RJ McLeod has been contracted for a 15-turbine wind farm extension project in South Lanarkshire.
Banks Renewables, the firm which owns the Kype Muir wind farm in Stathaven, said that RJ McLeod would directly employ 30 people on the project – with a further 50 or so people being employed as sub-contractors.
Around 20% of RJ McLeod’s employees are based in Lanarkshire, meaning that Lanarkshire-based employees will help deliver the project – this falls in line with Banks Renewables’ Connect2Renewables approach, which seeks to ensure as much of the investment made in such projects delivers maximum benefits to the local community and businesses.
Construction work is due to start in the coming weeks, with it bringing the total number of turbines at the facility to 41. Banks Renewables said that the facility will meet the needs of around 112,000 homes.
Jamie Corser, business development manager at RJ McLeod, said, “We’re delighted to be back working with Banks Renewables, off the back of successful contracts at the original Kype Muir wind farm and nearby Middle Muir wind farm. Being a Scottish company that’s been around since the 1950s, employing locally to sites is something we have always believed in and something Banks has always believed in. We’re very much on the same page.”
Gordon Thomson, head of projects, Banks Renewables, added, “It’s great to be working with RJ McLeod again after the excellent relationship we built with them during the construction of our Middle Muir and Kype Muir wind farms. Onshore wind farms deliver significant investment in rural areas in Scotland. Our Kype Muir wind farm alone will invest almost £100 million locally to nearby communities around Strathaven over its lifetime.
“The new extension at Kype Muir will not only provide a financial boost to local economies, but also provide job opportunities for local people too. RJ McLeod’s commitment to employing locally was very clear from the beginning of the tendering process and is one of the factors which made it the ideal candidate to work with on this project.”
