BiFab says renewables opportunity 'almost beyond belief'
New energy sources such as wind power are creating opportunities for Fife and Scottish manufacturing companies "almost beyond belief," former prime minister Gordon Brown has been told.
- By Bruce Fegen
- Published in the Courier : 23.07.10
- Published online : 23.07.10 @ 02.29pm
The Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP visited BiFab at Fife Energy Park in Methil on Thursday and was briefed on the company's prospects by managing director John Robertson.
Formed by a management buy-out from Consafe at Burntisland nine years ago — the company wanted to close the operation completely — BiFab now reports to be the world leader in developing deepwater offshore structures for wind power.
It employs 900, is working on a £60 million contract for 31 sub-structures for the Ormonde wind farm in the North Sea and is investing more than £14 million to be well-placed to take advantage of future developments.
The company has secured an agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy to supply at least 50 jacket substructures a year starting in 2014 for 10 to 12 years and is bidding for more contracts after the Crown Estate granted licences for major wind farm projects around the UK coastline.
Mr Robertson said creating structures for the Beatrice demonstrator project had put BiFab and Fife on the map.
"We are now world leaders for developing offshore structures in deep water."
He told Mr Brown it was easier for firms in the UK, and Scotland in particular, with their offshore oil and gas experience, to move into deepwater jackets for wind turbines than European companies.
"We see it as a tremendous opportunity," he said, adding that contracts to cover from now to 2014 were actively being sought.
BiFab's capacity will rise from 60 structures a year to 150 and, with the Crown Estate round three licensing expected to create demand for 800/900 structures in the UK alone, he said, "We will be a serious player. We can look ahead much better than before, introduce more training and expertise and plan better for the future.
Tremendous opportunity
"As turbines get bigger — one company is talking of a 10-megawatt machine — our jackets will come more into their own and it is a tremendous opportunity."
Mr Brown said, "There's tremendous potential for expansion. First this was a mine, then North Sea oil and gas work took place here, now it's moving to a new stage. You saw the possibility of moving into wind power before anyone else."
Mr Robertson said, "It was so important for us to manufacture the two jackets for Beatrice, as the whole world knows about Beatrice — the technology is proven and the future potential for companies in Fife and the UK is massive.
"Opportunities in wind and alternative energy could, in my opinion, be bigger for manufacturing industry than oil and gas. The scale is almost beyond belief sometimes."
Mr Brown said Britain had overtaken Denmark as the world's biggest wind power developer.
"This will mean lots of new opportunities so major turbine and blade manufacturers are looking at bases in Britain.
"A lot of firms are looking at Fife right now. Fife has become the centre for offshore wind power. Britain has become the biggest for offshore wind power."
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