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THE GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP MAGAZINE issue one

RISING TO EXTREME CHALLENGESHammerfest LNG Plant

BORGHOLM DOLPHINShaping up for new role

CROMARTY FIRTHOpen for business

ENERGY THE MAGAZINE 3

Welcome to ENERGY, the Global Energy Group’s newmagazine. The idea of the magazine is to inform customersand other readers about the quality and value that we bringto projects as an execution partner to the internationalenergy industry.

Reflecting the five key markets in which we workthroughout the UK and around the world, the mixof project reports, features and news stories inENERGY illustrates the range of activities inwhich we are involved.

I hope you find it an informative anduseful read.

Roy MacGregorChairman of the Global Energy Group

Chairman’s Foreword

Editor: Alistair GordonEditorial Content: Stan ArnaudPhotography: Derek Gordon Design: Andrew O’Connor & Alistair Gordon

This magazine is published in-house by the Global Energy Group.Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly

prohibited without prior written consent of the publisher.

Issue one © Global Energy Group

Global Energy GroupHeadquarters

In-Spec House,Wellheads Drive,Dyce, Aberdeen,Scotland,AB21 7GQTel: +44 (0) 1224 356500Fax: +44 (0) 1224 356655

Email: [email protected]: www.gegroup.com

EXPLORATION DRILLING& MARINE

4 BORGHOLM DOLPHIN Project

6 KEY MANHATTAN Project

8 APACHE II Project

OIL & GAS PRODUCTION

10 OPEN FOR BUSINESS

16 DELIVERING FOR BRAE ALPHA

PETROCHEMICAL & PROCESS

18 RISING TO EXTREME CHALLENGES

POWER GENERATION & UTILITIES

26 GLOBAL PRIDE IN HYDROSCHEME SUCCESS

28 ALCAN Project

NEW AGE RENEWABLE ENERGY

32 ON THE CREST OF THE MARINEPOWER WAVE

CONTENTS

The Global Energy Group is currentlycarrying out its latest major rig inspection,repair and maintenance project atInvergordon.

Valued at £4.5 million and includingseveral Global business units, the work onthe Borgholm Dolphin involves a workforceof around 100.

The accommodation rig, owned byDolphin Drilling Ltd, was towed intoInvergordon in June, the latest in a longline of offshore vessels to come to theport for inspection, repair andmaintenance.

The Group’s scope included refurbishingthe rigs galley, replacing flooring andupgrading accommodation cabins.

Beyond the main workscope we alsocarried out a number of repairs andupgrades on the vessel.

Built in 1975, the semi-submersible rigcan provide accommodation for 314personnel, housed in double berth cabins.

She had been a familiar sight anchoredin the Cromarty Firth off Invergordon for anumber of months, before being towed into the dock.

Dolphin Drilling announced this summerthat they had entered into a contract withBP Exploration Operating Company Ltd toprovide the Borgholm Dolphin. The ninemonth contract, supporting operations inthe Andrew field in the UK sector of theNorth Sea, will start in the first quarter of 2011.

BorgholmDolphinshaping upfor newrole

4 ENERGY THE MAGAZINE ENERGY THE MAGAZINE 5


KeyManhattanrapidresponse

Images: REEL Group

Reel once again demonstrated theirability to respond rapidly to meetcustomers’ requirements when they werecontracted for a project in the Adriatic.

The Reel office in Invergordon wererequested at short notice to mobilise ateam of 20 multi-disciplined rope accesstechnicians to take over work onTransocean’s jack-up rig, the KeyManhattan, in Croatia.

Within the first week the Reel team wasincreased to over 50 technicians with thescope being to bring the legs and derrickup to standard for Italian waters. Thisrequired a full blast of all steel areasbringing the surface to SA2.5 grade andthe application of an offshore three coatpaint system in red and white to fit withItalian aviation laws. All these works werecarried out at heights of up to 400ft invarious weather conditions.

The project, worth over £2.5 million,lasted for 3 months and was a greatsuccess adding to Reel’s great safetyrecord for working at heights.

Technip’s new vessel, the Apache II, hasreplaced the Apache, which played amajor role in delivering the pipelayinfrastructure of the North Sea over thepast 30 years.

The new vessel took shape at yards inSpain and Finland, before coming to theCromarty Firth for snagging work, carriedout by Global Energy Group companies.

