Scottish Power has recently appointed ADAS to deliver a three year vegetation management contract to improve the resilience of overhead electricity lines in Scotland, North Wales and Cheshire. The work will include surveying tree vegetation, obtaining landowner consents, auditing completed work and providing specialist advice and support.
The contract, potentially worth around one million pounds, is thought to be the first one in the UK where independent consultants are being employed on a large scale for surveying and consenting.
Principal ADAS consultant Roy Dyer said: “Traditionally utility companies have used contractors to deliver this type of work, with mixed results. Following recent amendments to the Electricity, Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (ESQCR), electricity distribution companies now have to review the way they manage the vegetation along their overhead line networks and improving the quality of the surveying and consenting is a crucial element of this.”
All data is captured electronically by ADAS which provides the cutting specifications and copies of the permission forms to the client and the contractors they employ.
ADAS has recruited qualified and experienced arboriculturists to carry out the surveying work to ensure that it is correctly specified, that the best tree-care advice is provided to the landowners and that the quality of the work carried out by the contractors meets industry standards.
Roy adds: “Vegetation is dynamic so it is crucial to correctly specify and record the work and maximise the number of landowner consents for compliant cutting.”
Roy Dyer is an expert in vegetation management and project director of the Scottish Power (Southern Region) contract.
For further information, please contact Roy by e-mail roy.dyer@adas.co.uk or telephone 01483 212 951.