Vinci and Morgan Sindall agree power line deal with National Grid
A JOINT venture between energy and information technologies services provider VINCI Energies and constructor Morgan Sindall has agreed a deal with Midland-based National Grid to deliver an overhead line construction programme across England and Wales.
The Area Alliance Agreement signed by Electricity Alliance MSVE is now effective and secures work for the first year of a possible five year programme.
The JV has already been awarded its first project under the AAA. The work entails reinsulating the 1960s Brinsworth to Thorpe Marsh 400kV overhead line near Doncaster.
The partners will design and install all the permanent equipment, including insulators and fittings and replace steelwork on all 57 towers. This project is worth about £5m and is due for completion at the end of this year.
Electricity Alliance MSVE was awarded preferred bidder status for the Electricity Transmission Overhead Line partnership in November 2011. Since then it has invested in training UK and French employees to ensure a guaranteed workforce of qualified linesmen and engineers is available to carry out the specialist overhead line work.
Rochdi Ziyat, managing director of VINCI Energies UK, said: “This contract reflects perfectly our group strategy. By sharing the proven expertise and competence already available within the VINCI Energies Group, MSVE will be able to bring value added solutions to the UK Transmission Sector. Also, delivering the contract under an Alliance Agreement enables the most efficient knowledge sharing between all the parties.
“We take pleasure in entering this alliance with National Grid and Morgan Sindall and look forward to the ongoing development of our teams in the UK.”
Jeff Lang, managing director of utility services at Morgan Sindall, said: “We are delighted to have secured this partnership with VINCI Energies and National Grid and look forward to working together to ensure a secure electricity supply across the UK.
“Our investment in training up a specialist workforce will help us to complete projects on time and to budget as well as strengthening the UK transmission market with a fresh supply of skilled employees.”
Pictured clockwise from back left: Jeff Lang, managing director of Utility Services at Morgan Sindall; Rochdi Ziyat, managing director of VINCI Energies UK; Thierry Courtois, managing director of VINCI Energies P&T and Ian Cartwright, head of overhead lines and cables at National Grid.