Within the first two weeks there wereapproximately 200 people working onthe project prior to it going to sea fortrials where the crew laid and hauled uplengths of pipe. She then returned toInvergordon, where around 40 Isleburnpersonnel carried out further work, withsome of them sailing with the vessel ontest runs.

At the height of the work approximately1,000 man hours per week were beinglogged – giving an indication of the scaleof the project.

Technip has since announced that theyhave won a contract, worth approximately70 million euros, by Total E&P UK Limited,as operator of the Islay Gas Field, todeliver a full engineering, procurement,construction and installation (EPCI) projectin the UK North Sea

The contract will involve the world's firstsubsea implementation of Technip'sreelable, electrically trace heated pipe-in-pipe (ETH-PIP) technology. ETH-PIP aimsto enhance production operability ofsubsea pipelines that are liable tobecome blocked by the formation of

hydrates or wax. Successful application ofthis technology will reduce capital andoperating costs for fields with challengingflow assurance conditions.

The full workscope covers installation ofa 6-kilometer ETH-PIP, control umbilical,subsea structures and seabedpreparation, including detailed design,engineering and project management.

Offshore installation is scheduled formid-2011 and will be carried out byvessels from the Technip fleet, includingthe Apache II and diving support vesselsSkandi Arctic, on which Global has alsocarried out work, and the Skandi Achiever.

8 ENERGY THE MAGAZINE

Apache II project

Skandi Arctic, Invergordon

Images: Global Energy Group


Open forbusiness


Alba, Andrew, Arbroath, Douglas, ElginFranklin, Eider, North Everest, FortiesCharlie, Forties Delta, South-east Forties,Fulmar A, Hutton, Ivanhoe-Rob Roy,Lennox, Lomond, Magnus, Ninian North,Ninian South.

The role call of platforms that emergedfrom the shores of the Cromarty Firth, inthe Scottish Highlands, between the early1970s and late 1990s reads like a who’swho of the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Large scale fabrication on the shores ofthe Cromarty Firth began when HighlandFabricators (later named BARMAC) wonthe contract to build a 7,000 tonneplatform for BP’s historic West Sole gasfield in the southern North Sea at Nigg Yard.

As discoveries of oil in the waters furthernorth mounted, BP returned to the yardwith an order for one of four platformsplanned for the Forties Field.

Nicknamed “Highland One” the 19,800tonne Forties Charlie, completed in 1974,was the first of the massive steel latticeplatform jackets built for the North Sea.Modern historians have likened the yearsof platform fabrication to a second

industrial revolution in Scotland, pointingout that such feats of frontier engineeringhad not been seen in the country sincethe building of the iconic Forth Rail Bridge.

Over the years a further four platformswere built for BP at Nigg and otheroperators, including Shell, Chevron,Amerada, Amoco, followed suit byplacing orders there. At the height ofproduction the workforce at the yard wasaround 5,000-strong. Around 40 per centof the topsides currently in use in the NorthSea were built at Nigg and the Highlands’other fabrication yards.

The influence of the oil and gasindustry’s activities in the Cromarty Firtharea over the past 40 years has beendeep and lasting. The heydays ofplatform production are now part of theCromarty Firth’s history. But businesses anda workforce with a wealth of experiencegained from them, and the ability toadapt skills and knowledge to thechanging needs of its market, haveensured the area has remained at theforefront of service delivery to the industry.

Fabrication facilities in the Scottish Highlandshave a proud place in the history of North Sea oiland gas, having built many of the structures thatmade production possible during the pioneeringyears. Now a new generation of facility is readyto build the massive topsides and otherequipment needed to meet the challenges theindustry faces in the 21st Century.

OIL & GAS PRODUC

TION

Neil MacArthur, COO Isleburn, with the new Invergordon facility.

has developed into one of Scotland’slargest manufacturers of bespokeproducts to a range of energy sectormarkets, with annual revenues in excessof £70 million and employing a workforceof more than 1,000. The company hasbeen highly successful in supplyingsubsea and topside equipment tooperators in the North Sea and aroundthe world.

A seasoned industry professional, Neilwas involved in many of the landmarkplatform projects at Nigg, before thatphase came to a close in 1999.

He is confident that Isleburn’s latestmajor investment – 81m (L) x 31.5m (W)state-of-the-art fabrication assembly shopat Invergordon Service Base capable ofproducing topsides of up to 5,000 tonnes– will see the Cromarty Firth remainsynonymous with large scale offshoreprojects for many years to come.

