Sitting between the British mainland and the Northern Isles, Caithness is best-known in the energy industry for Dounreay – the nuclear research plant that developed fast breeder reactor technology in 1955.
Although Dounreay closed in 1994, its legacy attracts energy giants like Subsea 7, ASCO, and Kongsberg Maritime, and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise has anticipated 20 projects in the area between now and 2021.
Speaking on future possibilities, Roy Kirk the area manager of Highland and IslandS Enterprise said: “We are excited by the capacity and potential at the tip of the mainland of the UK.
“We see the region developing both as an operations base as well as a supply base. Our strong connectivity and deepwater harbours offer considerable savings rather than using Norway as a refuelling point.
The Atlantic Frontier’s budding prospects will be showcased at an exhibition run by Subsea UK at the AECC in Aberdeen next week. Mr Roy hopes the event will inform and encourage Aberdeen companies to build links with Caithness.
He added: “The aim is to make Aberdeen-based companies aware of the financial incentives, talent pool, capacity and infrastructure available by using Caithness as an energy hub.”
Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK said: “As oil & gas fields have moved North over the years starting in the southern sector, we have seen ports develop up the East Coast to serve the developments. As the Atlantic Frontier develops, it will need a base to service its needs to help reduce costs.
“We hope to hear first-hand from companies what we as an industry can do to make the Atlantic Frontier a key part of their future investment plans.”
The exhibition will be held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on 1 October.
