Van Elle signs £30m agreement with Wood for delivery of electricity transmission schemes
Ground engineering contractor Van Elle has signed an eight-year partnering agreement with energy group Wood Transmission & Distribution to deliver piling and foundations across transmission schemes in Scotland.
Potentially worth over £30 million, the contract forms part of Ofgem’s multi-billion-pound programme to connect up to 50GW of offshore generation to the electricity grid by 2030.
Works have commenced on initial projects in New Cumnock and most recently at Beauly-Loch Buidhe where ground investigation works are mobilising throughout January for 240 towers to be constructed in 2026-27.
Van Elle said the partnership will benefit from the October acquisition of Scottish specialist Albion Drilling and could lead to others in the sector, “reinforcing confidence in medium-term ambitions”.
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.”