An organisation set up to help the construction industry improve its image has commended a Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) project near Alness.
Located in the shadow of the Fyrish monument, the £50 million project to deliver a new substation - boosting the resilience of the area’s energy supply and allowing renewable generators to connect in to the grid - has received a Bronze Award from the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).
Set up nearly two decades ago, the non-profit-making, independent body encourages companies to sign up to their Code of Considerate Practise and show how they work above and beyond statutory requirements.
The Fyrish substation site, which is being constructed by SHE Transmission and Seimens BAM, was found to exceed all five of the CCS appraisal sections, as Project Manager Andrew McLaren explains:
“The criteria for the scheme focuses on how the site looks, our impact on the surrounding area and its residents, protecting the environment, attaining the highest levels of safety and caring about our workforce. These are all aspects of this project we care greatly about and we’re delighted it has been recognised through this award.
“We always strive to do our best and this recognition reaffirms why that’s so important, not just to us, but to the people who live here and the surrounding environment that we seek to protect.”
Feedback from the CCS showed that despite the remoteness of the substation’s location, great efforts had been made to engage with the local community and welcome them to a ‘well laid out and well organised’ site with excellent safety standards. SHE Transmission was also praised for the lengths it had gone to in observing and recording wildlife – which includes a number of endangered species – so they were exposed to the very minimum of disturbance, and for its equal opportunities, training and occupational health procedures.
To find out more about the Fyrish substation visit ssepd.co.uk/DounreayBeauly/