Latest news with #ScottishPowerRenewables'
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Ayrshire facility for recycling and repairing wind turbine parts opens
Ecocel opened their new facility in Kilwinning after winning a "multi-million pound" contract with Scottish Power Renewables. A company specialising in recycling and repairing wind turbines has relocated to Ayrshire after winning a "multi-million pound" contract with Scottish Power Renewables. Ecocel opened their new facility in Kilwinning on Tuesday, May 6, after taking on 10 new local staff to support Scottish Power Renewables to maintain and refurbish turbines across the UK. Established in 2010, Ecocel is a wind turbine maintenance firm who also work to recycle and refurbish wind turbine parts. The firm is well known in the industry for "major corrective repairs." As part of Scottish Power Renewables' asset upgrade works covering 204 wind turbines, Ecocel will manage the parts and supply for the installation of the Gamesa Pitch control system, which adjusts the angle of turbine blades to maximise efficiency. It will significantly enhance the efficacy and reliability of the turbines, contributing to increased renewable energy production. Despite the new premises being larger than their previous home in East Kilbride, Ecocel are also opening a facility in Irvine to support the project. North Ayrshire Council have supported Ecocel in finding their new locations as well as their hunt for new, local staff. Andrew Bone, 21, from Dalry is one of the new staff who have been taken on by Ecocel. He said: "I joined Ecocel because it is the future. Renewable industries are massive projects right now and something I want to be a part of. "I spent two years in another job before coming here but this company is a bit better because they train everyone and the people here are brand new and friendly. "I see myself working up at Ecocel, that is my plan and that is why I came in here. There is an opportunity for growth. I have always wanted to end up somewhere like here." Jamie Glover, Ecocel managing director, said: "Ayrshire is quite dense wind turbine-wise, especially for Scottish Power so a lot of our guys were from this area. When we were looking for somewhere to move to when we were growing out of the facility in East Kilbride, we started looking at East Ayrshire and engaged in a conversation with North Ayrshire. "They were fabulous and pointed us in the right direction. They have been helpful from the get go. It was an easy decision to make when we started talking to them. "The contract is part of the Pitch Upgrade Project. We are retrofitting the full pitch system of turbines. "There are two sides to the contract - the first part is that we provide all the parts and that is mostly what this facility in Kilwinning does. The other side of the business is the fit out on a third of the turbines as there are three companies doing all the fit outs. "The new facility we have opened in Irvine is a recycling centre and I think we are going to be able to recycle about 90 per cent of the parts. "Even small accumulators that you wouldn't normally do anything with, just throw them away, will be recycled. "I am very proud of that, the sheer amount of stuff that is going to be recycled here." Ross Galbraith, onshore construction and operations director at Scottish Power Renewables, said: "We're delighted to work with Ecocel on this critical upgrade project. Their commitment to excellence and innovation aligns with our dedication to advance and maximise renewable energy generation. "This is a great investment for us. We've got a significant number of renewable projects across the UK and we are keen to focus our efforts on supporting local companies that can help us with our journey to net zero. "The project and the work that Ecocel are doing takes us another step along that journey by enhancing the capabilities of our existing assets." Nicola McMurdie, business growth manager at North Ayrshire Council, said: "We have a portfolio of businesses that we try to support and Ecocel have come under my remit initially as an inward investment. "We've done a lot to get them into the area and now we are supporting them along the way by helping them with finding staff or to collaborate with other companies in the area." Cllr Tony Gurney, cabinet member for green environment and economy, added: "This is fantastic news for Kilwinning and the whole of North Ayrshire and we are delighted to be supporting Scottish Power Renewables and Ecocel in their efforts to drive sustainable energy solutions."
