Aberdeen-based Balmoral Comtec will invest in a composites manufacturing facility on the quayside at Montrose Port where large scale components for the offshore wind sector will be built.
“We already provide cable protection and buoyancy solutions to the offshore wind sector and this investment will allow us to deliver very large advanced composites structures direct from shore to ship” , said Bill Main , Managing Director of Balmoral Comtec, who added that the company’s composite structures were of such a scale that it was “essential” that it had a quayside facility.
Balmoral Comtec said it would invest a seven-figure sum to create an advanced facility for which the company leased almost 1,700 square metres of warehouse space from Montrose Port Authority. The company will also install machinery and equipment required to build and manoeuvre the large parts destined for the North Sea and other energy markets.
“Just a few months in, 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting and important year for Montrose Port and we are all excited to continue playing our part in the country’s energy transition” , said Tom Hutchison , CEO and Harbourmaster at Montrose Port Authority, which was selected for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base for the planned Inch Cape offshore wind farm earlier this month.
The port is also home to the O&M base for the Seagreen offshore wind farm.
As for Balmoral, the Scottish company took over the Norwegian manufacturer of cable protection systems, Seaproof Solutions, in 2018, with a goal of accelerating its expansion into the offshore renewables market.
In 2020, Balmoral unveiled an integrated cable protection system that the engineering company described as unique. The light weight system comes in three standard sizes and includes a combination of bend restrictors and a bend stiffener, foundation interface device, standard dynamic unit, and a detachable pull head.