InfraStrata fabrication contract win to lead to hundreds of Scots jobs

Almost 300 jobs are to be created in Scotland after InfraStrata bagged a multi-millionpound contract for work on a major offshore wind development.

And the development brings with it the potential for benefits for the Arnish Yard on the Isle of Lewis and the hope of future work from additional projects.

The firm will be responsible for the fabrication and load-out of eight wind turbine generator (WTG) jacket foundations for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Farm, which is under construction in the outer Firth of Forth.

With a total value of £26m, the contract is due to get under way from July 1 and is expected to run into the first half of 2022.

InfraStrata said the deal would create work for 290 direct and indirect Scottish jobs, 260 of which will be new.

The work will primarily be carried out at InfraStrata subsidiary Harland and Wolff ’s yard in Methil, Fife.

But support may be provided as required by the company’s other facilities at Arnish, on the Isle of Lewis, Appledore and Belfast.

And senior council figures in the Western Isles hope it will lead to new life for the Lewis yard.

Donald Crichton, chairman of Western Isles Council’s sustainable development committee, said: “We welcome the news that the company has secured this contract in such a short time.

“We have a good dialogue with the company and we are reassured about their aspirations and plans for Arnish.

“It is good news that the recruitment process for a local management team has begun and we look forward to further developments, including the securing of contracts suitable for Arnish.”

London-listed InfraStrata was awarded the work by Saipem, NnG’s tier-one service provider.

Contract negotiations were already ongoing between the two firms before InfraStrata agreed an £850,000 deal in February to buy the Methil and Arnish yards through its Harland and Wolff brand. The sites’ previous owner, Burntisland Fabrications (BiFab), was placed into administration in December after the Scottish Government decided to withdraw support for the stricken firm.

John Wood, InfraStrata’s CEO, said: “It’s always satisfying to see a strategy come together and we’re probably a bit ahead of schedule given we only took on these yards a few weeks ago. When you look at the Methil yard’s previous owners, I think they looked to use it as it has always been.

“We’ve taken it on with a different emphasis and we’re looking at the use of robotics and technology.

“The investments in new robotic machinery that we’ve made will be coming as part of this package and ready to start work in July.

“That’s a key emphasis of this project and it highlights our ambitions.”

NnG, which is jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB Energy, is being built around nine miles off the Fife coast.

The 450-megawatt, 54-turbine wind farm is due to become operational in 2023 and will be capable of producing enough energy to power around 375,000 homes.

Matthias Haag, NnG project director, said: “This is an important day, for the offshore wind sector in Scotland and for our project. When we announced our main contractors in 2019, we made clear our commitment to the Scottish supply chain and the role it has to play in the construction of NnG. That’s why this contract signing is such good news.

“We are pleased the contract has been awarded to Harland and Wolff with the bulk of the work taking place in Scotland.”

The announcement will go some way in alleviating fears among unions and politicians that the UK’s much-lauded green industrial revolution might not translate into domestic investment and jobs.

To date, significant proportions of work for wind projects in Scotland have gone overseas, with developers citing a lack of available facilities locally.

Joint trade union secretaries Gary Smith and Pat Rafferty, who represent GMB and Unite, welcomed the announcement but said it needed to be the first step in a “long journey of investment”. They added: “We need to take the opportunity now to work together and set out an industrial plan for Scotland’s future.”

The promising likelihood of upcoming projects for the Arnish yard on the Isle of Lewis is very welcome and an important step forward for the island. To see the yard’s new owner move swiftly to secure large contracts is encouraging, not only because it marks the first sign of recovery for Arnish, but also because it confirms that work for wind farms in Scotland will be undertaken in Scotland.

InfraStrata has pledged to invest to capitalise on the surge in renewable energy. This kind of dedicated backing is essential for getting the best of what the country has to offer.

It is clear that the global interest in renewable energy will not disappear any time soon, and Arnish is well placed to contribute greatly. Further opportunities will undoubtedly arise in the years to come for skilled workers who have survived through devastatingly uncertain times.

To see hundreds of new jobs created in Fife is cheering news for the country’s future, and we hope to see many more crop up for Lewis in the coming months. So much has felt frozen in time and left hanging in the balance over the last year – now a hopeful era of action and excitement begins.

HARNESSING THE WIND: A computer-generated image of the turbine jackets on a barge and heading out to the windfarm site.