Montrose Port Authority and SSE Renewables have finalised plans for the operations and maintenance base for the 1075MW Seagreen offshore wind farm off the east coast of Scotland.
SSE Renewables, which is leading the development and construction of the wind farm, announced last October it had selected Montrose as the home for the O&M base.
Work has been underway since to agree plans for the base at the port’s south quay which include an operations building, repurposed warehouse, communications tower and a pontoon for crew transfer vessels travelling to the Seagreen site offshore.
Following initial concerns raised by port users including Ferryden fishermen as well as local residents about the design of the floating pontoon, SSE Renewables and Montrose Port Authority have been working closely to redraw the pontoon layout.
A new design for the pontoon has been published, in agreement with port users and residents, which will see the pontoon now located alongside Berth Five to address those initial concerns.
SSE said that publication of the new design will allow construction work on the base to start in the Autumn.
Construction is expected to last about 12 months with the base due to be completed by late 2021.
Montrose Port Authority chief executive Tom Hutchison said: “As a Trust Port we have a duty of care to all our stakeholders to ensure that we operate in a fair and transparent manner for everybody’s benefit.
“We listened to the concerns put forward about the original pontoon design and after working collaboratively with all parties involved have come up with a working solution.
“The Seagreen project is of huge importance to the local economy and will create a significant number of jobs here in Montrose and the wider area.
“We are delighted that this phase of the development has been agreed and look forward to construction work getting underway shortly.”
Seagreen O&M package manager Andy Kaysaid: “The operations and maintenance base at Montrose Port will play an important role in the day-to-day running of Seagreen and we’re pleased to confirm that we have finalised plans for this.
“Seagreen represents one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in Scotland and will support a significant number of jobs during construction and throughout its operational life.
“Maintenance activities will be overseen from Montrose Port by our team to ensure the project is able to deliver clean, renewable energy reliably and safely on a day-to-day basis.”
MP for Angus Dave Doogan said: “This is a vital milestone in the delivery of the Seagreen project.
“The opportunities of construction will be positively felt while the ongoing employment opportunities of operations and maintenance at Montrose Port are very welcome here in Angus and especially in Montrose.
“This will put Montrose in an enviable position as we continue to develop renewable energy opportunities in the North Sea in the coming years and I look forward very much to seeing first-hand the positive impact of the £1.8m Community Benefit Fund on the six communities set to benefit.”
First power from Seagreen is expected by the end of 2021 with the offshore wind farm expected to be completed and enter commercial operation in 2022-2023.