Construction Completes On World Class Building For Testing Offshore Renewable Technology

May 15, 2012 - PRLog -- National contractor Shepherd Construction has completed the first of three new structures being constructed at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in Blyth, Northumberland.

The three structures* form part of Narec’s £80 million + investment in world-class facilities for the testing of offshore renewable technologies. The new facilities being constructed will enable the accelerated lifetime testing of turbines and blades to develop improved reliability and reduce the financial risks associated with deploying untested prototype technologies offshore.

First completed, the 3MW input capacity Drive Train Test Facility will test tidal turbines in a controlled environment out of the water. The test rig is currently being assembled and will be commissioned later this summer using the Atlantis Resources AR1000 turbine.

At 900m² and rising 15 metres high above the existing dock the new steel structure has been a complex engineering project with construction over a dry dock requiring a huge in-fill exercise comprising three mass concrete pours and a series of further reinforced pours. To withstand the weight of the steel frame and the rigorous testing procedures that will operate within the building the structural slabs were heavily reinforced with large grade steel and the 3.2 metre thick top slab required a precisely engineered solution to an accuracy of 0.3mm.

Andrew Constantine, commercial director for Shepherd Construction commented: “We’re delighted to handover the first of the new facilities and see the culmination of a complex project, which has required extremely close partnership working with Narec and the team of specialist engineers and designers to deliver such a precisely engineered solution.

“We’re delighted to play a role in supporting Narec’s vision for advancing and accelerating the world’s offshore renewable energy industry.”

Tony Quinn, Director of Major Assets and Projects at Narec said: “There was no margin for error with this build and I’m extremely pleased that Shepherd Construction has completed the first of the three facilities in good time.  Engineering work is continuing inside the facility on the commissioning of the test rig motor, gearbox and innovative force application system (FAS) to get the rig turning ready for the first customer.”
Project Team:
Client: Narec
Project Management: Turner & Townsend
Cost Management: Turner & Townsend
Main contractor: Shepherd Construction
Architect: Red Box Design
Structural Engineer: Arup
M&E engineer: SES
CDM Coordinator: Turner & Townsend
-ends-
Notes to editors:
*The second building, which will enable the testing of wind turbine blades up to 100 metres in length, will complete later this summer and will become the largest testing facility of its kind. This will be followed in 2013 by the completion of the world’s largest wind turbine drive train test facility, enabling the testing of turbine nacelles up to 15MW capacity.

Visit www.shepherd-construction.co.uk for further details

For further information about Shepherd Construction please contact Amanda Brown at A2B PR on:

T: 01423 740048
M: 07876 452580
E: amanda@a2bpr.co.uk

About Shepherd Construction
1.   Shepherd Construction is a leading national construction company handling projects for the public and private sectors including commercial, residential, retail, science and research, education, health and industrial.
2.   It has an established reputation for client satisfaction, collaborative working, technical excellence, delivery and quality.
3.   The company operates throughout the UK, with its principal offices in London, Leeds and Manchester, Head Office in York and regional offices in Birmingham and Darlington. .
4.   A recognised leader in the industry for quality, innovation and training, Shepherd Construction has held Investors In People (IIP) status since 1992, recently gaining a silver accreditation.  
5.   It is part of Shepherd Group, one of the largest family-owned, private companies in the UK.