Week commencing 30th January 2012: Energy: Good news for the local economy this week with confirmation of a further contract award for Subsea 7's Wester facility near Wick. Congratulations to Willie Watt and his team on securing the $100 million contract to fabricate 2 pipelines for BP's Clair Ridge project.
Week commencing 16th January: Energy: Scottish Government has announced that Scrabster harbour is one of 14 sites across Scotland to become an "Enterprise Area". Scrabster is included as one of five sites in the Low Carbon & Renewables - North grouping.
Parking restrictions at Miller Academy, Thurso will be robustly Policed following concerns. Police in Thurso are warning residents, in particular parents of children at Miller Academy School, that they will be enforcing the various no parking restrictions around the school over the forthcoming period.
Eann Sinclair the Programme Manager for Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership look s back at some of the business highlights last year in Caithness. January Staff move into the new £4M Centre for Energy & the Environment in Thurso, and begin the £3M MaREE research programme, with funding from HIE, ERDF, UHI, Scottish Funding Council.
Week commencing 9th January: Energy: Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd has published a contract notice for the design of the subsea hub and off-shore platform proposed for the Moray Firth (in the area of the Beatrice field), to support the provision of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea link from Caithness to the Moray/ Aberdeenshire coast. This is a key milestone in the ongoing electricity Grid enhancement programme for the area, and the proposed timetable would see the facility built and commissioned by the end of 2014.
Week Ending 9th January 2012 Energy: Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd has published a contract notice for the design of the subsea hub and off-shore platform proposed for the Moray Firth (in the area of the Beatrice field), to support the provision of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea link from Caithness to the Moray/ Aberdeenshire coast. This is a key milestone in the ongoing electricity Grid enhancement programme for the area, and the proposed timetable would see the facility built and commissioned by the end of 2014.
Police re-issue advice following card skimming incident in Inverness. Northern Constabulary is re-issuing advice about some of the things members of the public can do to avoid becoming victims of card skimming following an incident at Morrisons in Inverness at the weekend.
When Pulteney Centre opens to the public on January 23 there will be plenty of new classes and groups to join, running both during the day and evening. Why not make it your New Year's Resolution to try something different this year with one of the following, all held in Pulteney Centre.
An Interview with Pulteney Centre's New Chef. Pulteney Centre will bring a new high quality and friendly restaurant/bistro to Wick which will be perfect for a hearty breakfast, a quick snack at lunch time or a more substantial meal towards dinner.
Youth Activities in Pulteney Centre There will be lots of fun and exciting activities for local youths to take part in when Pulteney Centre opens to the public on January 23. MONDAYS For Music To start the week off there will be a Monday night music and drama group running from 7.30pm - 10pm.
Pulteney Centre will be a "one-stop-shop" for the community's needs, offering a unique package of social groups, training and facility hiring opportunities all within the same building. The large function room will be available to hire for a variety of different purposes such as: * Birthday parties * Small wedding parties * Children's themed parties with full use of the soft play area and other fun activities such as face painting * Business meetings and community meetings The multi-purpose hall will also be available for hire for a wide use of needs, including: * Use as a sports hall for games of five-a-side football, badminton and lots of other sports * A venue for conferences or large meetings * Perfect for community events or special occasions * All with full use of the changing rooms, showers and other facilities As well as all this Pulteney Centre will be offering: * A band practice room * Youth drop-in * Restaurant/bistro offering good quality food and refreshments for families * Cinema facilities * And lots of classes and groups you can find out about in this newsletter Pulteney Centre will open up a range of possibilities for people and businesses in the local community and the wider area.
Eleven people have spoiled their own festive season after being caught drink driving during Christmas week. Those who were caught on Christmas Eve, which included an 18-year-old from the Strathspey area, had to spend Christmas Day in the cells prior to the next available court date, which was Wednesday.
The Caithness Chamber of Commerce has put out information that might be of interest to creative entreprenuers. The 2012 Starter for 6 Main Programme is now open for applications.
Pulteneytown People's Project in Wick will be opening the doors to its new community Centre, Pulteney Centre, at the end of January and promises to bring a huge variety of new classes to the town. Pulteney Centre will be the first of its kind in Wick, offering a comprehensive collection of groups and educational classes all housed under the one roof.
Week commencing 12th December: Energy: I met this week with Trudy Morris (Caithness Chamber), Ian Couper (Energy North), Jacquie Black (ERI) and Keith Muir (HIE) to discuss a possible follow-up event to the supply chain event these two membership organisations held in North Highland College last spring. As previously reported UHI is staging an international conference in Orkney next May, and following discussion with the event organiser for that Conference it was agreed that an event could be run on the final day of the Conference offering local/ regional companies the chance to talk directly to a broadly academic audience which is involved in key research and development activities in the marine renewables sector.
Police thank the public for their support after week one of the festive drink drive campaign Public concern over those who drink and drive has again been highlighted after week one of the national ACPOS Festive Safety Campaign. Seven people were caught drink driving by Northern Constabulary during the first week of the campaign, four of whom were detected as a direct result of information supplied by the public.
5th December 2011 Energy: Meygen, the leaseholders of the "Inner Sound" tidal site in the Pentland Firth, held two public information days this week to update on key issues such as project timescale, environmental surveys, the potential locations and scale of expected onshore works and the technical solution for exporting power to the grid. Nearly 100 people attended over the two days, and heard that Meygen will be submitting its Environmental Statement to consenting authorities in the New Year for a Phase 1 of up to 86 turbines, each of which will be separately connected to the grid.
Below is a list of the roads currently closed in the Highlands and Islands: Mainland A890 Strome Ferry between A87 Junction and Strathcarron B9007 Carrbridge - Ferness C38 Cairngorm Ski road A82 at Corran Ferry Beallach Na Ba (Applecross to Tornacross) Other routes are affected by snow, ice or surface water and drivers are urged to take extra care. The Traffic Scotland website is an excellent resource for up to date information about trunk roads www.trafficscotland.org or phone 0800 028 1414..
NORTHERN Constabulary are asking members of the public to continue to exercise caution on the roads during today. Whilst conditions have improved across the Western Isles and the Highlands many roads are still affected by fallen trees and surface water.
Police announce tough new measures to combat drink and drug driving - ACPOS Festive Safety Campaign. Police will carrying out static daily road checks morning, noon and night across the Highlands as part of this years ACPOS Festive Safety Campaign to crack down on drink and drug drivers.