Solar Project

What Insite Did

Insite provided construction/site management, contractor liaison and support for the Client- AG Renewables, working with their management team on this large scale solar project in 2012/2013.

Insite also provided the construction management support for the building of the first GRP 33kv substation working with the Client- AG Renewables, the local network provider- UK Power Networks, Sub station designers and the landowner.

Development from initial designer plans to a fully working GRP 33kv substation, the first time that it has been possible for a GRP substation to be used on a 33kv UKPN network. The substation component of the project was completed on time with the co-ordination of sub contractors for the client and working with UKPN to develop an acceptable solution.

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The Project Challenges

The project was initially designed to provide 17650 MWh of electricity to the local grid- supplying approximately 4150 local homes and was later upgraded to 19500 MWh. Providing a CO2 reduction of 277,000t at full generation.

The site to be used was originally a WWll runway and air station. At the time our client took over the site it consisted a Natural England Higher Level Stewardship zone running through the centre, this split the site into Eastern and Western generation fields. The site had won praise and awards for its Natural England Higher Level Stewardship work in 2010 by the RSPB and a Suffolk Agricultral Award, the environmental aspects of the site were something that had to be responsibly managed during the development of the site. During the construction phase we worked with Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB for monitoring of the site habitats which includes some 90 confirmed wild species.

Other site conditions that had to be carefully managed were that of archeological recording and monitoring, un-exploded ordinance monitoring, site drainage and runoff water control, reduced local traffic movements, containment and segregation of raised materials in line with the planning requirements, an upgrade to the local power network including the construction of a 33kv substation for adoption by UKPN.

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The Outcome

Successfully delivered and sold on by our client during the final stages of development to BayWa r.e., one of europe’s biggest solar operators and developers.