Maintenance

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Pre-Construction : Site establishment

� Site establishment� Main project office accommodation for circa 100 persons

� Provision of power, water, sewerage and cleaning services

� Installation of IT and communications

� Access control and site security

� Construction of parking areas for around 100 vehicles

� Construction of plant yard and maintenance facilities

� Construction of materials storage and lay-down areas

� Installation of batching plant

� Installation of satellite offices

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Pre-Construction : Communications

� Communications Plan

� Office communications� External offices

� Internet connectivity

� Data transfer

� Mobile phone coverage

� Site wide communications� Site satellite offices

� Mobile phone coverage

� Radio communications

� Emergency channel

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Pre-Construction : Access

� Construction access arrangements

� Public roads� Liaison with Police and Roads Authority

� Existing road network and restrictions

� Road improvements for delivery vehicles

� Site access � Site access control

� Third party arrangements, FCS, land owners, etc

� Underground and overhead service protection

� Temporary site access tracks

� Traffic Management Plan� Warning and advisory signage

� Emergency Plan

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Pre-Construction : Security of supply

� Security of supply in busy market conditions

� Staff� Experienced motivated key staff

� Plant� Large internal plant fleet

� Internal batching plant and equipment

� Labour� Large internal skilled workforce

� Preferred supplier contracts

� Provision of worker camps / accommodation facilities

� Sub-contractors� Preferred suppliers and approved vendors

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Planning � Programme

� Lead in period ideally 12 weeks

� Key milestone dates

� Grid transformer delivery

� Grid connection

� Turbine delivery

� Power generation

� Constraints� Planning

� Lease agreements

� Ecological

� Risks� Weather

� Ground conditions

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Health and Safety Planning

� Competence:� Identification and assessment of skills;

� Information, Instruction and Training;

� Control:� Standards and expectations outlined from the start;

� Safety lead from the top down;

� H & S responsibilities clear and all parties held accountable.

� Co-operation:� Daily co-ordination involving all parties;

� Contractor work review;

� Establishment of safety committee.

� Communication:� Construction Phase Plan;

� Used as site management tool - NOT generic;

� Site specific induction;

� Tool box talks, daily task briefings etc.

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Environmental Planning � Environmental Management Plan

� Environmental Method Statement

� Pollution Prevention Plan

� Water Quality Monitoring Plan

� Pollution Incident Plan

� ECOW co-ordination� ECOW daily log

� Constraints management and monitoring

� Third party liaison� SEPA, SNH, Planning Authority, FCS and others

� Environmental Management� Full time Environmental Manager and Advisors

� Continuous improvement Plan

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations

� Enabling works for turbine and grid transformer delivery

� Design swept path analysis� Road improvements

� Site access junction

� Exceptional loads and clearances� Service diversions

� Tree surgery

� Traffic Management Plan� Liaison with Police and Roads Authorities

� Temporary traffic management

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Track alignment

Topographic survey and peat probes

Consider ecological constraints

Draft alignment design

Submit micro-siting for approval

Final alignment design

Forestry clearance

Consider watercourse crossings

Set out consented alignment

Consider ground conditions

Earthworks balance

Construction issue drawings

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Track details

� Floating track

� Criteria� Peat depths generally >1.0m

� CBR >0.5%

� Undisturbed surface

� Construction detail� Geogrid or brash mat

� Processed rock 125mm down

� Generally 800mm depth of construction

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Track details

� Plant and equipment� 3 man geogrid handling squad

� Dozer

� 14T roller

� 20T excavator

� 3 no 30T ADT

� Production� Typically 125-200m per day

� Dependant on stone supply

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Construction Operations : Track details

� Cut to fill track

� Criteria� Peat depths generally <1.0m

� CBR >5%

� Construction detail� As raised rock 250mm down

� Earthworks balance

� Optimised volume and mass haul

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Track details

� Plant and equipment� 2 no 14T LGP excavators

� 45T excavator and breaker

� 30T excavator and breaker

� D65 Dozer

� 14T roller

� 3 no 30T ADT

� Production� Typically 50-125m per day

� Dependant on topography, depth of overburden, in-situ rock strength, mass haul and stone supply

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Borrow pits

� Consented borrow pits

� QR99 compliance� Quarry plan

� Signage, drainage and fencing

� Forestry clearance / Overburden strip

� Drilling and blasting operations

� Rock processing� Concrete aggregates

� Floating roads

� Structural backfill

� Track surfacing

� Restoration

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Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Permanent drainage

� Permanent drainage design

� Drainage philosophy

� Track drainage� SUDS approach

� Watercourse crossings� CAR registration and licensing

� Bridges generally >2m in bed

� Piped crossings generally <2m in bed

� Ecological constraints

� Water supply points

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Temporary drainage � Temporary drainage design

� Guidance documents� Environmental Statement

� Constraints

� SEPA, SNH, CIRIA and FCS publications

� Forests and Water Guidelines published by FCS

� The Good Practice During Windfarm Construction guidance documentpublished jointly by Scottish Renewables, SEPA, SNH and FCS

� SEPA Good Practice Guides and PPG 1, PPG5 and PPG6

� SNH Floating Roads On Peat

� Control measures� Temporary drainage plans

� Silt mitigation plans

� Water quality monitoring

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Concrete production

� Site batching plant and equipment� Batching plant

� Mixer trucks

� Establishment� Layout

� Water supply

� Material deliveries

� Quality control� Mix design

� Testing

� Quality control

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : WTG bases

� Design type� Assume 3.5MW with 78m hub height

� Submerged gravity base

� Cast in bolt set

� Construction activities� Earthworks and testing

� Blinding concrete

� Rebar circa 56T

� Ducts, earthing and bolts

� Base pour 300m3 40N concrete

� Plinth pour 50m3 50N concrete

� Backfill and earthing mat

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Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : Electrical works

� Electrical design� P28 studies

� Grid code compliance

� Resistivity testing

� Cable layout

� Electrical long lead items� Transformers

� Cables

� Sub-station building

� Grid transformer delivery

� Cabling

� SCADA /communications system

� Energisation

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : WTG installation

� Turbine delivery� Traffic coordination

� Lay down areas and storage

� Road condition monitoring and maintenance

� Turbine erection� Lifting Plan

� Erection programme

� Turbine bolt grouting

� Electrical interface� Energisation

� Commissioning

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation

Renewables Conference

Construction Operations : PC Role

� PC Role duties � Overarching health and safety responsibility

� Daily contractor coordination

� Contractor RAMS approval

� Access and security

� Establishment and welfare

� Track and hardstanding maintenance

Onshore Windfarm

Construction and Operation