Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa, is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands.
Located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, the mountain is also home to the Cwm Dyli hydro-electric power station, owned by RWE Renewables.
The concrete structures supporting the pipeline that runs down the side of Mount Snowdon feeding the power station are relatively old, and so needed to be replaced. Jennings Building & Civil Engineering Ltd were appointed by RWE to carry out the maintenance.
Due to the particularly dangerous location of the project, Jennings needed to ensure that their employees’ safety and welfare was of top priority. They selected Algeco to provide modular accommodation to the site, due to our reputation for health and safety, reliability and high quality products.
The mountainous location of the site meant that any accommodation would need to be transported by helicopter, so Algeco needed to select a lightweight solution that met the weight restrictions (1200kg).
Algeco’s storage containers were under this weight, and the company’s Deeside depot changed them all into small canteens (added a sink, worktop, electrics and lighting). However, due to the weight restrictions, the sink and worktops couldn’t be fitted until the storage containers were on the mountain as the furniture would have made the containers too heavy.
Algeco provided Jennings Building & Civil Works with 7 storage containers, on hire for 50 weeks, which were dotted up and down Mount Snowdon to provide the workers with relief from the cold, and a space to recharge and take a break.
The replacement of the pipe support structures will limit the amount of unplanned maintenance and disruptions for the Cwm Dyli hydro-electric power station.
Phil Boyes, Agent for Jennings Building & Civil Works, said: “We are really impressed that Algeco managed to find a solution lightweight enough to be transported by helicopter, but also meet our high expectations for health and safety on such an unpredictable site”.
“The site accommodation that Algeco has provided will ensure our employees have a safe place to recoup during their working day.”
Mark Fyfe, Infrastructure Business Development Manager at Algeco, said: “This was a first for Algeco. Having our units flown in by helicopter to a mountainous area is not something that we have done before, but when our customers come to us with a bespoke project, we will always do our very best to find a solution to fit their needs.
“We are pleased that Jennings Building & Civil Engineering are satisfied with our solution and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”
