Written by Stan Arnaud
Hopes of a jobs boom at a Highland port have been put on hold after the
company behind a £250million floating windfarm off Stonehaven announced it
is changing its plans for the project.
Construction of concrete bases for the eight-turbine, 50megawatt (MW),
Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Limited (KOWL) development had been due to
start at Kishorn, in Wester Ross, this summer, but stalled after its
Spanish backer said it had “encountered difficulties with an important
element of its supply chain.”
Yesterday Kishorn Port Limited (KPL) director Alasdair Ferguson said any
work the yard may win for the project is now unlikely to get underway
before the end of 2018 after KOWL announced it will install one 2MW machine
on a semi-submersible platform next year.
The previously planned turbine array, nine miles offshore, will then be
built on semi-submersible platforms and spars in 2019 and 2020, according
to the new proposals unveiled at an offshore wind conference in Glasgow by
KOWL project director Allan MacAskill.
KOWL, set up by Scotland’s former deputy first minister Lord Nicol Stephen
and now majority owned by Spanish company ACS, is expected to file a
variation order for the new plans shortly.
Earlier this year it was announced that up to 200 jobs were likely to be
created at the former North Sea oil fabrication yard at Kishorn after KOWL
and KPL, a joint-venture between Lochaber-based Ferguson Transport and
Shipping and quarry firm Leiths (Scotland), signed an exclusivity agreement
for the manufacture of the concrete bases.
Mr Ferguson said: “We will be looking to bid for the business when it comes
round and are also continuing to pursue other opportunities.”
He added was “very disappointing the way it has unfolded” with the KOWL
project.
In a statement KOWL said: “Despite the difficulties encountered we are
fully committed to the project and remain confident that the project will
generate renewable energy to the electricity grid by September 2018.”
2 Comments
Robert McClymont · November 17, 2017 at 5:50 pm
Against spin contact form NOT sending, error messages?
Maximise and support all other green and enviroment, bird protected energy before windfarms is the message
EU Law enviromental is the highest law after uk supreme court!
Windfarms that kill birds and bats and bad for enviroment get govenment, planning support priority over hydro, tidal, and energy from landfill commodities like carbon from coal and aluminium foils.
SAS Volunteer · November 19, 2017 at 9:30 am
Thanks for reporting that Robert. Webmaster has been informed.