Buckie wind farm base hailed as ‘outstanding’ by First Minister John Swinney
An “outstanding” new wind farm base has been declared officially open by the First Minister.
John Swinney MSP was at Buckie Harbour this afternoon to do the honours at Ocean Winds’ new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base.
The 2000m² facility will service the Moray West wind farm currently under construction some 22km off the Moray coast.
It has taken just 15 scant months to turn a rubble-strew site into a state-of-the art facility, the ground-breaking ceremony being performed last May by the then Energy Minister Gillian Martin MSP.
First Minister John Swinney MSP unveils a commemorative plaque after declaring Ocean winds’ new Buckie base officially open:
Built by Scottish contractors, the building includes offices, warehousing and training facilities, plus an extensively redeveloped quayside area which features pontoons, cranes and fuel storage to serve the Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) taking personnel and equipment to the wind farm every day. Once fully operational the base will handle up to 100 vessel movements a week to ensure smooth long term power generation from the project.
A total of 60 permanent jobs will be created at the site.
Before unveiling a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion, Mr Swinney heaped praise both on the development and on the wider role it would play in helping Scotland’s journey to net zero.
He said: “Let me start by commending the outstanding design that has been put in place to which this venture is founded.
“The development of this site, of course, will have come about by a really strong partnership involving Ocean Winds, but also the Harbour Authority here in Buckie, Moray Council and various other partners who have made this possible.
“I think that's an indication of what we have to do in making sure these developments are able to take their course. It's by creating a sense of common purpose, a sense of goodwill to make sure that major developments of this significance can happen and can enable us to reap the rewards of those investments.
“This site represents the nerve centre of Ocean Winds in Buckie. The developments of Ocean Winds [are] a practical reality that's delivering power into the grid today.
“It's delivering the economic opportunities onshore for our people as well. This site will employ 60 people and that's going to make a significant contribution to the economy. That's very welcome because it demonstrates a practical, tangible element of the delivery of a renewable revolution within Scotland. [It’s] part of creating sustainable energy generation, but it's also part of the journey towards achieving our commitments in relation to climate change and to ensuring the sustainability of all of our energy production.”
“Another interesting element of this development is the fact that many of the skills that are being used in this venture are skills that have been first acquired in the oil and gas sector and members of staff are now making the transition into renewables, using those skills that they've acquired in oil and gas for successful development of the renewables and energy capacity of our country. And that's a practical illustration of how we are managing the transition from our reliance on oil and gas to the new opportunities of renewables, but doing that in a sustainable way and by taking people with us in the process.
“[This is] just one other part of the emerging story of Scotland around the development of renewables and we have such exciting prospects ahead of us.
“I wish the company every success in the work that [they] take forward.”
After unveiling the plaque, Mr Swinney was taken on a tour of the pier facility.
Craig Windram, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Winds, commented: “Opening this new cutting-edge operation and maintenance facility will enable our expert teams to safely and efficiently ensure the smooth running of Moray West.
“In the current international context, I am delighted to showcase our commitment to the creation of local opportunities thanks to our offshore wind projects, and to delivering clean and reliable energy to the countries in which we operate.”.
Adam Morrison, the firm’s UK Country Manager, said: “I am delighted to be able to mark this latest milestone on our award-winning Moray West project.
“It is thanks to the professionalism and hard work of the Moray West project team, and our supply chain partners, that we are able to celebrate opening our new home in the northeast of Scotland. Employing local people that will be able to get home to their communities every night is a great result for Buckie, the region and Scotland.
“Our new Operations & Maintenance hub formed between Buckie and its sister base in Fraserburgh prepares us for efficient long-term operations, supporting long term careers across Moray and Aberdeenshire.”
Pete Geddes, Ocean Winds Project Director for the Moray West project, added: “It is testament to the strength of our teams, working closely with our contractors, that we have delivered this fantastic new O&M base to ensure our Buckie based teams have the best possible support for the challenges of offshore work.
“We are already an integral part of the local communities that lend their people to our project each day. I’m delighted to have led the project that is integral to the energy and skills transition.”
The 882MW wind farm is nearing the end of the construction phase and will become fully operational in 2025 in line with the originally projected commercial operations date. The multi-billion-pound investment, supported by £2 billion of project finance, includes multiple superlatives such as the installation of 60 of the world’s largest serially produced wind turbines and the largest monopile foundations in UK waters.
According to Ocean Winds, the wind farm will be able to produce enough electricity to power up to 1.33 million homes.
