The Winners in the Great Wind Giveaway - Nigg

As dawn broke over the calm waters of the Moray Firth, the 7,000 ton heavy-lifting barge 'Rambiz' sat idly at the Nigg Fabrication Yard, Scotland. A culmination of 6 years planning and hard work, the final stages of the Beatrice Wind Farm Demonstrator Project were already underway. With a 90m turbine hub, 60m blades and a specially licensed Quattropod to transport 12 miles offshore, it was going to be a both a challenging and ground-breaking operation. Never before had a turbine of this size been installed in such deepwater (45m) nor in one 'pre-assembled' piece. Success wasn't guaranteed, but a success it was.

The 'Beatrice project' (as it became known) proved to be a pioneering development in the history of offshore wind. By demonstrating the methodology behind the project, the Beatrice team (now called Seaenergy Renewables) proved that operational time could be maximised, objections could be minimised and larger turbines could be utilised in a deep offshore environment.

In addition to its technical achievements, the project also demonstrated the possibility of wind turbines providing power for offshore oil infrastructure. The two Beatrice turbines would generate power for the Beatrice oil platform 3km away, thereby extending its operating life by many years. A refreshing mix of old energy meeting new.

Yet whilst revolutionary in its modus operandi, many of the skills behind the wind project were well-established and had been nurtured and honed from that bastian of offshore engineering, the oil and gas industry. Nigg and its neighbour, Invergordon, had for years been used as bases for vessels travelling out to North Sea platforms, but Nigg in particular was a well-worn camp for trips to the Beatrice oil field. At its peak, the Beatrice field produced 50000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), now that figure is closer to 5000 bpd. Whereas the platform used to bustle with a crew of 240, today it operates on a skeleton crew of 20.

As the depletion of North Sea reserves accelerates, so does the deterioration of the surrounding industry. The Nigg Fabrication Yard is now up for sale and a huge row over ownership has ensued, further threatening its future.

This year the crown estate launched the 3rd UK Offshore Wind Farm Licensing round and accompanying the developer application material was a map of the UK, illustrated with the Crown Estates (CE) 'preferred development zones'. Drawn in the top right-hand corner of the map was a large, rectangular box, overlapping the Beatrice oil field. When the demonstrator project was started, Talisman had stated that its two turbine project could lead the way to a 200 turbine development in the same area, depending on its commerciality. The latest maps from the CE indicate that commerciality may well have been proven. It did not select sites at random and reams of industry data was collated from current developments before preferred sites were chosen.

If true, it makes the demise of the Nigg fabrication yard so much sadder. Will it miss out on a glorious resurgence of the Beatrice and outer-Beatrice area? As the older industries plod towards a comfortable retirement, will Nigg miss out on the newer, brighter, fresher industry thats waiting in the wings?

Over time, wind energy has the potential of creating tens of thousands of jobs. In Germany alone, the wind industry provides 70,000 jobs and there have been estimates that a redeveloped Nigg could provide up to 800 new jobs.

At the end of the day it seems that Beatrice needs Nigg, Nigg needs Beatrice and they both need wind. With the Crown Estates decision on a full-scale Beatrice wind farm development to be made later next year, I hope there will be a queue of people lining up to rejuvinate the area.

For this is not about the prosperity of a single North-East town, its the creation of an era, which will benefit the whole of Scotland for decades to come.