Work has started on a multimillion-pound dock development which aims to draw more investment to Orkney’s renewable-energy sector.
Orkney Islands Council said the £9.2million Copland’s Dock project, which includes a 328-foot pier, would be complete by February 2014.
The new pier at Stromness will be well placed to serve the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec) wave test site at Billia Croo and for commercial marine-energy projects in the Pentland Firth and off the west coast of Orkney.
The scheme is part of the council’s “three ports strategy” to provide the burgeoning marine-energy sector with the necessary infrastructure.
Copland’s Dock will complement the £8million Hatston pier at Kirkwall and £3.5million pier and shoreside development at Lyness, on Hoy.
The chairman of the local authority’s development and infrastructure committee, James Stockan, said: “We are glad to see the new economic opportunity of Copland’s Dock is getting under way. The project will secure the viability of the harbour for generations to come.
“With its deep water, easy access for lorries and with vessels and vehicles getting bigger, Copland’s Dock is going to be a long-term solution for Stromness.”
Emec managing director Neil Kermode said: “It’s great to see the progress of this development direct from my office window in Stromness.
“The new pier and associated infrastructure will be invaluable to our clients as they test their devices at our wave test site at Billia Croo, and then as they begin to deploy these machines commercially in Orkney waters.
“We have seen marine renewables activity rocket here over the last couple of years, and it is only going to accelerate further as the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters projects get under way. Developing this essential infrastructure now will pay dividends in the future as it attracts further investment into the county.”
Emec, established in 2003, has 14 full-scale test berths and also provides nursery-scale testing for prototype wave and tidal devices.
Once complete, the Hatston pier will include the longest deepwater wharf in Scotland, while the redevelopment of the former naval base at Lyness has given it a new lease of life as a multipurpose centre for the marine renewables industry.