Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd. (BOWL) has begun the works on the disused corner of Wick Harbour which will become the base for the crew transfer vessels (CTVs) working on the 588MW Beatrice offshore wind farm.
The first task at Wick Harbour is the removal of the old slipway, BOWL said.
In January 2017, the company was granted consent to renovate two historic buildings at the harbour, which will form the new operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the Beatrice offshore wind farm.
Wick Harbour was chosen as the O&M base because of its proximity to the wind farm turbines and to the availability of suitable quayside facilities. The base will be required for the 25 year lifespan of the wind farm.
UK civil construction company BAM Nuttall was appointed as the principal contractor for the renovation works, while GMR Henderson was hired for the demolition and preparatory works.
The buildings are expected to be brought back to maritime use once complete in 2018.
Located approximately 13km off the Caithness coastline, on the North Western point of the Smith Bank, the Beatrice offshore wind farm, currently under construction , will consist of 84 7MW Siemens turbines, expected to be installed in summer 2018.
The project, developed by a joint venture partnership between SSE (40%), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35%) and Red Rock Power Ltd. (25%), is expected to become fully operational in 2019.