Van Elle, the Nottinghamshire-headquartered ground engineering contractor, has signed an eight-year partnering agreement with Wood Transmission & Distribution to deliver ground investigation, design and construction activities for piling and foundations across several transmission schemes as part of Ofgem’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) programme.
Subject to performance, the partnership is expected to be worth in excess of £30m to Van Elle over that period.
Works have commenced on initial projects in New Cumnock, Argyll and most recently at Beauly-Loch Buidhe where ground investigation works are mobilising throughout January for 240 towers to be constructed in 2026-27.
Chief Executive, Mark Cutler, said: “Wood has been a long-standing customer for Van Elle, so we are delighted to announce this partnering agreement to help deliver part of the significant scale of energy infrastructure in Scotland together over the coming years.
“Our breadth of capability allows us to integrate ground investigation, design and piling and foundation solutions best suited to the project requirements. Initial works have commenced, and activity levels will now increase as other schemes are mobilised across Scotland.
“Our recent acquisition of Albion Drilling based in Stirling will support with a local resource base and specialist skills needed to deliver these important commitments, often in remote and challenging locations.
“This agreement is the first of a number that we anticipate in this growing sector; reinforcing our confidence in our medium-term ambitions.”
