Skilled jobs in the Highlands are being supported by specialist turbine handling operations at the Port of Cromarty Firth, as components for the Lairg II wind farm arrive through Invergordon.
Wick-based Hugh Simpson Contractors is providing lifting and logistics services, unloading turbine components from vessels, moving them into storage and reloading them for onward transport to the wind farm site as construction progresses.
“This is a very important project for us that is helping build further experience in this type of industry,” said Hugh Simpson, managing director of Hugh Simpson Contractors.
“These are very large and heavy components and there has to be a high degree of precision in handling them.”
Two 700-tonne cranes have been used to discharge the components, with individual tower sections weighing approximately 65 to 70 tonnes. Between four and six employees can be involved when components are prepared for delivery, while eight or nine additional workers are deployed during vessel unloading and storage operations.
The port’s sheltered deep-water berths and extensive laydown areas allow turbine components to be brought into the Highlands and stored until required by the construction team.
Simpson said the storage capacity helps reduce the potential impact of shipping and weather delays on the construction programme, while praising the port’s working relationship with the contractor.
Ben Dowsett, area logistics manager at Nordex UK & Ireland, said effective logistics were crucial to keeping construction moving. He highlighted the collaboration between Nordex, Hugh Simpson Contractors and the port.
Lairg II is being developed approximately 4km south-east of Lairg and will have a generating capacity of 49.9MW. The project comprises nine turbines from Nordex’s Delta4000 series, with tip heights ranging from 150 to 200 metres.
Joanne Allday, head of strategy and business development at the Port of Cromarty Firth, said renewable energy projects could help retain economic benefits within the Highlands by drawing on local businesses, infrastructure and skilled workers.
