Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has 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.”
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.”