A Peterhead engineering firm has been awarded a globally recognised status that puts it at the forefront of the offshore wind boom.
Earlier this month Score Group, which has a base in Peterhead, was granted Fit for Offshore Renewables status following successful completion of the Offshore Renewables Energy Catapult’s Fit for Offshore Renewables programme.
‘We have a major role to play in energy transition, and we’re heavily investing in it,’ said Score Business Unit Director for Europe and Africa, Scott Will.
Will believes his hometown of Peterhead is evolving into a hub for renewable energy, with planned wind projects, grid upgrades and more.
Though the process is slow, the specialised engineering company are determined to get ahead of the game, so when the time comes, their workforce is ready.
Will said: ‘We have an active role to play in the transition to green energy. We see it as a major strategic focus for the company and we’re looking at how we can support the new opportunities that are coming into the North-east of Scotland.
‘The engineering skills that we are already teaching the people can be transferred into the wind sector very easily. We’re in an excellent position to train young people to handle these jobs we know are coming.
‘We want to demonstrate that we can handle the work that is coming to this area. Why bring in a contractor from outwith, when you’ve got the facilities here, the local people here and we can carry out the work? We could have a major role to play in the service and construction of wind turbines; we can be a tier 1 contractor to these major operators.’
Score is a future-focused provider of advanced engineering technology services in the fields of valve and emissions management, gas turbines, surface technologies and aerospace. They are now training apprentices and retraining time-served workers through their Energy Transition Apprenticeship Scheme. Will explained: ‘The principles are the same as our other apprenticeships and the first year is the identical, but once they move on from that, they take on different departments and different qualifications. These young people will be in a good place when this energy transition really hits the North-east.’
Score currently have eight young people undertaking the Energy Transition apprenticeship, four in year one and four in year two, with 12 former apprentices having completed GWO wind training.
Will added: ‘We need to develop a space within the local training centre to facilitate this. I know North-east Scotland College (Nescol) have already funded an energy transition campus in Aberdeen, which is great. We need to look at how we can do the same in Peterhead.’
Former Score apprentices have already been involved in projects to cut the energy industry’s carbon emissions. Will explained: ‘Our emission elimination team based in Peterhead includes some of our former apprentices, they are involved in day-to-day Leak Detection and Repair scopes as we look to support our clients’ decarbonisation. One job they worked on was a 1100 km gas pipeline inspection in Denmark where the team had too essentially ‘walk the line’ and monitor for emissions.
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‘With oil and gas in decline, it’s exciting that renewables can take over from that moving forward. It’s thought that around 8,000 jobs a year will be needed in the local area for the construction and then for the operation. It’s going to be massive; however, it takes time to build.
‘All the work we’re doing is about future proofing. We’re heavily investing in it, our local community and our local people.’
Score’s Fit For Offshore Renewables status was granted on 15 January and joins their other certifications, Fit For Carbon Capture and Fit For Hydrogen.
