Methil's former BiFab yard set for hundreds of jobs
The iconic shipyard Harland & Wolff will be working on off-shore wind turbines.
Last updated 16th Apr 2021
The company behind the former BiFab yard in Methil has won a major contract that could bring around 290 jobs.
The iconic shipyard Harland & Wolff, which took over two of the sites in February, will be working on off-shore wind turbines.
The project is due to begin in July in the outer Firth of Forth.
John Wood, CEO of InfraStrata, which the Belfast based firm is a subsidiary of, said: “We are delighted to have entered into this contract with Saipem and I believe that this contract paves the way for the execution and delivery of future fabrication contracts, a significant number of which are currently in advanced negotiations.
"The geographical proximity of our Methil facility to the North Sea makes it an ideal site for fabrication and load-out to wind farm projects such as this.
"More importantly, it validates our strategic vision of expanding the Group’s fabrication footprint into regions that are strategically located within proximity to major wind farm projects.
"This will enable us to spread workstreams across our facilities to drive down costs, deliver against tight schedules and, crucially, align ourselves to the government’s goal of providing wind generated power to all homes in the UK by 2030.
"I am confident that this is only the beginning of a stream of projects in our pipeline that we expect to come to fruition. We are hugely excited about the massive potential that this first contract has unlocked, and we look forward to working with Saipem to successfully deliver under it.”
Burntisland Fabrications (BiFab), which has yards in Burntisland and Methil in Fife and one on the Isle of Lewis, went into administration at the end of last year after Scottish Government ministers ruled out nationalising the company.
The new owner has now been awarded a contract by Saipem Limited for the fabrication, consolidation and load-out of the foundations to be conducted at the Methil plant.
STUC general secretary Rozanne Foyer said: "This is a vindication of the relentless campaigning of workers in Fife and the Western Isles and the tenacity of the unions, GMB and Unite, who represent them.
"They refused to give up as, time after time, hurdles were thrown in their path. It is good news for workers in Fife and, we hope, at Arnish too.
"We have always said that there can and must be a future for the construction part of the renewables supply chain in Scotland. This provides some hope.
"It is of course one small part of what must develop into an industrial strategy for Scotland that ends the off-shoring of supply chain work and creates a plan for jobs.
"We expect the unions to examine the detail of the contract, enter talks with the employer, and to respond in due course.''