Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has secured a £23.5m contract to build onshore infrastructure for the Morlais tidal power scheme in Anglesey, Wales.
The Welsh government announced yesterday that it has set aside £31m in European Regional Development funding to support the first phase of the project.
The Morlais project would see a development on 35 sq km (13 sq miles) of seabed, generating up to 240MW of electricity from the power of the tides in the Irish Sea – enough to power around 180,000 typical households.
Jones Bros will be responsible for the construction of the landfall substation on Holy Island, as well as cabling which will connect the Morlais scheme to the National Grid.
Contracts director for Jones Bros, Eryl Roberts, said: “It is fantastic to have been appointed to deliver the infrastructure for such an innovative renewable scheme like Morlais, which is right on our own doorstep in north Wales.
“We are passionate about making an impact through renewables and our team has a strong track record in projects of this stature across the UK, so to bring those skills to Anglesey is something we are looking forward to.
“As with all our projects, we will also provide opportunities to the local supply chain and apprentices, and we are excited to begin work on site to deliver this important scheme.”
The Isle of Anglesey County Council, North Wales Growth Deal, as well as The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have also supported the project.
Gerallt Llywelyn Jones, a director with Morlais, said: “We are delighted to be working with Jones Bros on this important project. Securing benefits to the north Wales economy has been very important to us and is the main reason we were so keen to create something with strong local roots.
“This contract is just the beginning of course; it is an important milestone to ensuring we can build local supply chains and create job opportunities here on Anglesey and across the wider region.
“But it’s not all about economy. With action to tackle climate change becoming ever more urgent, generating clean electricity is also becoming increasingly important.
“Jones Bros are experienced in delivering renewable energy projects – so we’re pleased to partner with them on a scheme which can make a real difference.”
Work on the project, led by social enterprise Menter Môn, is set to begin this spring.
Image: Morlais tidal energy zone (Credit: Nova Innovation)
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