Week Commencing 16th March 2015 Energy & Business Services The Meygen tidal energy project continues to progress, with arrival in Caithness of the steel to be used by JGC Engineering Services to fabricate the underwater structures in Phase 1 of the project. The steel arrived at Scrabster harbour and was safely offloaded by staff from JGC and H.
The regeneration of Wick will be given another boost if the planning committee on 24th March 2015 as expected approve the building of a new Archive Centre for Nuclear records in the UK. The Highland council archive centre currently based at Wick library will also relocate to the new building where it will occupy a small part of it.
Week Commencing 9th March 2015. This is a short message to update you on activities relating to the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership.
Week commencing 2nd March 2015. Energy & Business Services Good to see this week that a contract to deliver the subsea cabling for the Caithness-Moray Grid link continues to move forward with the news that SSE's Tier 1 contractor ABB has signalled its intent to contract Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS) to deliver seabed clearance and trenching work.
Massive implications for people looking for Housing in Caithness. The way in which housing is allocated in Caithness has changed.
Week Commencing 23rd February 2015 Energy & Business Services Energy & Utility Skills and Scottish & Southern Energy have this week been advertising an exciting Employability Programme, based in part from North Highland College UHI in Thurso. The programme is aimed at people for whom finding work in the energy sector without previous experience is proving to be a barrier.
AN excellent range of one-bedroom and studio flats with affordable rents are available now at Caberfeidh Court in Wick. Cairn Housing Association has 36 high quality properties that are available exclusively to people over 50 years of age.
Week Commencing 16 February 2015 Enabling activities: This week around 70 businesses and organisations took part in an event led by Caithness Chamber of Commerce. Entitled "Investing in Our Young People" the event focused on the recommendations coming out of the "Commission for Developing Young People" led by Sir Ian Wood and published last summer.
Week Commencing 9 February 2015 Energy & Business services: Atlantis Resources, the company that owns the MeyGen tidal energy project, has issued an interesting Newsletter with updates on its progress - both on the ground at Ness of Quoys and with the build of its new 1.5MW AR1500 turbine. The newsletter includes interviews with its Chief Technology Officer and with the Chief Engineer of partner engineering design company Lockheed Martin.
Week Commencing 2 February 2015 Energy & Business services: I was delighted to take part this week with June Love in a visit from overseas representatives of an energy/ engineering company. The visit, which was coordinated by CNSRP partner Highlands and Islands Enterprise, took in specific locations in Caithness, and also allowed discussions to take place with relevant local representatives.
Week Commencing 26 January 2015 Energy & Business services: The offshore renewables industry has been in Aberdeen this week for Scottish Renewables' Offshore Wind & Supply Chain Conference/ Exhibition. The sector remains of real interest in the north due to the continuing developments with the two Moray Firth offshore windfarm consortiums - Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (BOWL) and Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL).
Companies are being invited to attend Dounreay's annual Suppliers Day on February 26. The event will take place at The Weigh Inn in Thurso from 1.00pm.
Week Commencing 19 January 2015 Energy & Business services: MeyGen's tidal project at the Inner Sound kicks off in earnest this month, with work starting on the groundwork for onshore access road and buildings at Ness of Quoys, just east of Gills Harbour http://renews.biz/82743/crews-pave-way-for-meygen/ And MeyGen subcontractor Fisher Marine has been working out of Gills Harbour this week, conducting survey work in support of the project http://caithness-business.co.uk/article.php?id=5674 . MeyGen's Parent company Atlantis Resources is, meanwhile, one of the companies attending the 2015 Innovators & Investors Forum in London next month.
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.
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.
Dounreay's beach monitoring fleet has a new look with the addition of new vehicles - the Metrac H5 all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The H5s are fitted with the same GroundhogTM Evolution monitoring equipment as the current ATVs, so this is a change of looks but not a change of function.
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.