PowerCrete® - Offshore Inch Cape Wind Farm Landfall

Project case study

Main contractor: Charles Brand

Overview: The Inch Cape Landfall project is a critical part of Scotland’s renewable energy infrastructure, where offshore wind generation is connected to the national grid. Located in Cockenzie, Edinburgh, the project involves the construction of an onshore transmission hub substation. Heidelberg Materials UK supplied 242m³ of PowerCrete from its Glasgow concrete plant, supporting the burial of high-voltage cables as they reached land from the offshore wind farm.

Project Description: As part of the UK’s transition to low-carbon energy, the Inch Cape project required a robust and thermally efficient solution for cable burial at the landfall site. PowerCrete was selected for its proven performance in energy sector applications, offering enhanced heat dissipation and structural integrity.

The project posed logistical challenges, with tidal conditions dictating precise delivery windows. Coordinating timed pours from Glasgow, over 60 miles away, required close collaboration between operations and distribution teams to ensure seamless execution.

Michael Kelly, Commercial Manager-Charles Brand says "We’ve worked with Heidelberg Materials UK on a few projects, and they always deliver. For Inchcape, PowerCrete was exactly what we needed—it handled the technical demands of the cable installation really well. The tidal schedule added some complexity, but their team coordinated deliveries from Glasgow seamlessly. It’s reassuring to work with a supplier who truly understands site pressures and partners with you to deliver.”

Robert Grant, Area General Manager-Heidelberg Materials says, "This was a great example of how close coordination between our plant, logistics, and site teams can make a real difference. PowerCrete is a specialist product, and getting it to site on time—especially with tidal constraints—meant we had to be really sharp on planning and communication. The team at Charles Brand were excellent to work with, and together we kept everything moving smoothly. It’s always rewarding to see our products play a part in such a significant renewable energy project."

This project marks another successful installation of PowerCrete concrete, reinforcing Heidelberg Materials UK’s expertise in the energy sector.