Neil said: “Since Isleburn became partof the Global Energy Group we havesteadily developed from a business with aturnover of around £8 million a year anda relatively small workforce to the position

we are now in at the forefront of Scottishfabrication and engineering operationsfor the customers in the energy industry.

“In addition to our existing facilities thissuperb new facility at Invergordon is ahighly important development for us thatwill enable us to guarantee the scale,capacity and capability customersrequire for fabrication and assembly ofprojects such as large-scale topsides.

“The facility is positioned on thequayside, giving direct access to thedeep water needed to ship suchstructures out from the port and ourworkforce combines the skills andexperience required to deliver the highestquality work. We also benefit from theshared strengths of being part of a majorinternational company like the GlobalEnergy Group.

“Our message to the industry is that withwhat we have to offer through this newfacility the Cromarty Firth is very muchopen for business for large-scalefabrication.”

In the words of oil industry historian,Dr Bill Mackie: “Even around thefabrication sites, now deserted save one,there is only gratitude to these standardbearers of a second industrial revolution.The transfusion of new blood and ideashas permeated education, academicresearch and the arts, while an importedspirit of enterprise has spawned home-grown firms, now learning to reach outbeyond the North Sea to deploy theirhard-won talents throughout the world’semergent oilfields, in a rebirth ofScotland’s proud tradition of investingoverseas.”

Engineering and fabrication companyIsleburn is a shining example of the spiritof enterprise and endeavour Dr Mackiedescribes.

Part of the Global Energy Group’s familyof companies, the business has facilitiesaround the Cromarty Firth, including thelease of large fabrication shops at theNigg Yard, as well as in Aberdeen andDunfermline.

Under the stewardship of chiefoperating officer Neil MacArthur, Isleburn


...Open for business

Invergordon Facility Specification

Fabrication/Assembly Shop:26,000 sq.ftDimensions:30m (width) x 80m (length)Quayside:Minimum draft: 9m – 14.5mCraneage:4 x 20Te Access:Full crane height 22m x 30m width

Shell Shearwater ready for load out in 2009.



Images: Global Energy Group / Stock Photography

2010 Cromarty Firthload out of hydrocycloneand sand seperatorskids, for delivery toSingapore. Duplexpressure vessels andpipework.

Delivering forBrae Alphaproject

ENERGY THE MAGAZINE 1716 ENERGY THE MAGAZINE

transported by barge to the platform 168miles north-east of Aberdeen. Propelledmotorised trailers rather than cranes wereused for the delicate load-out operation.The skids will replace identical onescurrently on the platform.

Terry Willox, Isleburn’s Aberdeen-basedProposals Director, was pleased with thesuccessful completion of the project.

“We were successful in winning thiscontract on price, experience and,importantly, on our location. This was aproject where the client required goodquayside fabrication and engineeringfacilities in Aberdeen and we were able toprovide exactly that.

“This project progressed well from whenwe started work on it last November to thesuccessful load-out and, from the highlypositive feedback we have received, weknow the client has been very pleasedwith our work throughout.”

Two integrated skids to house a newpower generation system on Marathon’sBrae Alpha platform in the North Sea weresuccessfully completed and loaded outby the Global Energy Group.

In one of their biggest projects in the UKthis year, Marathon are replacing two ofthe four jet engines that drive the powergenerators on the platform. The RollsRoyce Olympus Engines, the same modelas those used on Concorde, are beingreplaced by two 30 megawattgenerators, supplied by General Electric.

The £2.1million contract to build theskids and fit the associated pipework wasawarded to O.I.L., which earlier this yearjoined the Global Energy Group’s Isleburnfabrication and engineering brand.Involving approximately 32,000 manhoursof work, the project was carried out attheir premises at Aberdeen Harbour.

Weighing 250 tonnes, the 28 metre-long skids were recently loaded out to be


Rising toextremechallengesNew technology and extraordinary feats ofengineering have enabled energy extracted fromdeep below inhospitable waters within the ArcticCircle to supply power to America and Europe.

A leader in international welding contracting, theGlobal Energy Group has enhanced its reputation aspart of this pioneering project in one of the world’smost inaccessible regions.

PETROCHEM

ICAL & PRO

CESS

Image: Stock Photography


Hammerfest’s coat of arms – a silver polarbear on a red background – is a sign ofthe Norwegian city’s position as astepping off point on the margins of thehabitable world.

