AN Ayrshire firm has been hailed for its work to support the construction of the tallest onshore wind turbines in the UK.
Hamilton Tarmac created and surfaced the access roads at Banks Renewables’ Kype Muir Extension Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire, which paved the way for the giant onshore turbines – which stand at 200m tall.
The surfacing firm, which employs around 70 staff, one of a number local firms used by Banks Renewables to deliver the project, with it generating around £38 million in local development and construction contract for local businesses.
Wilson Rankin, contract director at Hamilton Tarmac, said, “To be involved in a project of this scale is really important for us as a business. Working on the Kype Muir Extension project from start to finish has been extremely rewarding as a team of local workers.
“It was very significant to win a contract of this size, it has allowed us to support tradesmen from around the site, provided us that extra bit of security as a business and generally supported the local economy.
“It’s great to be part of something that will ultimately bring a lot of positives to the region and the environment. Wind farms bring in a lot of business for local trades and offer a great deal of support to the wider community, it has been a positive experience for us to deliver on such a major green project.”
Wilson, who has been with the firm for 28 years, was the boyhood neighbour of Willie Hamilton, who founded Hamilton Tarmac more than 30 years ago. The business has grown ever since, even diversifying into recycling by starting a sister company, Hamilton Tarmac Ltd, which generates around 20,000 tonnes of excavated material each year.
Martin Kellerman, construction director at the Banks Group, added, “Hamilton Tarmac have played a huge role in making Kype Muir Extension happen, creating crucial routes to ensure that turbine parts can be delivered safely and on time.
“Working closely with local businesses like Hamilton Tarmac is an absolute pleasure for us at Banks and forms an integral part of a successful Banks Renewables development. We’re delighted to be pushing in the right direction alongside local firms to help Scotland on its journey to net zero.”
The commitment to contracting local firms on its projects is a foundation of Banks Renewables ‘Connect2Renewables’ initiative. This initiative gives priority to local businesses over larger firms when tendering for work on Banks Renewables sites and ensures that the local economy benefits from developments like Kype Muir Extension.
On top of that, Banks Renewables also commit to working closely with local authorities to explore job opportunities for the area and support a range of local community projects and initiatives through its various community benefit schemes – all of which are part of the wider ‘development with care’ policy across all Banks projects.
Lying just south of Strathaven, Kype Muir Extension’s ultra-efficient turbines will have an installed generation capacity of up to 67.2MW of renewable electricity, which could provide electricity for approximately 53,700 homes or a city bigger than Stirling. It is set to be completed later this year.
