Global Energy Group working on plans for £100 million wind farm construction factory at Port of Nigg in Cromarty Firth; the Inverness-based company's proposals could create up to 150 direct jobs and a further 300 in the wider Highland supply chain
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HUNDREDS of jobs could be created under ambitious £100 million plans to construct a major offshore wind fabrication yard at a Cromarty Firth port.
Global Energy Group, based in Inverness, is eyeing up the development at its site at Nigg – and it is believed the move could create 150 jobs and a further 300 more in the supply chain.
If it goes ahead the new facility would include a 35,000 cubic metre steel-rolling hall that would be capable of constructing up to 100 wind turbine towers every year. Foundations and steel jackets for the towers would also be created on site.
The move comes as the offshore wind industry booms, with major projects under way in the Moray Firth and as many as 17 offshore sites in the works across Scotland in the future.
It is understood that funding is still in the process of being secured but, if successful, the new 450 metre-long facility would require new quay space at the Port of Nigg to accommodate not just the new factory but also to help it cope with additional shipping.
Confirming its intentions, Global Energy Group told the energy news website Recharge: “The factory design will integrate cutting-edge technology to maximise operational efficiency, and regional staff historically employed in the oil and gas industry will have the opportunity to be retrained and upskilled at the Nigg Skills Academy to allow them to operate the machinery required to roll these giant structures.”
“The Port of Nigg could become the UK hub for offshore wind activity if successful in funding this ambitious plan to build this tower-rolling facility to service these upcoming projects.”
It is not known how much money has been secured for the project so far.
