Should the Inch Cape project be awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) this summer, it would trigger an 18-month, GBP 5.2 million (EUR 6.2 million) investment programme in Montrose Port.
The investment would be poured into an upgrade of the infrastructure to accommodate the O&M base. Initial work is planned to begin in 2023 with the construction of offices and a warehouse at the port’s South Quay.
A dedicated pontoon for crew transfer vessels, traveling to and from the Inch Cape site, will also be constructed along with the installation of dockside cranes and a communications mast.
The base is expected to be operational by early 2025 to coincide with the commissioning of the first turbines at the offshore wind farm.
The Montrose operations and maintenance base is set to support up to 56 direct, full-time equivalent (FTE), long-term jobs including turbine technicians, asset managers, and office staff, according to Inch Cape Offshore Limited.
“If we succeed in the current Contracts for Difference round, Inch Cape will deliver millions of pounds of new investment, not just in Montrose but, with other key suppliers and facilities in Scotland and beyond, supporting local communities and a transition to a greener economy,” said Adam Ezzamel, Inch Cape Project Director.
According to Ezzamel, the project will use the very latest technology to reduce carbon emissions from vessels to operational base designs, operating and maintaining some of the biggest wind turbines in the world deployed in water depths of up to 57 metres.
