Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Port of Montrose has also been selected as the preferred base for a major offshore windfarm project
- Published13 minutes ago
An offshore wind turbine facility is to be created at the Port of Montrose, supporting about 80 jobs.
The factory, which will make components for off-shore wind turbines, is to be run by engineering firm Subsea Micropiles following a £5m investment.
A further £6.7m is being provided by the state-owned Scottish National Investment Bank, with Scottish Enterprise also pledging £1.45m.
First Minister John Swinney, during a visit to the site in Angus, said it would help ensure "benefits of the energy transition are retained in Scotland".
He also welcomed an announcement from SSE that the Port of Montrose is its preferred location for an operations base for the Berwick Bank B offshore wind farm, which is expected to create a further 100 jobs.
The Berwick project, set to be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, will see up to 307 turbines generating enough electricity to power up to six million homes.
Scotland 'at the forefront' of offshore energy
Subsea Micropiles, which has offices in Ireland and Aberdeenshire, already has an operations base at the Port of Montrose.
The firm's new facility is expected to make parts for wind turbines in Scottish waters, and for international markets.
Chief executive Derek Robertson said: "Scotland has become an important base for our growth.
"We rely on the deep pool of talent, skills and offshore experience here to develop our technology, services and expand into a global market.
He added that the company's products "can be manufactured locally, with the potential to retain significant economic benefit in Scotland through engineering, vessel services and offshore supply chain".
Swinney said: "Scotland is already recognised as being at the forefront of floating offshore wind development.
"The investment behind today's announcements is a strong vote of confidence in the sector and in the skilled workforce, innovation and expertise that exists here.
"Subsea Micropiles' commitment to expand at the Port of Montrose will help ensure more of the economic benefits of the energy transition are retained in Scotland, creating high-quality jobs in Angus and the North East, supporting local businesses and strengthening our industrial capabilities."
He added that SSE's selection of Montrose as its preferred location for the Berwick project would strengthen "Scotland's offshore wind supply chain" and create "more jobs as well as investment in skills, infrastructure and local communities".
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