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish energy investment shows powerful depth of vision for future
AS Scotland accelerates on its journey towards net zero, the renewables sector is on a mission to ensure we reach our destination by focussing on connectivity, community and collaboration. Improving connectivity means there is a need to match investment in renewables with investment in the national grid, and ScottishPower is allocating £24 billion over the next four years, with just under half that investment being spent in Scotland – going not only to green energy generation, but also boosting transmission infrastructure. ScottishPower is developing three wind farms in Scottish waters, with the potential to power millions of homes with green electricity. Getting that offshore clean power to where it's needed is a vital part of the project. On the west coast of Scotland, ScottishPower's MachairWind, a fixed foundation wind farm proposed north-west of Islay and west of Colonsay, signed its grid connection agreement in October last year. Kiera Wilson, the project's Development Lead, notes: 'This will see us connect the project into south-west Scotland. We're continuing discussions with the transmission operator to finalise the location and design of the grid infrastructure. 'Having clarity on the grid connection date is really important, as it is a crucial part of our delivery programme. If you don't know when you're connecting and when you need to export first power by, it can be difficult for developers to have the confidence to invest. 'Another key consideration with these big projects is that the infrastructure itself is quite novel. These are projects using a new generation of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology which adds to the technical complexities. 'So the challenge is not only when are we connecting and where, but also the actual design.' (Image: Kiera Wilson, the Development Lead on ScottishPower Renewables' proposed MachairWind project) 'Having confidence in the grid connection is a key enabler to unlock further progress,' notes Richard Eakin, Project Director of two major floating offshore wind farms – joint ventures between ScottishPower and Shell – on the east coast of Scotland: MarramWind and CampionWind. 'In the case of MarramWind, we've received our updated grid connection offer and it is currently in the review process, but we had expected to receive this sooner, so we've effectively had a period of uncertainty about when we will be able to connect to the system and this has impacted our overall project programme. 'CampionWind is slightly more complicated because the solution suggested by the National Energy System Operator proposes coordination of transmission infrastructure between offshore wind projects which are in close proximity to each other. 'There's a need to coordinate the way projects are connected to the system, which on the one hand is a logical thing to explore but, on the other, is not something done before in the UK. You typically connect your own project to an onshore point. 'This is more about how you coordinate connections offshore and it is a challenge to work out who's going to be responsible for what and how this can be delivered in a landscape of competition between projects.' Alongside connectivity, community engagement remains a central tenet of operations for projects such as MachairWind. Wilson says: 'Right now we're working towards consent submission for the wind farm and, as part of the process, we're working through the feedback we received from the Marine Directorate and other consultees in our Scoping Opinion. 'This past year, we've also been looking more closely at the project design and based on information collected to date, we reduced the windfarm area from the 754km2, secured as part of our Option to Lease Agreement with Crown Estate Scotland, to 510km2. 'As we learn more, we will further refine the project and that will involve us taking a wide range of factors into consideration. 'A huge focus of the team is our continuing work with stakeholders at all levels, including – and very importantly – those at a local level through our engagement with community councils, development trusts as well as fishermen and other members of the local community via our drop-in events and meetings. 'We want to make sure everyone remains up to speed with developments and has the chance to comment on and inform our plans for the project. 'It's vital that we ensure local communities benefit from the wind farm, whether in the form of jobs or business opportunities the project will offer as it progresses towards construction and operation.' (Image: Project Director Richard Eakin is responsible for taking forward two major offshore wind farms) As part of this local engagement, the MachairWind team has been visiting local communities and will embark on a first round of statutory public consultation events in June. 'We're looking forward to seeing some new faces as well as some familiar ones and making sure they're all kept up to speed,' says Wilson. The team is also working on gaining a better understanding of the site itself. Wilson explains: 'We're just about to do a second geophysical survey campaign to gather more information about ground conditions on the seabed. 'We did one in 2023 and this is a follow-up, securing data that will help us to inform the wind farm design – identifying the most suitable areas for the turbines and their foundations. 'This will also give us information that will feed into our environmental impact assessment and consent application. 'We're excited to have a Scottish company, Sulmara, working with us to gather this important seabed data and we're also using a support vessel from the Clyde Fishermen's Association. 'It's great to have local partners on board collaborating with us on that work.' Eakin, too, is keen to underline the importance of demonstrating to communities the potential benefits of MarramWind and CampionWind's investments on the east coast. This includes meeting the challenge of transitioning from oil and gas, a sector that is a massive employer, particularly in the North East. 'People want to make sure there are opportunities for those who have been supported by the oil and gas industry as the energy sector transitions,' he says. 