A leading civil engineering firm has been appointed principal contractor for the earthworks and drainage on the UK’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS) scheme.
Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK will undertake civil works at the multi-million-pound Thorpe Marsh site in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Three times larger than any other BESS project currently in operation or under construction in the UK, the development will be capable of exporting more than two million MWh annually, which is enough to supply around 785,000 homes each year.
As part of its contract, Jones Bros will deliver more than 500,000m3 of cut / fill earthworks, which require specialist engineering techniques and stringent testing as the project is developed utilising existing pulverised fly ash.
The team of up to 60, including apprentices and trainees, will also complete close to 4km of deep surface water drainage for Fidra Energy, which hopes to have the site operational by the middle of 2027.
Thorpe Marsh has been given the green light after Fidra Energy secured new equity investment from EIG and the National Wealth Fund, which will also help finance the BESS project at West Burton, Nottinghamshire.
Both sites will provide up to 11 per cent of the additional storage capacity needed under the government’s Clean Power 2030 mission.
Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the largest plant fleets in the UK and employs approximately 500 people.
The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, waste management and renewable energy around the UK.
The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced nearly 40 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited hundreds of apprentices over the years.
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