Case study Killingholme Onshore Substation Access Road

Bison Precast has designed, manufactured and supplied a unique retaining wall system, made up of more than 200 bespoke precast concrete units, for use in the construction of a permanent access road to a new electricity substation for the Hornsea offshore wind-farm in Killingholme.

The precast units were specified to support the holding platform of the road structure while also controlling the water in the ground at the site, which is low-lying on the Lincolnshire coast.

Joel Chadwick, Site Agent for Balfour Beatty, said, “We required a purpose-built retaining wall system for this road because it is situated in complex terrain, and the surrounding water table called for a system that would control the high flow of water beneath the road.

“The system also needed to be strong enough to bear the weight of large vehicles carrying abnormal loads to and from the substation on a regular basis.”

The Bison Precast team, based at the firm’s facility in Somercotes, used their expertise to create a bespoke system for the access road based on previously successful installations at similar coastal sites.

Joel continued, “The team at Bison Precast, which Balfour Beatty has worked with on previous occasions, met our needs swiftly and to specification. The system was successfully installed relatively easily and ahead of deadline. I’d recommend the Bison Precast experts without hesitation, as they stayed on top of the job, providing essential details for the application when needed.”