Seagreen
Montrose Port: Operations Hub for Scotland’s Largest Wind Farm
A £3bn joint venture between SSE Renewables (49%), TotalEnergies (25.5%) and PTTEP (25.5%), Seagreen is Scotland’s largest and deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm that is fully operational.
The wind farm is capable of providing enough electricity for more than 1.6 million homes, around two thirds of all households in Scotland, displacing over 900,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from electricity generated by fossil fuels every year.
A £1.8 million community benefit fund has also been created to provide a lasting legacy for the town and wider Angus region.
Operations and Maintenance Base
In 2019, Montrose Port was selected by SSE Renewables as the preferred location for its Operations and Maintenance base for the Seagreen offshore wind farm. The operations base construction was completed in late 2021 with vessel movements starting to depart from Montrose to Seagreen in early 2022.
The operations building was repurposed from a two-storey modular office block that was previously used by an oil and gas supply chain company in Aberdeen. In recycling the building, we have been able to contribute towards the circular economy, reusing over 54 tonnes of steel and saving 99 tonnes of CO2. The main contractor on the construction was Montrose-based company, Pert Bruce, with the steel work being subcontracted out to another Montrose company, Harry Maiden.
Ensuring that local and regional based companies are used for any construction, where possible, is a key principle for the Seagreen project as we want as many people as possible to feel the benefits from the project by keeping business within the regional economy.
Communications Mast & Pontoon
Another development at Seagreen that contributed to the circular economy was the recycling of a communications mast by Aberdeen-based company, PD&MS Group. The company repurposed an existing structure from the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm and had the installation complete at Montrose in August 2021. By recycling the 50m communications mast, PD&MS were able to reduce their resources by 68% and saw an almost 50% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to manufacturing a new mast from scratch.
August 2021 also saw the new dedicated 30m pontoon for Seagreen being awarded to Lossiemouth-based company, Inland & Coastal Marina System UK Ltd. The pontoon was completed in December 2021, providing crew vessels a dedicated mooring, near their O&M base in which to efficiently manage crew transfers to the offshore wind farm.
Careers at Seagreen
The Seagreen O&M base is home to approximately 80 full-time operational roles including up to 60 Vestas personnel maintaining the turbines both from the O&M base and offshore service operations vessel, the ESVAGT Brint, which visits the port every 2-3 weeks to rotate crew, staff and replenish the offshore warehouse.
There are also numerous amounts of indirect roles and specialised contractors that will support Seagreen and its O&M base throughout the wind farm's lifetime.
Learn more about careers at Seagreen here.
Community
Community Benefit Fund
The Seagreen Community Benefit Fund was established in 2020 to uplift communities located in parts of Angus who have been impacted by the construction and operation of the project. The fund totals £1.8 million and has benefited local projects in Montrose and beyond, including large-scale projects like ProMo and Montrose Community Trust's Gable End development. The fund also benefits Montrose Community Council and Ferryden & Craig Community Council every year, allowing them to provide micro-grants to local groups.
The fund's impact can be seen in the development of community hubs and facilities, such as The Gable End, support for local organisations and initiatives that aim to boost economic growth, and championing environmental and sustainability projects such as enhancements to pathways and sea defences by Ferryden and Craig Community Council.
ProMo
ProMo is a community-led charity that aims to breathe new life into Montrose's town centre through culture-led regeneration and inclusive community engagement.
£125,000 awarded by Seagreen has enabled the ProMo team to renovate their headquarters and employ a full-time project officer for the next two years. This financial support marks a significant step toward realising ProMo’s broader ambitions - and since receiving support from Seagreen the group has secured more funding to acquire three additional rental units, which are now being prepared for new local business rentals.
Montrose Community Trust
Montrose Community Trust received £125,000 in funding from the Seagreen Communtiy Investment Fund. This will go towards the £2 million funding goal for its transformational Gable End development.
The Gable End facility will revitalise the Links Park Stadium entrance and provide new community spaces, including a community centre, digital lab, accessible sections, a dementia support area, and office space for the Trust’s staff. MCT currently runs 32 programmes impactful programmes that serve around 12,000 local people each year.
Seagreen Facts
More from the port
Environment
Careers
View and apply for career opportunities at Montrose Port Authority and across of maritime network.
Quayside Services
We work with a number of third-party organisations to keep our customers moving and the port running efficiently. Learn more about what we offer for our customers at the Port.
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