James Fisher and Sons will create more than 100 jobs as part its £25m marine support contract for the 336MW Galloper wind farm off the coast of Suffolk.
Supply chain companies in the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth areas have been urged to contact the marine services outfit in relation to the work.
The company’s business development director Martin Dronfield told an East England Energy Group event today that all new hires so far have come from the local area.
“The skills locally have pleasantly surprised us,” he said.
“There is a lot of trust and belief being invested in the skills in the area. There is a great deal more than money going on in the emergence of the renewable sector down the east energy coast.”
James Fisher will prepare all transit facilities for the offshore wind farm as part of the deal and is creating welfare facilities, changing rooms and drying rooms at a new Lowestoft base.
It will also prepare the crew transfer and supply and manage multi-support vessels to and from the offshore site.
The £1.5bn Galloper project is a joint equity partnership of 25% each between RWE Innogy UK, UK Green Investment Bank, Siemens Financial Services and Macquarie Capital.
Construction is expected to begin in June with a commissioning date slated for March 2018.
Galloper project direction Toby Edmonds said: “The great thing about Lowestoft port is that it is ready to go as a base. We don’t have to make huge investment at the port for it to be ready.
“We are making modest investment there. The more projects that get built offshore, the less infrastructure will be needed at the ports for each project.”
Image: James Fisher
