Jones Bros site agent and North Kyle Wind Farm named in CECA 30th anniversary campaigns

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has been recognised in two Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) campaigns, with site agent Michaela Baldock named in its 30 Under 30 list and North Kyle Wind Farm in Scotland included in its 30 Projects for 30 Years series.

The contractor announced the double recognition in a release on its website. CECA has said its 30th anniversary programme will run throughout 2026, celebrating people, projects and policy achievements, and that the 30 Under 30 campaign celebrates the young people who are the future of the industry.

Baldock, 27, leads a team of more than 250 at Sanquhar II Wind Farm, where Jones Bros said she supervises all on-site activities and is responsible for programme deadlines on the 44-turbine scheme. She progressed from apprentice engineer to site agent over almost a decade, a route CECA's profile, dated 1 October 2026, put at just over nine years.

Michaela Baldock, Site Agent at Jones Bros, said: "Choosing to work in civil engineering is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I hope my journey inspires others to consider a similar career path."

Jones Bros said Baldock mentors apprentices and trainee engineers. David Long, Associate Director at Tony Gee & Partners, said in the release that she leads with natural competence and collaborates across the design and build team.

Sanquhar II

Both the Jones Bros release and CECA's profile describe Sanquhar II as a £70 million project, while a separate Jones Bros release in October 2026 referred to it as a £400 million scheme. Neither source explains the difference.

In that October announcement Jones Bros said all 44 turbine foundations at Sanquhar II were complete, that the wind farm would be the fourth largest in the UK once operational, and that it would have the capacity to power more than 335,000 homes a year.

North Kyle

Baldock previously worked on the £300m North Kyle Wind Farm, where Jones Bros was principal contractor for Brockwell Energy Limited. CECA said her role there included leading quality assurance.

Jones Bros said the project turned a former opencast coal mine into a 49-turbine wind farm with an installed capacity of 220.5MW, and that it was the first of its kind in the UK to use dynamic compaction for ground improvement beneath wind turbine generator foundations.

CECA's case study said made ground on the former mining site extended to depths of up to 45 metres, and that Jones Bros developed the ground improvement solutions with Tony Gee and Menard UK. It said the project provided employment and training opportunities for 356 people, including trainees and higher apprentices.

Jonathan Maitland, Project Manager for Jones Bros, said: "There were many weather-related and geotechnical challenges to overcome throughout the process, which meant we had to deploy innovative techniques to develop the former brownfield site while keeping our carbon emissions as low as possible."

Jones Bros said North Kyle reached completion in September 2025. Brockwell Energy, in an announcement dated 18 September 2026, said the wind farm in East Ayrshire was now fully operational with all 49 turbines generating, and that the project would deliver over £65 million in community benefit funding across its operational life.

Sources differ on the scheme's output in household terms: CECA put expected annual generation at the equivalent of more than 183,000 households, while Brockwell Energy's release gave around 186,600 homes. Brockwell's project page places the site within North Kyle Forest and says £600,000 has been committed to planting native broadleaf trees.

The contractor

Jones Bros Group recorded consolidated turnover of £240.5m for the year ending March 2026, with Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK's turnover at £232.8m, up 55% on 2025. The company said its average workforce grew from 498 to 545 over the year.

Huw Jones MBE, chairman of Jones Bros, has said the shortage of skilled people is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry. The company, established in the 1950s, said it now employs about 570 people and has recruited hundreds of apprentices over the years.