Advisory / Counseling Services News
Week commencing 13th June 2016 Energy & Business Services: · The CNSRP Delivery Group met this week, and we took the opportunity to have a round table discussion on the likely actions needed to support the delivery of local economic benefit from the £2.6 Bn Beatrice Offshore Windfarm project. One of the strengths of the Partnership is the ability to bring partners such as HIE, Skills development Scotland, the NDA, Dounreay, Highland Council, North Highland College and Caithness Chamber of Commerce together with Wick Harbour Authority to ensure that a coordinated approach is taken to this process.
Week Commencing 6th June 2016 Energy & Business Services: · A further element of detail is added to the emerging picture of contract awards associated with the £2.6 Bn Beatrice Offshore Windfarm project, with the news this week that Tier 1 supply chain company Siemens has awarded the contract to install up to 84 turbines to Swire Blue Ocean. It is expected that installation of the 7MW turbines will begin in 2018.
Week Commencing 6th June 2016 Energy & Business Services: · A further element of detail is added to the emerging picture of contract awards associated with the £2.6 Bn Beatrice Offshore Windfarm project, with the news this week that Tier 1 supply chain company Siemens has awarded the contract to install up to 84 turbines to Swire Blue Ocean. It is expected that installation of the 7MW turbines will begin in 2018.
Influential decision makers and buyers from creative industries around the world will meet Scottish businesses and individuals when they take part in XpoNorth in Inverness this week. Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the European Regional Development Fund and Creative Scotland, XpoNorth is now firmly established as Scotland's leading creative industries festival.
Non-Executive Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced. The Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MP, today announced the appointment of Amanda Bryan, Ailsa Gray, Dr Robert McIntosh and Belinda Oldfield, as Non-Executive Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Week Commencing 30th May 2016 Energy & Business Services: · A further contract announcement this week regarding the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm development off the Caithness coast. Scottish company Sgurr Energy have been awarded a three year construction monitoring contract.
Anyone who wants to rent a council or housing association house in Thurso now has greater choice. This is because homes are now being allocated through ‘Choice Based Lettings'.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands new to exporting or looking to move into new markets are invited to a ‘Doing Business in France' event in Inverness next week. Organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the free information and advice event will be held at the Kingsmills Hotel from 9:30am to 1:30pm on Tuesday 7 June.
Confirmation that SSE is to go ahead with its investment in the Beatrice Offshore Wind project has been welcomed by both of Scotland's economic development agencies. The project is expected to deliver billions of pounds of investment during construction, installation and longer-term operation and maintenance of the windfarm.
Week Commencing 16th May 2016 Energy & Business Services: One of the main project focal points for partners over the past three years has been the potential to attract the operations and maintenance base for the Beatrice Offshore Wind development to Wick, and news this week that this moves ever closer with a piece in the RE News online feed regarding the Final Investment Decision for the project. http://renews.biz/102675/sse-to-unleash-beatrice/ Following this week's movement of large transformers from Scrabster harbour to the new Thurso South electricity sub-station, this coming weekend will see JGC Engineering moving three very large support modules to Scrabster Harbour.
Economic development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), has reported a successful year of investment and job creation in the region for 2015/16 - its 50th anniversary year. Year-end figures compiled by HIE show an estimated 855 jobs are expected to be created or retained in the region, as a result of HIE's investments last year, 87 of these in Caithness and Sutherland, 17 of which are in fragile areas.
Energy & Business Services: As previously covered in this update Atlantis Resources Ltd has now completed the acquisition of tidal energy assets from Scottish Power Renewables. http://renews.biz/102590/atlantis-seals-tidal-expansion/ I was delighted to meet Cameron Smith of ARL this week, and to take him to meet Scrabster Harbour Trust in a week that the port was very busy with large oil & gas industry vessels (see our online blog page for pictures).
Food and drink businesses in the Highlands and Islands interested in exporting to China have the opportunity to access specialist information and advice at a free event in Inverness this month. Organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), in partnership with the China-Britain Council (CBBC) and the EU SME Centre, the event takes place on Tuesday 24 May at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness from 9:30am-4:15pm.
Weeks commencing 29th March to 2nd May Energy & Business Services: · JGC Engineering Services announced an important contract award in late March. The company has been awarded a major contract to support the £1.3bn Rampion offshore windfarm development off the south coast of England.
Local business support organisations in Caithness are coming together on Thursday 12th May 2016 in Thurso to host an event as part of an ongoing initiative to help local businesses find out about, and harness, the support available to do business overseas. Entitled ‘Reaching Customers Overseas', the event will take place at Caithness Horizons between 1-4pm.
More than 122,000 households and businesses across the Highlands and Islands now have access to their fastest-ever broadband speeds through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout. New street cabinets to deliver the high-speed services to the first of the premises in Sullom Voe in Shetland, Dores at Loch Ness and Connel in Argyll are among the latest to go live, with 70% of the region's total number of premises now able to connect.
Last Update Before the Election - Next one 6 May 2016. Energy & Business Services: CNSRP partner representatives were in Aberdeen earlier this week to take part in an Influencers' event coordinated by the Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI).
Week Commencing 14th March 2016. Energy & Business Services Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (BOWL) held a pre-application consultation event in Wick this week in support of plans related to the onshore infrastructure at Wick Harbour for its proposed offshore windfarm development off the Caithness coast.
Week Commencing 7th March 2016. Energy & Business Services: Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (BOWL) has advertised a pre-application consultation event in Wick next week in support of plans related to the onshore infrastructure at Wick Harbour for its proposed offshore windfarm development off the Caithness coast.
Week Commencing 29 February 2016 Energy Business Services: The Scottish Government's recently-announced Transition Training Fund was established to help address the current labour market issues caused by the decline in the price of oil, and its knock-on effects on the economy. The Fund is to be managed by CNSRP partner Skills Development Scotland, and it's been useful to talk through with local SDS colleagues some of the early opportunities to help individuals affected.