First Minister
Alex Salmond has today (Friday 2 May) announced £6.5 million for the
development of the new quayside during a visit to Nigg Energy Park to witness
the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Moray Offshore Renewables
Ltd (MORL) and Global Energy Group.
The MoU will see
the two companies enter discussions on a wide variety of subjects in relation
to the suitability of Global Energy Group’s Nigg Energy Park to build the
recently consented Moray Firth Offshore Wind Farm, bringing the potential to
support up to 2,400 Scottish jobs during its construction and 330 through
operations and maintenance
The agreement will
explore the use of Nigg Energy Park for the development of MORL’s 1,116MW
offshore wind generation project in the outer Moray Firth.
The new
£40.5 million Nigg quayside development will offer over 1,100 metres of
available quayside with deepwater access for customers in the offshore oil and
gas sector. It will also support the demand for large laydown areas and
fabrication facilities for the renewables industry. It is anticipated the new
facilities will lead to the fabrication of marine devices and heighten interest
from the renewables supply chain to use Nigg for a mix of load in/load out and
fabrication of key components, such as steel jacket foundations, towers and
nacelles.
The First Minister
also welcomed the announcement of a contract between GEG and MORL,
demonstrating progress in project delivery. GEG will construct the steel
lattice section of the met mast which will be installed this year.
The First Minister
said:
“Offshore
renewables represent a huge opportunity for Scotland to reap both economic
benefits and become a power house of green energy.
“That is why
it is important to support the new Nigg quayside development – which in
turn will see a £190 million additional turnover, and £462 million
in aggregate over the first three years of operation.
“Today’s MoU will provide opportunities for
dialogue between MORL and Global Energy Group, the supply chain and potential
inward investors to discuss the skills requirements needed for this emerging
project. It also has the potential for creating up to 2400 jobs in
construction, and a further 330 through operations and maintenance which is
fantastic news for the area and Scotland. The Nigg Skills Academy will also be
well placed to assist in completing the necessary training, whether this be
through Modern Apprenticeship schemes or other forms of
training.”
“Following
the successful re-development of Nigg Yard by Global Energy Nigg Ltd, the
company has identified significant growth opportunities both from hosting
foreign direct investment as a tenant, and from fabrication and other service
opportunities.
“I believe
Global Energy will become the first of many Scottish supply chain companies to
benefit from the recently consent 1116MW Moray Offshore Wind
Development.
Dan Finch, Project
Director of MORL UK, said:
“This
document marks an important step forward in MORL’s development of
offshore wind in the Outer Moray Firth. It covers a wide range of issues
including GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP’s facilities, their development plans for
Nigg Energy Park, the potential involvement of Nigg Skills Academy and
opportunities for local supply chain development.
“This is the
start of a process which if appropriate, will allow MORL to include Nigg Energy
Park and GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP’s services as a preferred
facility/subcontractor in our procurement activities.
“The
development of offshore wind in the Moray Firth has the potential to support up
to 2,400 Scottish jobs during its construction and 330 through operations and
maintenance, and I am delighted to be involved in sharing those potential
opportunities with local enterprises.
"Demonstrating progress in the delivery of the
project, I am pleased to announce today that a contract has been placed with
Global Energy for the delivery of an early part of the project's
infrastructure. The contract is for the fabrication of the steel lattice
section of the met mast which will be installed this year."
Roy MacGregor,
Chairman of GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP said:
“Recently,
the Renewables industry and especially Offshore Wind, has been through a period
of some uncertainty. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel and we
are very encouraged by MORL’s plans. We are grateful for the opportunity
to sit down with MORL and discuss a scope of work, which we expect will
contribute significantly to additional local employment and opportunities for
training people in new skills.
“This could
be the beginning of another exciting period for Nigg Energy Park. Since Global
Energy Group took over the site from KBR in October 2011, the site has been
marketed as a multi-use facility targeted towards the energy industry. A strong
pipeline of business with Oil & Gas clients has been built and this will
not change. In the future, we see our business for Oil & Gas and Renewables
continuing to grow side by side, in this world class port, yard and
construction facility. However, we will need to continue to demonstrate that we
are conscious of costs and provide products and services, on a competitive
basis, to a high quality standard within a safe working
environment”.
Calum Davidson,
HIE’s Director for Energy and Low Carbon, said:
“The
quayside development at Nigg Energy Park is another key step in creating a
multi-purpose facility which is attracting developers in Renewable Energy and
Oil & Gas from across the world to the Highlands and Islands. Today’s
announcement of an MOU between Global Energy Group and EDPR, the developers of
one of the world’s largest planned off-shore wind farms is testament to
this. HIE’s investment has supported the company to create crucial deep
water and lay down facilities at the Easter Ross yard, opening up massive
growth opportunities, resulting in significant job creation and increased
turnover.”
Notes To
Editors
Moray Offshore
Renewables Limited (MORL) was formed as a joint venture company owned 67% by
EDP Renewables (EDPR) and 33% by Repsol Nuevas Energias UK Limited (Repsol)
with the aim of developing offshore wind generation in the outer Moray Firth.
The main points of the development include:
· Total
installed generation capacity: 1116 MW
·
Development on 3 sites – Telford Offshore Windfarm , Stevenson Offshore
Windfarm and MacColl Offshore Windfarm.
· Total
Number of turbines: up to 62 turbines of 6MW to 8MW capacity on each of three
sites
· Total
Area – 295km2
· Maximum
turbine blade-tip height - 204m (669 feet)
· Minimum
distance from shore – 22km (13.5 miles)
Details of the
proposed development may be found at www.morayoffshorerenewables.com
As a leading
service and contracting company, the Global Energy
Group provides maintenance and construction solutions to
the international energy industry, supporting asset owners and EPC contractors
to reduce risks and drive value.
The company
inspects, maintains and supports construction activity on FPSOs, offshore
production facilities, mobile drilling units and construction vessels. As well
as executing in-service programmes offshore, its significant facilities
(including the Nigg Yard in Scotland) enable out-of-service execution of
projects. The company provides solutions for water treatment, hydro energy and
renewable sectors and exports its construction management skills to worldwide
energy locations.
For more info visit www.gegroup.com
EDP Renewables
(Euronext: EDPR), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a global leader in the
renewable energy sector that designs, develops, manages and operates power
plants that generate electricity using renewable energy sources.
More information
may be found at www.edpr.com
Repsol is an
integrated oil and gas company with presence in more than thirty countries,
employing over 24,000 people. Repsol is present along the whole energy value
chain, including exploration, production, refining, transport, chemicals,
retail sales and new types of energy.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and
community development agency for the north and west of Scotland – a
region which covers half of the country.
HIE pursues four
priorities to support Scotland's economic recovery and deliver sustainable
growth across the region:
- Supporting businesses and social enterprises to shape
and realise their growth aspirations.
- Strengthening communities and fragile areas.
- Developing growth sectors, particularly distinctive
regional opportunities.
- Creating
the conditions for a competitive and low-carbon region.