Lewis and Fife yards to work on Beatrice wind farm

Fife-based Burntisland Fabrications Ltd (BiFab) has secured work on the £2.6bn Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (Bowl) project.

The company will manufacture 26 offshore jacket substructures for the scheme, which involves installing 84 turbines in the Moray Firth.

BiFab said the work would involve its sites at Arnish on the Isle of Lewis and Burntisland and Methil in Fife.

Ten of the structures are to be delivered next year and 16 in 2018.

Bowl, which involves energy giant SSE, will also mean work for Wick Harbour in Caithness and the Nigg Energy Park on the Cromarty Firth.

Construction of the wind farm is expected to start next year.

'Very pleased'

SSE said it would generate 588MW of power once operational in 2019.

The Scottish government gave the project consent in March 2014 and it was granted an investment contract by the UK government in May that year.

The wind farm site in the Moray Firth already has two test turbines, which BiFab built.

John Robertson, BiFab managing director, said: "We are delighted that BiFab has been selected as part of the supply chain for this major UK infrastructure project.

"BiFab manufactured the two Beatrice demonstrators in 2006, and we have been monitoring closely the development of the Beatrice project over the last 10 years.

"We are very pleased that SSE and their partners are moving forward with the full development of the Beatrice project."