The firm installing a pipeline to a major offshore wind farm off the Angus coast has been placed in receivership.
Roadbridge was responsible for the installation of more than 11 miles (19km) of cable for the Seagreen windfarm pipeline.
It runs from Carnoustie to the proposed substation at Tealing.
It is central to the £3 billion joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables, which is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2023.
Roadbridge UK is a subsidiary of Roadbridge Ltd, based in the Republic of Ireland.
The company cited financial difficulties as it entered receivership.
Nigel Morrison, Stuart Preston and Philip Stephenson, all partners of Grant Thornton, have been appointed as joint administrators of Roadbridge UK.
Administrators from Grant Thornton have also been appointed for the parent company.
Supporting employees
The company employed approximately 215 employees in the UK – with over half based in Bellshill.
Following the appointment of administrators, the majority of employees have been temporarily sent home.
Rob Parker, director at Grant Thornton, said: “It is very disappointing that efforts to save the company and other companies within the RBL group from insolvency were not successful.
“Our efforts now turn to supporting the company’s employees during this difficult time.”
Mr Parker said the administrators would also be “seeking to maximise asset realisations for the benefit of the company’s creditors”.
“We are currently assessing whether it is possible to salvage some or all of the business and invite any interested parties to get in touch.”
He confirmed operations have ceased while the administrators explore the available options.
Roadbridge news will be ‘of concern’
A spokesperson for Seagreen Wind Energy said: “We wholly appreciate the recent news regarding Roadbridge will be of concern to some of our subcontractors.
“We are working with Nexans to fully understand the implications to Roadbridge’s suppliers and any risks to the delivery of their scope on Seagreen and how these can be appropriately mitigated.”
At 1.1GW, the wind farm will be capable of generating around 5,000GWh of renewable energy annually.
This is enough electricity to power more than 1.6 million UK homes.
Last week, the huge topside – which weighs about 4,800 tonnes – was installed.
Its role is to collect and manage 1,075MW of power generated by the wind turbines.
The first of 114 turbines at Seagreen, 17 miles off the Angus coast, was installed late last year.