Located 70 degrees north – around thesame latitude as the most northern partsof Siberia, Point Barrow in Alaska, the ArcticIslands of Canada and the centre ofGreenland – the community claims to bethe world’s most northerly city.

In summer, when the sun shinescontinuously for two months, reindeerwander the streets, having found their waythrough the 4ft high fence built round thecity to keep them out. During the harsh,snowy winters Hammerfest is shrouded incontinuous darkness for two months – anissue the community overcame byinstalling Norway’s first electric streetlighting in 1891. The polar bear on themunicipal crest was chosen to symbolisethe fishing of the polar seas to the north.

A hub for early Arctic exploration andcommerce in the early 21st century,

Hammerfest is a centre of pioneeringinnovation that has succeeded inovercoming the immense naturalchallenges of one of the world’s mostinaccessible regions.

Just across the bay from the city, onMelkøya Island, one of the world’s mostadvanced plants has been built toprocess natural gas extracted from theSnøhvit (Snow White) field, the first offshoredevelopment in the Barents Sea.Liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced bythe plant, which came on stream inAugust 2007, is being delivered tocustomers in the East Coast of Americaand Southern Europe.

Discovered in the early 1980s, around140km north-west of Hammerfest, theSnøhvit field has been developed byNorway’s largest oil and gas companyStatoil and five partners.

The development marked an importantbreakthrough for energy production in thechallenging Arctic regions where asignificant amount of the world’s

remaining oil and gas reserves arelocated. New technology has been a vitalelement of securing sustainableproduction in a region where workers,vessels and the environment are morevulnerable.

A total of 20 wells are due to producegas from the Snøhvit field and itsassociated Askeladd and Albatross fields.The three fields have estimated reservesof 300 billion cubic metres of LNG and 20million cubic metres of condensate. Withsix already drilled, a total of nine wells areplanned on Snøhvit, eight for productionand one for injecting carbon dioxideback below ground.

With no surface installations or floatingunits, all the Snøhvit field’s subseaproduction facilities stand on the sea bedat depths of 250-345m, sheltered fromthe elements above and controlledremotely from onshore. The seabedequipment has been designed to allowfishing trawlers to operate in the area without risk of their nets being entangled.

Natural gas liquids and condensate arepiped 143km from Snøhvit to the Melkøyaprocessing plant. Specially developedtechnology, involving injecting antifreezeat the wellheads and heating the pipelineelectronically, is used to prevent the highpressure and low temperatures freezingunprocessed output from the wells.

Work to build the plant, the first of its kindin Europe, began on the previouslyuninhabited Melkøya Island in 2002.The development was the biggestconstruction project Norway had seen.Ben Macintyre, a correspondent for TheTimes, described it as “one of the largestand coldest building sites in the world”when he visited the facility in 2006.

Two 125,000m³ LNG tanks wereconstructed, along with a 75,000m³condensate tank and a 45,000m³ LPGtank and associated pipework.

Offering the specialist weldingcapability needed for the high grade

steel, Duplex and Super Duplex used inmuch of the pipework and withconsiderable experience of working inNorway, Global Project Services (GPS) wascontracted to work on the developmentof the plant between 2006 and 2008.

Gavin MacDonald, director of GPS,which from its base in Invergordon in theScottish Highlands supplies teams ofqualified, highly skilled and experiencedworkers to projects worldwide, explainedthe company’s role at Hammerfest.

He said: “As a specialist welding,mechanical and piping contractor, ourprimary focus was on the high pressureprocess pipework.

“We were involved in the pipinginstallation, commissioning and testingand the onus was on us to get thepipework welded as safely and efficientlyas possible.

“Our ability as a specialist contractor todeliver a high-end service safely, cost-

effectively, with minimal weld repair rates,using manual techniques, was critical tothe success of this project.”

Gavin said one of the key elements toGPS’s successful delivery of the contractwas that the teams that travelled toHammerfest had been with the companyfor years and had considerableexperience of working on similar projects.

“These are skilled, qualified teams aswe believe in investing in our people toensure they have the high levels of skillsour clients need,” he added.

The first cargo from Snøhvit for theEuropean market was delivered bythe Arctic Princess in October 2007, withthe first consignment for the US arrivingin Maryland aboard the ArcticDiscoverer. Around 70 cargos of LNG ayear are expected to be shipped outfrom the plant.



