Challenge

Drax Power Ltd operates the largest power plant in the UK and Europe’s single largest decarbonisation programme.

Located near Selby, the six unit biomass and coal power station supplies 6% of the UK’s electricity, including 11% of its renewable power. The firm was looking for a responsive, multi-disciplined maintenance and construction partner to carry out a range of day works and civils packages at the high security plant.

Development

Sewell Construction bid for and successfully won the framework,  which has resulted in more than 1,000 individual work activities per year being instructed by the Drax Engineering Teams. The work is ongoing, with regular improvements made across the site.

As part of the framework agreement, we TUPE’d seven full time employees, with an overall number of twelve members of staff on site, and boosted them with refresher training and a regular management support network, increasing their engagement and overall performance.

Delivery

Now in our third year following a contract extension in 2017, the civils and building repair work includes a wide range of activity, from joinery and decoration, to road repairs and refurbishments.

Recent work includes:

• The installation of a new yard and drainage
• Refurbishments of toilet facilities
• Excavations for pipe maintenance access
• Slurrification plant foundations and pads (taking burnt ash and mixing with liquid to protect the pipelines)
• Extension of the north contractors car park
• Creation of a new store entrance and service yard
• Reroofing to office building
• Refurbishment of outage cabins
• Deep excavation to slurry line
• Refurbishment of first the aid centre
• Tarmacing works and white lining

Results

The Sewell team were acknowledged at the 2017 Drax Annual Conference with a Health and Safety Award following highest contractor scoring in a COSHH audit and an ongoing exemplar health and safety culture.