Find us in this month’s Construction Forum Magazine! Murform are proud to have worked with RJ McLeod on these major wind farm projects.

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RJ McLeod continues work
on major wind farm projects
Let’s be honest – Scotland is a pretty windy place. It’s part of what makes it the
perfect location for the wind energy industry to set up base, and it’s why so many
turbines have popped up on the Scottish horizon. RJ McLeod is a Scottish civil
engineering and building contractor who are quite involved in the wind energy
sector, having played a major role in two big projects in the heart of Scotland.
RJ McLeod is one of Scotland’s largest privately owned contractors, something they have
built up in their 60-plus year history. For over six decades they have successfully delivered
multiple solutions to a whole host of different projects and clients.
Set in one of the most logistically demanding locations, RJ McLeod has built the
experience and expertise to handle some of the toughest projects around, not just in
the energy industry, but also the marine, infrastructure, streetscaping and waste facility
industries. They have built up a proven track record in Britain’s civil engineering and
building infrastructure, which is in part thanks to the fantastic work of their incredible
team.
RJ McLeod’s experience of working in outreach areas throughout Scotland – along
with their knowledge of heavy civil engineering in harsh environments – stands them in
good stead for working on the construction of wind farms and in recent years they have
expanded this portfolio considerably. The two sites on which they have recently worked,
which are fairly close to each other, are the Beinneun Wind Farm for Blue Energy Group,
and the Bhlaraidh Wind Farm for SSE.
Beinneun Wind Farm is Blue Energy’s largest UK wind farm. Located 15km west of Fort
Augustus in the Highlands, the farm has 32 turbines. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were fully
consented late 2015 creating the combined development of 32 turbines with a total
capacity of 108.8MW.
Lead contractors RJ McLeod commenced works on-site in 2015 and as of January 2017,
the site is substantially complete. Senvion supplied the wind turbines and they were
mechanically completed in Q4 2016. Commissioning is currently ongoing, with first export
to the grid anticipated in Q1 2017.
The community benefit scheme will provide up to £544,000 per annum (£5,000/MW), five

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Murform are proud to be
associated with and work
alongside RJ McLeod.
Contact:
England 01525 288015
Scotland 01506 536363
Ireland (+353) 053 9134621
annual scholarships of £1,000 towards tertiary education and households within 5 miles
of the site will receive £250 per year as a contribution towards their electricity bills.
Bhlaraidh Wind Farm is similar in scope, also with 32 turbines. A planning application for
Bhlaraidh wind farm was submitted by SSE in the summer of 2012. Bhlaraidh is located
to the north-west of Loch Ness, near Glenmoriston. Consent was granted in January
2014.
RJ McLeod was awarded the £22m contract for the civil engineering works in May
2016, having already aided with the enabling works since autumn 2015, which primarily
included the construction of the on-site substation platform and the main access track to
prepare the site ahead of the main works starting this year.
Bhlaraidh has its first load of turbine deliveries in October 2016 and following some
weather constraints were completed in November. Turbine deliveries will resume in spring
2017, the turbine blades travelling from Kyle of Lochalsh harbour with the turbine towers
and components coming from Inverness harbour.
Construction of the project is expected to take around two years to complete, with the
site being fully operational by the end of 2017. The works began by building the tracks
through the site and the spur roads out to each of the turbine locations. The construction
of the turbine bases started in the summer, together with the construction of the crane
hardstanding areas, which are used to erect the turbines.
RJ McLeod’s North Director, Sandy Osborne, said, “We are very pleased to continue our
association with SSE and play our part in the construction of the Bhlaraidh wind farm. The
project represents an important part of our workload and it will enable us to continue to
provide ongoing and additional employment for technical and construction staff based in
the Highlands, along with opportunities for the local supply chain.
“We have a long and well proven track record of working in some of the remotest parts
of the Highlands and we understand the importance of working together with the local
community and other stakeholders. We are an active participant in SSE’s Open4Business
portal which provides opportunities for local suppliers to compete for business on this and
other Highland projects.”
SSE’s Project Manager, Billy Jack, said, “This is an extremely important milestone for
Bhlaraidh wind farm and we are delighted to be working with RJ McLeod again. The
construction of the project will continue to bring significant benefits to the area in the
form of community investment funds, use of local services and opportunities for the local
supply chain. A number of local businesses have already benefited from the enabling
works over the last few months.
“As a responsible developer with a strong history in the Highlands, SSE is also working
closely with the local community and regular liaison meetings are being held to keep
people up to date. The community investment fund will deliver around £13million in
financial benefit to the area over the next 25 years, split between the local communities
of Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston and Glen Urquhart and the wider region through SSE’s
Highland Sustainable Development Fund.”
RJ McLeod enlisted the help of Murform for both projects. Murform was, and is,
responsible for all of the turbine bases across both sites, with the majority of them
successfully delivered on time.