BiFab misses out on wind farm order, contractor confirms

The contractor building a multi-billion pound offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth has confirmed that BiFab's Fife yards have not won any of the work.

The Methil and Burntisland fabrication yards are mothballed, having been close to financial collapse last year.

Their revival depended on a contract to build some of the platforms for the Moray East offshore wind farm.

Last week trade unions said they expect the work to go to Belgian and Spanish yards.

They claimed there was not a level playing field for bidding.

A statement by Deme, the Belgian company in charge of procurement for Moray East, emphasised the role of a Belgian-owned yard near Newcastle in having "a major portion" of the work, but did not offer details of how much of the work will be at continental yards.

The statement emphasised the role of Bifab's yard near Stornoway in making equipment, and Invergordon and Peterhead harbours as supply bases.

The order on which BiFab was pinning hopes of a return to production at Burntisland and Methil in Fife was for 100 steel jackets on which turbines will sit, off the east coast of Caithness.

The Moray East wind array is one of three major wind farms off the east coast of Scotland which are approved, have subsidised contracts to produce electricity for the national grid, and are at the stage of placing orders.