Advisory / Counseling Services News
Week commencing 12th January 2015 Energy & Business services: Good to see in this week's John O'Groat Journal that AGM Batteries - based at the Thurso Business Park - has been developing a partnership with academia to help ensure its workforce skills stay up to date and competitive. Warwick Manufacturing Group, the R&D facility for Warwick University, has been helping develop short courses for AGM staff.
Week Commencing 5 January 2015 Tourism, Food & Drink: This month marks the start of Scotland's Year of Food & Drink. Local companies had a year of encouraging activities in 2014, with products from businesses such as Reid's of Caithness, Caithness Biscuits, Annie’s Bakery, JPL Shellfish, Scrabster Seafoods, Caithness Chocolate, Berry Good, Dunnet Bay Distillers, Pulteney Distillery and Wolfburn Distillery all making progress in local, national and international markets.
Week commencing 15th December 2014 Energy & Business services: Friday's John O' Groat Journal carries news that Caledonia Green Innovations (CGI) is re-opening the engineering facility at Bower, Caithness, creating up to 35 jobs. CGI is one of a number of Aberdeen-based companies that have been involved in the ongoing programme of engagements that have been led by CNSRP partner HIE, with seconded support from partners DSRL and Highland Council.
Four contractors have been appointed to deliver the Highlands and Islands Creative Industries Network Programme over the next three years. The appointments follow the launch last night (11 December 2014) of a new five-year Creative Industries Strategy by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) at Eden Court in Inverness.
Consultation began on 8th December 2014 on the Draft Business Plan 2015 to 2018 that sets out the key objectives and plans for delivering the NDA priorities over the next three years. The total planned expenditure for 2015/16 is £3.31 billion, of which £2.09 billion will be funded by UK government and £1.22 billion by income from commercial operations.
Public consultation continues on NDA's plan for a nuclear archive at Wick in Scotland. It will house over 70 years' worth of historic information from across UK's civil nuclear industry.
Last week saw the last of the Dounreay Materials Testing Reactor (DMTR) control room panels shipped off site and transferred to their new home in local five-star visitor attraction Caithness Horizons. The control room panels and control desk have been donated to Caithness Horizons and reconstructed at the museum to form the basis of a new permanent exhibition representing Dounreay's significant part in Scotland's industrial heritage.
Week Commencing 1 December 2014 Energy & Business services: SSE continues to progress its programme to build out the Caithness-Moray electricity Grid project. Work has started on the major High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station at Spittal, and SSE's Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission has this week awarded a £460M contract to ABB for the design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the overall system.
Week Commencing 24th November 2014 Energy & Business services: Delighted to meet up this week with Dan Pearson of the MeyGen project as he gave an update on progress with the project to Caithness Councillors in Wick. It was good to hear that contracts for onshore works are now in place, and that works will be taking place over the winter at the onshore site near Gills.
Week Commencing 17 November 2014 Energy & Business services: A representative from a large engineering company visited the area this week, and was able to see at first hand the range of companies, facilities and opportunities available in the area. We had an extremely productive discussion on oil & gas and renewables opportunities.
Weekly update from CNSRP - week commencing 10th November Energy & Business services: Andritz Hydro Hammerfest has this week confirmed Meygen's order for three of its 1.5MW tidal devices, as part of the first phase of deployment for the tidal site in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth. The project reached its financial closure in September this year, with the news that local company JGC Engineering had secured a major supply contract for the devices.
The Government's rollout of superfast broadband has passed more than 1.5 million premises and is now reaching more than 40,000 additional homes and businesses every week. In the Highlands and Islands more than 30,000 premises can now access a faster and reliable service as a result of the work carried out to date.
Building work has begun on a new enterprise and research centre at Inverness Campus. The building will house a new collaboration between two of the region's key strategic organisations.
The economic and social value of Gaelic as a unique asset for Scotland is the focus of a pioneering study which is published today. Development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has led a partnership project to research ways in which Gaelic is currently being used to deliver economic and social benefits to businesses, social enterprises and communities, and how its impact can be maximised.
Date: 21 Nov 2014 The Eighth Annual General Meeting of the North Highland Regeneration Fund is to be held on Friday 21st November 2014, at the Pentland Hotel, Thurso from 11am. The scheduling for the AGM will be as follows: Approve the minutes of the 2013 Annual General Meeting Receive the Report of the Directors and the Audited Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2014.
Week Comencing 3 November 2014 Energy & Business services: SSE has this week agreed to sell part of its stake in the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd development to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). SSE will now own 50% of BOWL, with CIP owning 25% and Repsol continuing to own the remaining 25%.
Week Commencing 27th October 2014 Energy & Business services: Following much recent work by HIE's local team, especially Roy Kirk and CNSRP partner secondees June Love (from DSRL) and Lindsay Foord (from Highland Council), this week saw a visit by oil & gas companies to Caithness. It was good to see more than twenty representatives from a range of companies, who were greeted by Cllr Gail Ross, Highland Council's Civic Leader for Caithness.
More than 15,000 homes and businesses across Highland will benefit from the next phase of fibre broadband roll-out, as part of the £146m Digital Highlands and Islands project. Work over the next six months will bring next generation broadband to 15 new communities in the Highlands and Islands, and roll-out is extending into Caithness for the first time.
The Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) is organising an event to allow companies to better understand the Investment and Supply Chain opportunities in the Caithness area. This one day programme is suitable for Oil & Gas companies who either need capacity for servicing West of Shetland / Atlantic Frontier opportunities, or want to explore the excellent skills base in the area.
Week commencing 29th September. Energy & Business services: A very successful event was held in Aberdeen this week as part of the ongoing delivery of the Inward Investment Marketing Plan for Caithness & North Sutherland (see communications below for details).