Green energyfrom the glensHydro electric generation has been helping power Scotlandsince long before the current drive to develop renewable energysources began. With a history stretching back 120 years in thenorth, hydro also has an important future as part of that 21stcentury drive, through new schemes and existing facilities.

POWER GENERATION & UTILITIES

The following years saw a massiveconstruction programme involvingexcavation of more than 300 km oftunnels and building of a similar length ofaquaducts and pipelines. A 32,000 kmdistribution network of pylons and poleswas created, with 110 km of underwatercables laid to carry power to the islands.

At its peak the workforce numbered12,000, comprising British workmen,German and Italian former prisoners ofwar and Poles and Czechs who lived inlarge camps by the projects.

By 1965, 54 main power stations and78 dams had been built, with a totalgenerating capacity of more than 1,000MW, bringing power to people’s homesthroughout the Highlands and Islands.A recent major refurbishment programmehas ensured the schemes will continuegenerating electricity for many yearsto come.

Following the massive efforts of the1950s and early 1960s, it was to be 50years before another large scaleconventional hydro electric station wasbuilt in the Highlands. In 2009 the Queenofficially opened the £150million, 100MWGlendoe plant built by SSE at Glendoe.

SSE also has plans to develop twolarge-scale pumped storage schemes inthe Great Glen area of the centralHighlands. With a combined generationcapacity of 900 MW they would be ableto provide more than 1,000 gigawatthours of electricity annually to help meetpeak demands. They would be the firstto be developed in the UK for more than35 years to use the pumped storagetechnique, where, during low powerdemand periods water is pumped froma loch to an upper reservoir, thenreleased to generate power during highdemand periods.

Recent years have seen widescalerecognition of the potential for smallscale hydro schemes to contribute toScotland’s renewable energy targets andbenefit communities.

Earlier this year a report to the ScottishGovernment identified 7,000 potentialsmall hydro schemes, mostly withcapacity of less than 5MW, but with acombined potential of 1,204 MW,sufficient to supply one million homes.A major proportion of the identifiedschemes are in the Highlands andIslands.

First developed in the late 19th century,hydro electricity is produced using thepower of running water to turn the turbinesof generators in power stations. Withmountains, lochs and high rainfall theScottish Highlands have an abundanceof the elements required for the process.

In 1890 a group of Benedictine monkswere responsible for the area’s first publicsupply of hydro electricity which providedpower for their abbey at Fort Augustusand to 800 inhabitants of the localcommunity at the west end of Loch Ness.Forty years later the first large scalescheme came into operation at Rannochand Tummel Bridge in Perthshire.

In 1943 the Hydro Electric Development(Scotland) Act was passed, resulting in theestablishment of the North of ScotlandHydro Electric Board to manage hydrogeneration in the north. At that time it wasestimated that just one farm in six andone croft in a hundred in the Highlandsand Islands had electricity.

Initial attempts to get approval forprojects met strong opposition and it wasnot until 1950 that the board’s firstscheme, at Sloy, near Loch Lomond, wascommissioned.


When electricity was generated for the firsttime by a new hydro scheme nearUllapool on the west coast of the ScottishHighlands, it was a proud day for GlobalConstruction.

The company played a key role asprincipal contractors on the project,carrying out the multi-million pound civilengineering, mechanical, electrical andcommissioning work for power companyRWE npower Renewables.

Construction work on the Inverlael HydroScheme began in March 2008 and was

completed in May 2009. The 2.5megawatt (MW) run-of-river developmentwas built within an existing forestryplantation by Loch Broom in Wester Ross.

The hydro scheme utilises the waters ofthe Allt Mor and River Lael. An intake ineach river abstracts water and passes itthrough two pipes which combine beforeentering the powerhouse. The abstractedwater is then fed through twin turbines togenerate up to 2.5MW of electricitybefore being returned to the watercourse.

The scheme was designed to produce

enough electricity to supply the averageannual needs of about 1500 homes.

During the construction phase varioussafeguards were employed to protect theenvironment and to allow the freepassage of walkers and other recreationalusers in the area. With constructioncomplete the scheme generated its firstelectricity on Wednesday 6 May 2009.The reliability run started on 14 May, whenone of a group of visiting third yeargeography students from Ullapool HighSchool was invited to throw the switch.

