Last week Rachael Hamilton MSP visited Neart na Gaoithe’s (NnG) Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base, currently under construction at Eyemouth harbour.
The MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire was welcomed by Matthias Haag, NnG Project Director, and Dave Sweenie, NnG Development Manager, before being given a tour of the construction site and the recently installed pontoon at the harbour basin on the marine side of the harbour.
The O&M base is being built by Fife building contractor Muir Construction who expect construction to be completed this summer while Moray-based Inland and Coastal designed, manufactured and installed the high-quality berthing pontoon.
NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables UK and ESB, signed a lease with Eyemouth Harbour Trust last year which saw the harbour confirmed as O&M base for the project’s 25-year lifespan. The O&M base will bring an economic boost to Eyemouth providing up to 50 permanent jobs. Additional benefits available to the residents of Eyemouth and the surrounding area include training, retraining and apprenticeship opportunities.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said: “I was delighted to visit Eyemouth to see for myself the speed with which the new NnG operations and maintenance building is taking shape.
“This important piece of infrastructure in the heart of Eyemouth represents the important and significant role the Scottish Borders are playing in the drive to reach net-zero.
“With 50 new jobs due to be based in this facility, it is clear that the development of renewable energy projects will deliver tangible benefits to communities across the Scottish Borders and beyond.
“Expanding rural jobs and employing young people locally is a point I raise regularly in Parliament, and this facility delivers on these issues.
“I am really looking forward to visiting the building again when it is completed later this year.”
Matthias Haag, NnG Project Director, said: “I was really pleased to welcome Rachael to our O&M base here at Eyemouth as the building works enter the final stages.
“It was a great opportunity to show Rachael round and explain how the O&M base is going to play such a vital role for NnG when the project is fully operational.
“Eyemouth is the perfect location for our O&M base and I’m excited to know that, as well as supporting the 25-year lifespan of the offshore wind farm, the O&M base will bring with it fantastic socio-economic benefits for the town and the local community.”