Successful handover marks completion of £24million Morlais substation
In an important milestone for Anglesey tidal energy project, Morlais, civil engineering firm Jones Bros has officially handed over the substation to site owner, Menter Môn Morlais Ltd. The move signals the successful delivery of the first phase of the project within the timeframe and to budget.
Construction of the substation is a key part of the infrastructure for the new 240MW tidal energy development and has been a focal point of collaboration between Jones Bros and Menter Môn Morlais Ltd. Completion means the project can move to the next phase as it prepares for the deployment of turbines in the sea from 2026.
Having started on site, near Holyhead in the spring of 2022, the project has so far delivered substantial employment and training opportunities as promised. Over 70 Jones Bros employees worked on the site, including ten apprentices – with 86% from the north Wales region.
Gareth Roberts, Operations Manager with Menter Môn Morlais Ltd is now in charge of the site. Upon handover he said: “We are delighted to have reached this point in the development of Morlais. It was a pleasure to work with Jones Bros. From the beginning their efficiency and safety record has been second to none and our shared values of creating local jobs meant we have been able to deliver on one of our main objectives – to secure local benefit from this important project.
“We’re excited to be moving to the next phase which will see us engaging with developers of tidal stream technology to ensure we can begin to generate low carbon electricity in the sea here from 2026. We’d also grateful to the local community for their cooperation during construction of the substation, this is a project I hope we can all be proud of.”
Eryl Roberts, Contracts Director at Jones Bros, added: “We are proud to have played a significant role in this project, so it is fantastic to be able to officially hand it over knowing we have met time and budget targets.
“Providing opportunities for north Wales-based employees, including apprentices, and the local supply chain, was also important to us as a company, and we achieved those goals. We thank both Menter Môn Morlais Ltd and the community for their help and support.”
Several other local companies were key to this phase on site, including Cadarn Consulting and OBR Construction – the Menter Môn Morlais team were also keen to thank them for their cooperation and professionalism.
The project is funded by the European Regional Development fund through Welsh Government. The Isle of Anglesey County Council, The Nuclear Restoration Service (formerly (NDA) and North Wales Growth Deal also support the project.