Optimism from Scotland's wave and tidal energy sectors, fuelled by the Meygen's product launch on Monday, boosted delegates at Scottish Renewables' Marine Conference in Inverness this week. Recent successes from Scotrenewables, Nova Innovation and Sustainable Marine Energy have been complemented by the launch of the world's largest tidal stream energy scheme.
A survey of businesses in the Highlands and Islands has reported that although companies remain optimistic about their own prospects, there has been a decline in confidence in Scotland's economic outlook since the UK's EU referendum. A total of 1,054 businesses located throughout the region took part in the survey carried out by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in July and August, exploring business confidence and investment.
Week Commencing 5 September 2016 Energy & Business Services: · It is good to note that recruitment has now started for staff who will take forward the operations and maintenance of the Beatrice offshore Windfarm Ltd development at Wick, with lead partner SSE advertising the posts of Contract Lead, Asset Engineer and Operations Engineer. These are the first publicly advertised positions to become available, and we hope that over the coming 12 to 18 months the recruitment of O&M personnel will ramp up.
An off the shelf CCTV camera is providing crystal clear images from the depths of Dounreay's Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR). Fifty years on from the construction of PFR, the reactor decommissioning team is viewing footage that will enable it to pull apart the innards of the second and last fast reactor to be built in the UK.
The last of the higher activity liquid waste produced during Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) fuel reprocessing has been made safe for future generations. It is an important milestone in the immobilisation of the historic liquid waste, known as raffinate, created from reprocessing undertaken during the operation of Dounreay's three reactors.
Hi-Scot - A Credit Union for YOU. HI-Scot has been in existence since 2006, though up until 2010 was under the name of Western Isles Credit Union.
Week Commencing 29th August 2016. This is a short message to update you on activities relating to the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP).
Charlotte Wright takes over as acting chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) today (Monday 29 August 2016). Ms Wright has been with HIE since 1997 and held a number of roles in Lochaber before being appointed as the agency's regional director for Highland in 2008.
Land and buildings can be vital resources in the development of resilient rural communities. HIE wants to support communities throughout the Highlands and Islands to grow by helping them to acquire and develop land and other assets such as buildings.
Week commencing 22nd August 2016 Energy and Business Services: Good to see local and regional coverage this week of the new business created by two of the men affected by the closure of Enterprise Engineering Services Ltd's Caithness operation earlier this year. When the company's operation went into administration, Liam Sutherland and Stuart Anderson set up Envision Engineering & Design, employing three of their former EESL colleagues.
Five new jobs have been created thanks to the establishment of a new business in Caithness and Sutherland's energy sector. Envision Engineering & Design Ltd (Envision) has been set up by directors Liam Sutherland and Stuart Anderson, both of whom are originally from Caithness.
Week commencing 15th August 2016 Energy and Business Services: As part of the programme to connect renewable power in Shetland to the National Grid, SSE Power Distribution Ltd this week carried out consultation events in Wick and Staxigoe relating to the company's latest plans for a switching station to be built on land between Wick John O' Groats Airport and Noss Head. The station would provide a connection by connecting to the High Voltage DC system that is currently being installed between Caithness and Moray.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has received an award for being recognised as a Carer Positive employer. The Carer Positive award is presented to employers in Scotland who demonstrate a working environment where carers are valued and supported.
Whether it's immersing your next customer in a digital tour, testing your design concepts before investing in production, or developing ways for patients to receive medical advice virtually, technology is opening up new opportunities for business. #hellodigital has teamed up with Scottish firm Soluis, which specialises in visualisation and 3D animation, to bring augmented and virtual reality technology to Inverness.
The virtual entrepreneurial accelerator programme was be officially launched on 12th August 2016. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has teamed up with Entrepreneurial Spark, powered by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), to deliver the pilot programme which is the first of its kind in the UK.
LifeScan Scotland is Scotland's largest life sciences company and part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. It currently employs more than 1100 people in Inverness, developing and manufacturing products for the treatment of diabetes.
The Export Hub is a UK Government initiative backed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). It is currently touring Scotland and will be in Sleat on Skye on Wednesday 31 August; Cairndow 29 August; Inverness 2 September; and Forres 5 September.
Week commencing 8th August 2016 Energy and Business Services: Atlantis Resources Ltd has completed a deal with Belgian company DEME, who will be providing support (via its subsidiary Geosea) to the installation of the foundation structures for Phase 1a of the MeyGen project. DEME held an event in Caithness last November in association with CNSRP partner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), at which DEME Group representatives outlined the company's experience and capabilities in offshore logistics.
The destruction of one of the highest hazards remaining in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) estate has been completed at Dounreay. Around 68 tonnes of highly radioactive liquid metal coolant was removed from the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) and safely destroyed over a ten year period.
Week Commencing 1st August 2016 Energy and Business Services: Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd held consultation events in both Helmsdale and Wick this week. The company, which received consent to develop the eastern part of its offshore wind field in the Moray Firth in 2014, is now consulting on plans to develop the western section of its area.