A WESTHOUGHTON building contractor Forrest has completed a £1.5 million solar panel project for United Utilities.

The firm, which has its head office in Dodd Lane, carried out the job at the Fleetwood Water Treatment Works after being contracted by the North West water firm.

The project saw Forrest install a 1.32 MW solar photovoltaic system covering the roofs of four commercial buildings at the site.

The vast site measures the equivalent of one and a half football pitches.

The Fleetwood works is one of United Utilities’ most energy intensive sites and the new solar system will generate more than 1.1 million Kilowatt-Hours per year — which will be used directly by the site.

Paul McCarren, energy director at Forrest, said: “The scale of United Utilities’ required energy consumption, combined with its commitment to meet long-term carbon targets, has led to this significant investment in their own energy generation.

“We believe Forrest is the contractor of choice across the UK for installations of this complexity.”

The work is part of United Utilities ongoing carbon reduction plans and follows the completion of a similar project at Lostock Water Treatment Works in 2014, which serves hundreds of thousands of homes in Greater Manchester.

For that project, the Westhoughton building firm was also called upon — on that occasion installing a 160 Kilowatt-Hour solar panel system.

Neil Carroll, energy manager at United Utilities, said: “For a business like ours, solar energy just makes sense.

“Our treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy and, after piloting solar power at our site in Lostock, we’ve begun to roll out solar installations across other plants to help us meet our target of halving our 2006 carbon emissions levels by 2035.”

Forrest, which also has a regional office in Lostock Lane in Bolton and another site in Leeds has grown rapidly in recent years.

The firm is celebrating 60-years in business this year and in 2012 it celebrated reaching the milestone of a £100 million turnover.

The leader of Westhoughton Town Council, David Chadwick said he was thrilled that a local firm has carried out such an important project.

He said: “I have actually worked with Forrest in the past and so I am aware of how good a firm they are — they are very professional and efficient, it is great that they have added this major project to their business portfolio.

“This is brilliant news for both the Forrest firm and for Westhoughton.

“Both the borough council and the town council are passionate about business initiatives across Bolton.”