'That's why, among numerous programmes, we've undertaken an initiative to fund a schools programme and bring children from schools around Peterhead to Aberdeen Science Centre, where they were able to take part in interactive workshops. 'Sessions like this help inspire a interest in renewable energy and how the electricity generated actually gets to their homes and schools. 'We're going to do more of this sort of work as opportunities come up. It's vital the future workforce can be inspired and important you plant that seed; it sticks with them and they see the real opportunities for future careers.' As well as education, collaboration is important to ScottishPower's overall strategy. The company continues to take part in the Strategic Investment Model, with the aim of identifying and agreeing investment priorities necessary to deliver the ScotWind and wider offshore wind pipeline and maximise Scottish supply chain benefits. Eakin says: 'This will be a vehicle for us to collaboratively invest in the right opportunities, whether supply chain development or skills development. A lot of good work has already been achieved.' ------------------------------------------- Protection of the Scottish environment is paramount AS development lead for MarramWind on the east coast, it is the responsibility of Colin Anderson, pictured inset, to drive forward early stage development activities. 'These are long-term projects, but a lot of the work happens at the start with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)', he says. 'The EIA identifies and evaluates potential environmental impacts and helps design mitigation measures to minimise negative effects. Early engagement with stakeholders plays an important role. (Image: Development lead Colin Anderson) 'Delivery of the EIA requires managing both external specialist and in-house resources to bring together all the data that needs to be submitted alongside the planning applications for both the onshore and offshore elements of the project. 'Our focus is on achieving consent submission by Q1 of 2026 at the latest. My number one priority is having a clearly defined programme and making sure the various inputs needed to support it are in place to keep it on track.' As a floating offshore wind farm never before undertaken at such a vast commercial scale, MarramWind comes with its own particular set of challenges. 'The EIA will consider a design envelope that defines a number of parameters,' Anderson explains. 'As the floating market is still very much in its infancy, we need to strike the right balance between the predicted impact on the environment while ensuring we provide sufficient flexibility that allows the project to adapt to any future changes as we take a final investment decision and move towards construction and operation.' ------------------------------------------------ Supply chain is energised for offshore initiatives A MAJOR factor in successfully delivering green energy is ensuring the supply chain is ready for offshore wind. For MachairWind, SPR has been partnering with other developers in the Fit for Offshore Renewables (F4OR) islands initiative. Created by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the programme will offer fully-funded, expert support to help eligible companies succeed in the offshore wind industry. Kiera Wilson explains: 'It's great to see four companies from the region being selected to take part in that programme. This is the first time the programme has been solely focused on island and coastal community-based businesses, which is a real boost. 'We're really happy to be supporting these companies in our area through that process and getting them ready to have the right toolkit to engage and embrace the opportunities projects, such as MachairWind, and others will have to offer in due course. 'For each of the businesses, the programme includes workshops and one-to-one sessions with experts from ORE Catapult, talking them through what kind of certifications would be useful to have and what skill sets they might need to develop their existing businesses to make sure the workforce have the right qualifications and skills to support the industry. It could be a real game-changer.' The four Argyll & Bute companies taking part are MacLeod Construction Ltd, Ocean Ecology Ltd, SAMS Enterprise and Shearwater Marine Services.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
End 'whack-a-mole' energy projects strategy
An MP has called for an end to what she called a "whack-a-mole strategy" for energy projects in the East of England. Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal, said a "void of no leadership" meant major infrastructure projects on Suffolk's coast were not coordinated, leading to "applications being drawn up without community interests at their heart". The Sizewell C nuclear power station, infrastructure to support offshore wind farms and National Grid projects are all planned for the county's coast. A government spokesperson said it was "reforming our planning system to ensure an effective, strategic approach for new energy projects". Speaking on BBC Radio Suffolk, Riddell-Carpenter said: "Thirty per cent of the UK's energy is due to be created or transported through Suffolk's coastline and that's a significant amount of energy infrastructure that's either planned, being constructed now or intended to come here." Both Sizewell C and ScottishPower Renewables' offshore windfarms were given approval in 2022, when the Conservatives were in power. "In creating that void of no leadership, organisations stepped in and they could just carve it up, pop this here, pop that there and it was a whack-a-mole strategy that was just left up to the energy developers to pursue and sustain," she said. "In no way is that good enough; in no way is that sufficient." She gave the example of the Nautilus project, plans for an under sea cable between Belgium and the UK. Suffolk's coast was being considered by National Grid as a location for landfall for the cable, but this has now moved to Kent. Riddell-Carpenter said: "Suddenly it was off the cards - it left just as suddenly as it came - but this is not how policy should be developed or conceived." She said she was pulling together a Suffolk Coastal Energy task force, including parish councillors, community leaders and representatives from the energy developers, to better co-ordinate plans. However, energy firms dispute the alleged lack of coordination. A spokesperson for National Grid said: "The application for our Sea Link project has not yet been submitted. "We have been consulting local communities in East Suffolk for the last three years, including local political representatives, all with the aim of identifying ways to keep disruption from construction to a minimum. "We are already coordinating with the other projects in the area, and attend community-facing meetings like the Sizewell C Community Forum - which the local MP is invited to." Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said: "Low-carbon energy projects offer this area a huge opportunity for jobs, for investment, and for growth. "But projects do need to talk to each other; we do need to set an example of how infrastructure can be done better in this region. "We're working very closely with local projects and councils, to share intelligence and coordinate so that we can reduce impacts on local people." A spokesperson for ScottishPower Renewables said it prided itself on being "a responsible developer" and "considerate constructor". "Our East Anglia offshore windfarm projects, which are all fully consented, are multi-billion pound investment projects," they said. "Our focus is always on minimising impact – for example, installing all the cable route ducting for one windfarm during the construction of another – while maximising benefits for our communities." A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "Securing Britain's clean energy future requires improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way to get renewable electricity on the grid and protect billpayers from unstable fossil fuel markets. "We are reforming our planning system to ensure there is an effective, strategic approach for new energy projects. "Communities will continue to have a voice on developments in their area." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Nothing prepared us for Sizewell C devastation' Two offshore windfarms given planning permission Major energy project moves from Suffolk to Kent Campaigners continue to fight new substation plans Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ScottishPower Renewables National Grid - Lion Link National Grid - Sea Link Sizewell C
BBC News
15-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Suffolk Coastal MP wants end to 'whack-a-mole' energy strategy
An MP has called for an end to what she called a "whack-a-mole strategy" for energy projects in the East of England. Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal, said a "void of no leadership" meant major infrastructure projects on Suffolk's coast were not coordinated, leading to "applications being drawn up without community interests at their heart". The Sizewell C nuclear power station, infrastructure to support offshore wind farms and National Grid projects are all planned for the county's coast. A government spokesperson said it was "reforming our planning system to ensure an effective, strategic approach for new energy projects". Speaking on BBC Radio Suffolk, Riddell-Carpenter said: "Thirty per cent of the UK's energy is due to be created or transported through Suffolk's coastline and that's a significant amount of energy infrastructure that's either planned, being constructed now or intended to come here." Both Sizewell C and ScottishPower Renewables' offshore windfarms were given approval in 2022, when the Conservatives were in power."In creating that void of no leadership, organisations stepped in and they could just carve it up, pop this here, pop that there and it was a whack-a-mole strategy that was just left up to the energy developers to pursue and sustain," she said."In no way is that good enough; in no way is that sufficient."She gave the example of the Nautilus project, plans for an under sea cable between Belgium and the coast was being considered by National Grid as a location for landfall for the cable, but this has now moved to said: "Suddenly it was off the cards - it left just as suddenly as it came - but this is not how policy should be developed or conceived." She said she was pulling together a Suffolk Coastal Energy task force, including parish councillors, community leaders and representatives from the energy developers, to better co-ordinate energy firms dispute the alleged lack of coordination.A spokesperson for National Grid said: "The application for our Sea Link project has not yet been submitted."We have been consulting local communities in East Suffolk for the last three years, including local political representatives, all with the aim of identifying ways to keep disruption from construction to a minimum."We are already coordinating with the other projects in the area, and attend community-facing meetings like the Sizewell C Community Forum - which the local MP is invited to." Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said: "Low-carbon energy projects offer this area a huge opportunity for jobs, for investment, and for growth."But projects do need to talk to each other; we do need to set an example of how infrastructure can be done better in this region. "We're working very closely with local projects and councils, to share intelligence and coordinate so that we can reduce impacts on local people."A spokesperson for ScottishPower Renewables said it prided itself on being "a responsible developer" and "considerate constructor"."Our East Anglia offshore windfarm projects, which are all fully consented, are multi-billion pound investment projects," they said."Our focus is always on minimising impact – for example, installing all the cable route ducting for one windfarm during the construction of another – while maximising benefits for our communities." A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "Securing Britain's clean energy future requires improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way to get renewable electricity on the grid and protect billpayers from unstable fossil fuel markets."We are reforming our planning system to ensure there is an effective, strategic approach for new energy projects."Communities will continue to have a voice on developments in their area." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
