Tru Earthworks

EA2 Friston | TAYLOR WOODROW

Earthworks and Deep Drainage Project supporting the construction of three major substation platforms.

The development forms part of the EAST Anglia 2 Offshore wind farm required to bring electricity generated by the offshore wind farm into two new substations with platform works also for future substation works. Tru Earthworks, part of the Tru7 Group, was appointed by Taylor Woodrow as the earthworks and deep drainage contractor for the EA2 project in Friston.

Scope of Works

The principal scope involved constructing three engineered substation platforms, including a piling mat on one of the platforms. Creating the required levels involved approximately 150,000m³ of cut and fill, together with the stripping and management of around 50,000m³ of topsoil. The team also delivered an additional bund and SuDS, pond. The scale of the works required careful sequencing to maintain progress across multiple areas of the site while ensuring that the placed materials consistently met the project specification.

Earthworks Delivery

Three earthworks gangs operated across the project, moving up to 7,500m³ of material per day at peak production.

The primary plant fleet consisted of:

• Two 40-tonne excavators
• One 36-tonne excavator
• Eight articulated dump trucks
• Five bulldozers

25 people worked on the project, including experienced operators, supervisors and supporting personnel. At the height of the works, the team also included five plant operator apprentices, giving them valuable experience on a major infrastructure development.

Drainage, Aggregates and Concrete

The wider capabilities of the Tru7 Group enabled several elements of the project to be coordinated and delivered in-house. Tru Earthworks and the wider Group team installed approximately 2km of deep drainage across the site. Closely coordinating the drainage and earthworks programmes helped maintain progress and reduced the risk of delays between different phases of construction. Concrete required throughout the project was supplied by Tru Mix.

Tru Agg supplied approximately 65,000 tonnes of MOT Type 1 and primary 6F5 aggregate for the formation of the substation platforms. Bringing these services together through the Tru7 Group provided Taylor Woodrow with a coordinated solution covering earthworks, drainage, aggregate supply and concrete production.

Testing and Quality Control

A comprehensive testing and inspection programme was maintained throughout the project to confirm that materials were being placed and compacted in accordance with the required specification.

UKAS-accredited compliance testing included Nuclear Density test, measuring:

• Particle density
• Air voids
• Moisture content

This ongoing quality assurance was particularly important for the substation platforms and piling mat, where ground performance, material consistency and compaction were critical to the subsequent construction works.

All testing works carried out by Igne (UKAS-accredited materials testing provider).

Project Outcome

The EA2 project demonstrates Tru Earthworks’ ability to manage complex, high-volume earthworks and deep drainage packages for major energy and infrastructure developments.

By combining experienced site teams, a substantial earthmoving fleet and the integrated capabilities of Tru Earthworks, Tru Agg and Tru Mix, the Group delivered the platform construction, drainage infrastructure, aggregate supply and supporting works required for the next stage of the project.