£30 Million Orders Won For UK Transmission Lines

BICC PLC
13 March 2000

MORE THAN £30 MILLION ORDERS WON FOR UK TRANSMISSION LINES
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Balfour Beatty, the engineering, construction and services group, announces
today that Balfour Kilpatrick, its transmission line and cabling division, has
won new contracts with an aggregate value of over £30 million.

In Scotland, the company is to design, supply and construct a 64 kilometre,
275 kV overhead transmission line for Scottish Power.  This line, which will
run from Coylton to Auchencrosh, will form part of the new link between the
transmission systems of Scottish Power and Northern Ireland Electricity.

In the North of England, the company has secured the contract for the upgrade
of the major trans Pennine transmission line.  This involves the
reconditioning of 79 kilometres of 275 kV double circuit overhead line and
also rebuilding towers and replacing insulators.  The client is the National
Grid Company.

Also in the north, Balfour Kilpatrick will build 29 kilometres of 132 kV line,
erect new towers and re-conductor the Blackburn-Penwortham line for NORWEB.

Commenting on the awards today, Mike Welton, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive,
said:

'Balfour Beatty is the UK leader in transmission line technology and has a
worldwide reputation for quality and service in this field.

'We anticipate that Balfour Kilpatrick and the other businesses in our Civil
and Specialist Engineering and Services sector will continue to improve their
position through 2000.'

Balfour Kilpatrick is also currently constructing the 413 kilometre Parton-
Kadiri and Klater power transmission line in Indonesia in a contract worth
more than £70 million.

Enquiries to:

Tim Sharp
BICC Group
Tel: [phone]