Moray WestFirst Minister of Scotland celebrates opening of Ocean Winds’ operations base in Buckie, Moray

The First Minister of Scotland visits Buckie to mark the opening of the new Ocean Winds’ Operations & Maintenance (O&M) base with associated quayside improvements

10/09/24, 10:06 AM

The Rt Hon. John Swinney MSP, First Minister of Scotland, today marked the opening of the new Operations & Maintenance (O&M) base that will service the Moray West Offshore Wind Farm, developed by Ocean Winds (OW). The state-of-the-art facility, built by Scottish contractors, includes offices, warehousing and training facilities, plus an extensively redeveloped quayside area which features pontoons, cranes and fuel storage to serve the Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) taking personnel and equipment to the wind farm every day. Once fully operational the base will handle up to 100 vessel movements a week to ensure smooth long term power generation from the project.

The 882MW wind farm is nearing the end of the construction phase and will become fully operational in 2025 in line with the originally projected commercial operations date. The multi-billion-pound investment, supported by £2 billion of project finance, includes multiple superlatives such as the installation of 60 of the world’s largest serially produced wind turbines and the largest monopile foundations in UK waters.   

Moray West, part of Ocean Winds’ 6GW portfolio of secured offshore wind farms in the UK, is expected to inject over £800 million in the local Scottish economy throughout its lifespan, and during construction phase it will create more than 1,500 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) years of jobs in Scotland.

More than half of the investment and operating costs of Moray West will benefit the UK economy, underlining Ocean Winds’ commitment to local supply chains.  Ocean Winds is also supporting a number of local education and training goals, including transitioning of skilled workforce from the oil and gas sector, apprenticeship and internship programmes, as well as sponsoring PhD candidates across environmental and electrical studies. Over half the Ocean Winds operations team have an oil and gas background.  These benefits are set to expand when the Caledonia project, also located in the Moray Firth and currently in development phase, enters construction and then becomes operational.

Recruitment for the new O&M base is well advanced towards the full staffing complement for Moray West of more than 60 long term local roles.  The team is working closely with the construction and commissioning teams, accepting assets under full OW operational control as they are commissioned.

The new base at Buckie complements the base in Fraserburgh that OW utilise and that is dedicated to the Moray East project, creating an O&M hub that will enable Ocean Winds to efficiently manage and maintain the cluster of Ocean Winds’ operated offshore wind farms in the Moray Firth, including the planned Caledonia project.  The new O&M hub formed by the two sites will ensure that the wind farms run smoothly and continue to provide reliable clean energy for many years to come. 

Craig Windram, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Winds, commented: “Opening this new cutting-edge operation and maintenance facility will enable our expert teams to safely and efficiently ensure the smooth running of Moray West.  In the current international context, I am delighted to showcase our commitment to the creation of local opportunities thanks to our offshore wind projects, and to delivering clean and reliable energy to the countries in which we operate.”.

Adam Morrison, Ocean Winds UK Country Manager, said: “I am delighted to be able to mark this latest milestone on our award-winning Moray West project.  It is thanks to the professionalism and hard work of the Moray West project team, and our supply chain partners, that we are able to celebrate opening our new home in the northeast of Scotland.  Employing local people that will be able to get home to their communities every night is a great result for Buckie, the region and Scotland.  Our new Operations & Maintenance hub formed between Buckie and its sister base in Fraserburgh prepares us for efficient long-term operations, supporting long term careers across Moray and Aberdeenshire.”

Pete Geddes, Ocean Winds Project Director for the Moray West project, said: “It is testament to the strength of our teams, working closely with our contractors, that we have delivered this fantastic new O&M base to ensure our Buckie based teams have the best possible support for the challenges of offshore work.    We are already an integral part of the local communities that lend their people to our project each day. I’m delighted to have led the project that is integral to the energy and skills transition.”

Rt Hon. John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland said: “The opening of Moray West’s Operations and Maintenance base highlights the long-lasting, positive impact of offshore wind for Scotland’s economy and communities.

“Our potential for renewable energy generation is one of our greatest environmental and economic opportunities, creating thousands of good Scottish jobs.

“The Scottish Government is determined to maximise the benefits from developing Scotland’s significant offshore wind potential for the workforce, businesses and communities.

“To support a just transition to a green economy we will shortly publish our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. As well as doubling our ambitions for renewable energy generation, this will set out actions to deliver our clean energy pipeline and its economic benefits.”