A group of Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have asked SSE to award fabrication work contracts for its Beatrice offshore wind project to the BiFab yards in Fife and Arnish.
If work on the jackets does not go to these yards, impact on workers, their families and the local economies they are located in will be devastating, the cross party group of five MSPs said in a letter sent to SSE.
”The renewable energy industry could provide a lifeline to revitalise our indigenous fabrication, engineering and steel industry base. We hope therefore that SSE will consider its responsibilities to the wider Scottish community and economy in deciding on the award of this contract,” the MSPs said in the letter.
”We would be happy to meet with you and your team to make our own representations to you about the importance of a planned and responsible approach to this contract award and to discuss more generally the prospects for a more coherent public policy and private and public procurement and supply chain approach.”
GMB Scotland, the union for fabrication workers, welcomed the letter from the cross party group.
“A lot of money from Scottish consumers will go to make the Beatrice project viable,” Jim Moohan, GMB Scotland Regional Officer, said.
”GMB Scotland applaud this initiative by this cross party group of MSPs to ensure that Scottish workers get a fair slice of the fabrication work on this project to keep them and the yards in work.”
Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) is the partnership formed between SSE Renewables (50%), Repsol Nuevas Energias UK (25%) and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (25%).
The site is located in the Outer Moray Firth on the north-western point of the Smith Bank, 13.5km from the Caithness coastline.
Subject to a positive final investment decision, the 664MW Beatrice offshore wind project, which was consented by Marine Scotland in March 2014, and granted an Investment Contract by the UK government in May 2014, is planned for construction in 2016.