The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Giant wind farm could be BiFab’s saviour, says FM
Sturgeon hints at ‘grounds for optimism’ on yards
Nicola Sturgeon has hinted that work from a huge offshore wind farm off the Fife coast could save BiFab.
The new owners of the fabrication yard are on the hunt for contracts that would allow them to lift redundancy notices for dozens of Fife workers.
Lewis Macdonald, the Labour MSP, asked Ms Sturgeon what training the Scottish Government was putting in place for BiFab staff, to give them the best chance of securing work for the Neart na Gaoithe (NNG) wind farm.
The SNP leader told First Minister’s Questions government agencies have launched several training programmes, including ones that equip oil and gas workers with renewables skills.
Referring to NNG, she said: “This is one of the contracts that, while there are no guarantees, I think gives grounds for optimism for the future of a company like BiFab.
“As the chamber knows we are very focussed on ensuring that we do everything we can to support BiFab.
“When the acquisition by DF Barnes was announced it was made very clear that it was not a magic solution and that hard times still lay ahead.
“The yard has to win contracts, but that acquisition means BiFab did not close and what we now need to do is support it to win contracts from projects like this.”
Last week Economy Secretary Keith Brown said there are “two contracts coming up fairly shortly that BiFab will have an opportunity to win”.
The company’s fabrication yards in Fife have been left without work from the ending of a contract building platforms for offshore wind turbines.
The battle for BiFab was given a boost last month with the takeover by Canadian engineering firm DF Barnes, brokered by Scottish ministers.
Experts at the Fraser of Allander Institute have estimated the NNG wind farm will be worth £827 million to the Scottish economy over its lifetime, creating thousands of jobs during construction and at least 230 for its dayto-day operations.
The site is 16km (about four miles) off the Fife coast, covering an area of about 105sq km.
Speaking after FMQs, Mr Macdonald said: “The BiFab yards are an enormous asset for Scotland’s renewables future and the Scottish Government must use all the means available to it to ensure that these yards remain operational.”