Aberdeen-based Sparrows Group will supply more than 100 cranes for a major southern North Sea wind farm after winning its biggest ever contract for a renewables project.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that the contract represented a “significant milestone” for Sparrows and showed there were plenty for the Scottish supply chain to play for.
Ms Sturgeon was visiting Sparrow’s Aberdeen base on the same day that she launched a new £5million fund to support oil and gas decommissioning.
Sparrows’ contract award comes one week after the firm agreed an extension on a deal to supply crane services on BP’s North Sea assets, safeguarding up to 200 jobs.
Sparrows will make 103 cranes at its Aberdeen facility for Granada Material Handling on behalf of ScottishPower Renewables.
A crane will be installed on each of the East Anglia One wind farm’s 102 wind turbines with a further crane used for training purposes.
Production is expected to start early 2017 with final delivery scheduled mid-2018.
ScottishPower Renewables’ £2.5billion East Anglia One project will produce enough energy to power 500,000 homes a year.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Sparrows is using expertise developed in the oil and gas sector and transferring it to other energy and manufacturing sectors. Securing this major contract is a significant milestone for the company, and demonstrates the opportunities that exist for the Scottish supply chain.
“In line with the Scottish Government’s draft Energy Strategy, my government will continue to support the recovery of North Sea oil and gas. We will seek to maximise the opportunities for production, exploration, and decommissioning but at the same time, encourage the industry to play a positive role in the low carbon transition.”
Sparrows chief executive Stewart Mitchell said: “East Anglia ONE is a large scale and high-profile wind farm that will deliver substantial benefits for the UK for many years to come. This contract award is recognition of the expertise that exists in the UK and we are working hard to ensure we play our part in cementing Aberdeen and the North East as a global skills hub and providing job security for our employees.
“We have utilised our extensive knowledge of operations and maintenance to design a range of highly reliable and low maintenance offshore wind turbine cranes that are ideal for the renewables sector.”
Recommended for you
