Week commencing 30th June 2014 Energy & Business services: As our discussions on renewables sector investment opportunities into the area continue to firm up, it is good to see evidence of further enabling work taking place in the area. Pelamis Wave Power (PWP) has begun streaming data on wave conditions at its proposed site at Farr Point in north Sutherland.
The Caithness & North Sutherland Fund (CNSF), a grant body funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), received its second instalment of £300k at a recent stakeholder event held in the new low level waste repository vault at the Dounreay site. This funding is the latest instalment of the NDA's £4M community benefit package being provided via DSRL.
Week commencing 23 June 2014 Tourism, Food & Drink: Following last week's food & drink success for Caithness companies, news this week that two more local businesses have been nominated for the Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards with Thurso's Mr C's Bar and Annie's Bakery both nominated in categories. Enabling activities: CNSRP partner the Highland Council is holding two public engagement events in Caithness next week in support of the developing strategy for a new LEADER programme for the Highlands.
Cairn operates nationwide, across the whole of Scotland. They have properties in the Borders in the south, and as far north as Thurso and Wick.
Week Commencing 16th June 2014 Tourism, Food & Drink: This week has been the annual Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, and north companies such as Mey Selections and Berry Good have been exhibiting. Indeed Berry Good has won the Supplier of the Year award in Scottish Farmer's awards announced at the event yesterday (Thursday), so congratulations to Jill Brown for yet more recognition for her fruit-infused spirits.
Week commencing 9th June 2014 Energy & Business Services: I took part in a CNSRP event in Aberdeen this week with colleague Roy Kirk. The influencers' event, run in association with the Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI), attracted around 80 business representatives including many from the energy sector and featured guest speaker Robin Watson, Chief Executive of Wood Group PSN.
Week Commencing 2nd June 2014 Tourism, Food & Drink: Further success for the area's food & drink sector is evident in this week's news that JPL Shellfish is to expand its premises at Scrabster to meet increasing international demand for its products. As previously highlighted, the company has been winning business in European export markets, but more recently has seen significant interest from markets in Southeast Asia.
This week saw thirteen new officers enrolled into the ranks of the Special Constabulary within Police Scotland Highland and Islands Division, the first sworn in since the creation of the new police service since April 2013. The Special Constabulary is a unique body of people who voluntarily give up their personal time to contribute positively to the wellbeing and safety of their communities.
The Scottish Police Authority has today published 12 recommendations aimed at improving the targeting, effectiveness, and transparency of the use of stop and search tactics by Police Scotland. Publishing the results of its scrutiny review of stop and search, the SPA has acknowledged the contribution that stop and search makes to tackling violence and antisocial behaviour in Scotland.
Week Commencing 19th May 2014 Energy & Business Services: Two welcome pieces of news for the local economy this week. Firstly Subsea 7 has announced a major new £270 million contract to build a pipeline for Premier Oil to service its oil field east of Aberdeen.
A national multi-agency doorstep crime operation, led by Police Scotland, has been a major success in preventing and beating the rogue traders and doorstep con men. Police and other agencies detected over 1,000 offences during the dates of operational activity, with over 200 individuals being subsequently arrested.
Week Commencing 12 May 2014 Energy & Business Services: Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission held a “meet the buyer/ meet the employer” event in North Highland College’s ETEC this week, and I was delighted to be invited to have a presence at the event with partner staff from HIE, Highland Council, Caithness Chamber and JobCentre Plus. The event allowed SSE and supply-chain companies Balfour Beatty, ABB, Amec and Siemens to outline opportunities from the £1.3Bn programme to invest in the electricity transmission network in the north.
The work of police officers and staff in the Highlands and Islands plays a vital role in keeping people safe, Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House said today. The Chief Constable was visiting the divisional headquarters of Highland and Islands Division in Inverness today (Tuesday 13 May 2014) to attend a ceremony honouring the long service of police officers and staff.
Two years into its major contract to complete the clean-up and shutdown of Dounreay, the consortium in charge of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is now revising its programme of work to accommodate changes being made by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The NDA awarded a contract in April 2012 to Cavendish Dounreay Partnership.
Week commencing 21st april 2014 Energy & Business Services: The Department for Energy & Climate Change this week announced the eight renewables projects on its revised list of “Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables”. This list has been published following a final review of affordability, after an interim list was published in December 2013.
DSRL has announced that it will be creating a new civilian guard force at Dounreay. The news comes after discussion between the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s Security department, the CNC and DSRL.
Dounreay’s owners have set out their priorities for decommissioning in a three-year business plan approved by Ministers. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Dounreay and 16 other sites in the UK, has total planned expenditure across its estate for 2014/15 of £3.2 billion.
Week commencing 7th April 2014 Energy & Business Services: Atlantis Resources Ltd has announced an extension to its partnership with Chinese company Dongfang Electrical Machinery which will enable testing of the Atlantis AK1000 tidal turbine in China. As previously reported, Atlantis now owns Meygen Ltd., and Atlantis tidal devices will be deployed at the Meygen tidal site in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth following Scottish Government consent last year, and Atlantis’ successful raising of project finance.
Week Commencing 31 March 2014 Energy & Business Services: SSE’s transmission business is consulting on the next phase of plans to enhance the electricity transmission grid in the north. The company this week held two days of public consultation in Thurso and Mey on plans to construct a new substation at Phillips Mains near Mey, which will connect to a new substation near Thurso via a new 132kV overhead line.
Highland and Islands Divisional Commander delighted with progress made during first year of Police Scotland. The Divisional Commander for the Highlands and Islands, Chief Superintendent Julian Innes is delighted with the positive progress made during the first year of Police Scotland and has confirmed that crime continues to decrease.
