GBP1mln Grant to Create 100 Jobs at Ferguson Shipyard
The last commercial shipyard on the Clyde, Scotland, has secured grant to help safeguard 125 jobs and create a further 100. Ferguson shipyard has been awarded a £1m grant to refurbish its Port Glasgow premises and help fund new jobs. Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) received the grant from Scottish Enterprise which will boost the number of full time staff from 150 to 250 at Port Glasgow. The Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) funding will contribute to Ferguson Marine's redevelopment of its premises and investment in new state of the art equipment. Last month, Ferguson was awarded a £97m Scottish government contract to build two new ferries. The firm was saved from administration last year by Jim McColl's Clyde Blowers Capital.
Statoil Green Lights Floating Wind Farm Project
Statoil has made the final investment decision to build the world’s first floating wind farm: The Hywind pilot park offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The decision triggers investments of around NOK 2 billion, realizing a 60-70 percent cost reduction per MW from the Hywind demo project in Norway. Statoil will install a 30 MW wind turbine farm on floating structures at Buchan Deep, 25 kilometers offshore Peterhead, harnessing Scottish wind resources to provide renewable energy to the mainland. The wind farm will power around 20,000 households. Production start is expected in late 2017. “Our objective with the Hywind pilot park is to demonstrate the feasibility of future commercial, utility-scale floating wind farms.
Fergusons Shipbuilders Takeover: Preferred Bidder
The Scottish Government informs that KPMG has announced that Clyde Blowers Capital is to be the preferred bidder for the group’s business and its assets. “I am delighted that Clyde Blowers Capital has been named the preferred bidder for the Fergusons yard. Jim McColl’s company is one of Scotland’s greatest job creators, and I will be meeting with the company, the workforce and shop stewards to ensure there will be a long-term future for shipbuilding at Fergusons for years to come. “The task force has been working hard to ensure that shipbuilding at Fergusons is maintained.
