Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Whiteford Welcomes Signing of Memorandum of Understanding at Fraserburgh Harbour

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed a deal for Fraserburgh Harbour which could potentially lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs.

Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners on Friday, which will allow the harbour to compete as a support site for the 186-turbine project in the Moray Firth.

MORL received planning permission from the Scottish Government in March to construct the Telford, Stevenson and MacColl windfarms 13.5 miles off the North-east coast. The firm anticipates that the project will generate around 1,116 megawatts of electricity – contributing significantly towards the Scottish Government’s ambition to generate the equivalent of Scotland’s energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020.

Commenting, Eilidh Whiteford said:

“I was delighted to witness the signing of the Memorandum at Fraserburgh Harbour today. The Harbour is a first class facility that is extremely well-placed to service renewable developments off the coast of the North of Scotland. The town more widely is positioning itself well to benefit from the renewables revolution – with the local college heavily involved in equipping future generations with the engineering skills that will be required by companies like EDRP.

“The signing of the Memorandum today acknowledges Fraserburgh’s competitiveness and the expertise that is harboured here. I hope that on this basis, the two parties can now explore the potential of Fraserburgh Harbour as a base for first-class servicing of offshore renewable developments.”