Balfour Beatty features twice in March issue of New Civil Engineer

Balfour Beatty has been featured in New Civil Engineer discussing its role in both the Comrie Flood Protection Scheme – a vital project to safeguard the Scottish village from flooding - and the industry changing Shore Power project in Portsmouth.

Through the critical Comrie Flood Protection scheme, Balfour Beatty is constructing flood defences along the Earn, Lednock, and Water of Ruchill rivers. On completion, the £26.8 million project will protect 189 homes and businesses from a 1-in-200-year flood event.  

In the piece, Keith MacDonald, Portfolio Director at Balfour Beatty explains how the team suggested maximising the use of sheet piles during the Early Contractor Involvement process, based on it's learnings from the Almondbank Flood Protection Scheme. Explaining the benefits, he said: “Once the sheet piles are in, it gives you a certain protection very early in the project. It also reduces the cross-sectional area of the bund. The use of a sheet pile core in the flood embankments enabled final heights to be up to 250mm less than if a clay core was used.”

Image: Ongoing works at Portsmouth International Port

Balfour Beatty's Shore Power project at Portsmouth International Port also featured in the March edition of the publication. Through the innovative project, the company is installing power points for docked vessels, allowing them to draw their required energy from the grid rather than keeping their engines running. This in turn reduces fuel consumption and associated carbon emissions whilst also improving air quality. 

Commenting on the logistical challenge of the works while the port remains operational, Ed Jowett, Project Director at Balfour Beatty said: “We worked on how the structures might react to the work that we need to do on them and also how the port can operate while we’re working on them, as they might have reduced loading capability.”