Leading international renewable energy consultancy group Natural Power has been appointed as Owner's Engineer at Lochluichart wind farm for energy company Eneco. The company will be providing construction management services, ecology and hydrology on the wind farm development project, which is located approximately 18 km north-west of Dingwall in the county of Ross and Cromarty.

The site lies on the higher land between Loch Glascarnoch and Loch Luichart and is set to comprise of 17 Siemens 3MW turbines with a maximum installed capacity of 51MW.

Natural Power will be acting as Construction Design and Management co-ordinator on behalf of Eneco, and will liaise between the wind turbine manufacturer, Balance of Plant contractor, and the Grid Provider. Ecology services provided by Natural Power will include bird and mammal surveys, habitat restoration and reinstatement methodologies.

The consultancy will also deploy an Ecological Clerk of Works who will be on site overseeing and mitigating any potential ecological issues throughout the construction period of the project.

Natural Power's hydrology service will create the Pollution Prevention Plan (PPP) which will detail the construction methods and mitigation measures that can be adopted to ensure that the quality and quantity of the hydrological environment is maintained.

Water monitoring and an assessment of the private water supply within the development and catchment area has also been undertaken by Natural Power.

John Dykes, Project Engineer at Natural Power, commented: "We are very pleased to be working with Eneco on the development and construction of Lochluichart wind farm. There is a close working relationship between the broad-range of disciplines within Natural Power which enables all teams to work together to the highest standards, continually providing effective project management for clients."

Guy Madgwick, Director at Eneco UK said: "Lochluichart wind farm marks an important step for Eneco in bringing renewable power to the Scottish Highlands and we are pleased to be working with Natural Power on the project. We already have a very successful relationship with Natural Power having worked with them previously on Tullo Wind Farm and look forward to continuing this during the construction of Lochluichart."