Scots firms part of £1.8bn wind farm
Two Scottish companies have been selected to build an operational base at Eyemouth harbour for a giant offshore wind farm.
The appointment of Fifeheadquartered Muir Construction and Inland and Coastal of Lossiemouth marks the latest stage in the Neart na Gaoithe (NNG) project.
Neart na Gaoithe – meaning “strength of the wind” – is a key UK offshore wind farm development with up to £1.8 billion invested in its infrastructure. It will be located in the outer Forth Estuary.
Muir Construction, based in Inverkeithing, has been appointed to design and build Nng’s three-storey main operationsandmaintenancebuilding and its two-storey storage warehouse. The base will bring an economic boost to Eyemouth providing up to 50 permanent jobs.
Inland and Coastal, meanwhile, will design, manufacture and install the harbour’s new pontoon to make the basin accessible to crew transfer vessels and technicians.
NNG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, signed a lease with Eyemouth Harbour Trust in February which saw the location confirmed as the operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the project’s 25-year lifespan.
The new building will house the office, warehouse and staff welfare facilities required to support the servicing of NNG once the wind farm is fully operational.
Muir Construction has started enabling works with construction expected to commence this month while Inland and Coastal has completed the pontoon design with fabrication to get under way shortly and installation to start later this year.
The wind farm will supply enough low carbon electricity
for some 375,000 homes and has a capacity of around 450 megawatts.
Project director Matthias Haag said: “I’m really pleased towelcomemuirconstruction and Inland and Coastal to the
NNG project.
“We are fully committed to using the Scottish supply chain wherever possible and these two fantastic companies join a long list of Scottish business who are supporting
delivery of this hugely important infrastructure project for Scotland. Both have a wealth of experience and expertise in their field.”