North East port secures deal to support major Scottish wind farm

A port based in the North East has signed a deal to provide operational support to one of Scotland’s largest wind farms.

Port of Sunderland has secured a contract with Osprey to provide storage solutions for equipment to be used on Moray East Offshore Windfarm.

The cables will be stored at a base at Endurance Park in Port of Sunderland before being transported to Moray East, which is expected to meet 40 per cent of Scotland’s energy needs when it is fully developed.

The news is the latest for the port, which has secured £8.3m of Enterprise Zone funding from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to prepare the ground for investment.

Matthew Hunt, port director at Port of Sunderland, commented: “We’re delighted to be supporting Osprey, and through them assisting the development of Moray East, one of a number of UK wind farms that is supporting the drive towards carbon neutrality.

“Port of Sunderland is perfectly placed to provide an operational base for businesses that are servicing North Sea windfarms, and we’re pleased that Osprey has seen the vast potential of our facility.

“We look forward to developing a strong partnership with the team there, as well as Moray East Offshore Windfarm, and we’re sure this is the start of what will be a mutually beneficial relationship as this significant offshore base is developed.”

Pete Fletcher, a director at Osprey, added: “These cabling baskets are a specialist item, we get them built to our own design.

“For this contract, we’ve been working with fabricators JW Colpitts, and the Port of Sunderland.

“It’s rewarding to know that we can be successful in being awarded work in the renewables market partnering with local businesses and offering local content skills.”