Skilled Highland jobs are being supported by work to handle turbine components for a wind farm through the Port of Cromarty Firth.
Wick-based Hugh Simpson Contractors is providing specialist lifting services at Invergordon for components destined for the Lairg II wind farm.
The company is responsible for unloading components arriving by sea, transferring them into storage at the Port and reloading them for onward delivery to the wind farm site as required.
Two 700-tonne cranes have been used to discharge components, with individual tower components weighing around 65 to 70 tonnes.
Between four and six Hugh Simpson Contractor employees can be involved when components are being prepared for delivery to the site, with a further eight or nine people deployed during vessel unloading and storage operations.
The work is providing continuity of employment for the company’s skilled workforce and adding to its experience of delivering projects for the renewable energy industry.
Hugh Simpson, managing director of Hugh Simpson Contractors, said: “This is a very important project for us that is helping build further experience in this type of industry.
“We’re providing the complete lifting service for this part of the project, taking the components from the vessels, unloading them into storage and then reloading them when they’re required for delivery to the site.
“These are very large and heavy components and there has to be a high degree of precision in handling them, so you need experienced people who understand the challenges involved.”
The Port’s deep-water, sheltered berths and extensive laydown space allow turbine components to be brought into the Highlands and stored before being called forward by the construction team.
Mr Simpson said having that capacity at Invergordon helps reduce the potential impact of shipping and weather delays on the construction programme.
He added: “Having the space at Invergordon to get all the components in makes a huge difference. From our point of view, working with the Port has been simple and straight-forward. They’ve made life easy for us and it has been a very good working relationship.”
Ben Dowsett, area logistics manager at Nordex UK & Ireland, Nordex Group said: “Effective logistics are a key part of keeping a wind farm project moving, and the close collaboration between Nordex, Hugh Simpson Contractors, and the Port of Cromarty Firth has made a real difference. Having the right storage opportunity and a reliable process for handling and delivering components when they’re needed, really helps keep construction progressing smoothly. Lairg II will feature nine turbines from our award-winning Delta4000 series, so it’s great to see the local expertise and infrastructure supporting their delivery to site.”
Joanne Allday, head of strategy and business development at the Port of Cromarty Firth, said: “One of the most important benefits of energy sector projects at the Port is the opportunity it creates for businesses and skilled workers across the Highlands.
“We want to see as much of the economic benefit from the growth of renewable energy as possible retained within the Highlands, and this project demonstrates the expertise and capability which already exists in the region.”
Lairg II is a 49.9MW wind farm being developed around 4km south-east of Lairg, comprising of nine turbines with tip heights ranging from 150 to 200 metres.