Global pridein hydro schemesuccess

Commenting after the successfulcompletion, Project Manager Mary Druryof RWE npower Renewables said: “Thishas definitely been a team effort, resultingin a great scheme which will reliablygenerate renewable electricity for manyyears to come.”

The scheme was officially opened inAugust 2009 by Scottish EnvironmentMinister Roseanna Cunningham. TheMinister said: “By becoming a smarterenergy consumer and a greener energyproducer, Scotland can help make adifference in the fight to mitigate theimpact of climate change. “This newscheme at Inverlael illustrates how theScottish Government and the privatesector can work with communities tochange our energy habits to deliverenvironmental, social and economicbenefits for all.”

Key facts at a glance

Inverlael Hydro Scheme• 2.5MW run of river hydro scheme• capable of generating 7GW/hr in a yearof average rainfall• 2 intake weirs abstract water from riversLael and Allt Mor• water conveyed to turbine through3.2km of 800mm and 1100mm diameterburied GRP pipe• 2 Francis turbines utilise a head of 120mand flow of 2.9 cubic metres of water persecond at maximum generation• power exported from 415V generatorsto local 33kv grid

RWE npower Renewables werenominated for the success of theInverlael Hydroelectric Scheme.

The award recognises how therenewable industry, projects and/orinitiatives can help to assist in achievingwider environmental goals in tacklingclimate change throughout Scotland. This has

definitely been ateam effort, resultingin a great schemewhich will reliablygenerate renewableelectricity for manyyears to come.

“

”




LochaberPowerhouseGlobal Construction teamed up with Ross-Shire Engineering to deliver a majorrefurbishment of the powerhouse at analuminium smelter in the ScottishHighlands.Originally built between 1924 and 1944, inthe shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highestmountain, the Lochaber AluminiumSmelter, in Fort William, was a major featof engineering.

Operated by Rio Tinto Alcan, thesmelter was built to generateapproximately 65 megawatts (MW) ofcapacity, 95% of which is used to reduceimported aluminium dioxide to aluminiummetal, with excess power being sold tothe National Grid. Discharged water exitsthrough the half mile tailrace into the RiverLochy.

The powerhouse was built with 12 DCturbines, originally rated circa 6 MW. The£2.5million refurbishment project focusedon breaking out 10 of the DC power setsand replacing them with five 18 MW ACsets, providing modern operating

efficiencies and increasing generatingcapacity by 50%.

Designed with a phased roll-out, therefurbishment programme involvedremoving and replacing two power setsat a time, while still maintaining thesmelter’s operational power requirements.

Global Construction and Ross-ShireEngineering’s wealth of experience inhydro electric work was invaluable in aproject where all phases were time-critical.

A major part of the project involvesbreaking out around 800m³ of existingconcrete and replacing them with newstructures requiring 1,000m³ of reinforcedconcrete.

Among many challenges overcomewas the replacement of a number of MIVstop log gate installations. To do thisdivers entered the tailrace in a specially-designed dive cage, which offered themprotection from the turbulent waterswhile locating, securing and sealing thenew gates.


NEW

AGE RENEW

ABLE ENERGY


Atlantis Resources Corporation (“Atlantis”),one of the world’s leading developers ofelectricity-generating tidal currentturbines, unveiled the largest and mostpowerful tidal power turbine ever built, theAK1000™ at Invergordon this summer.

Isleburn played a key role in thefabrication and assembly of theAK1000™, which has now been installedat the European Marine Energy Centre(“EMEC”), in Orkney, for testing.

Dignitaries, utilities and technologypartners from around the world attendedthe unveiling of the flagship turbine atInvergordon, taking the only opportunity toview the turbine before it was loaded outfor transportation to Orkney.

Despatching 1MW of predictable powerat a water velocity of 2.65m/s, theAK1000™ is capable of generatingenough electricity for over 1000 homes. Itis designed for harsh weather and rough,open ocean environments such as thosefound off the Scottish coast. The turbineincorporates cutting edge technologyfrom suppliers across the globe, has an18 meter rotor diameter, weighs 130tonnes and stands at a height of 22.5

meters. The giant turbine is expected tobe environmentally benign due to a lowrotation speed whilst in operation and willdeliver predictable, sustainable power tothe local Orkney grid.

CEO of Atlantis, Timothy Cornelius, said:

“The unveiling and installation of the

AK1000™ is an important milestone, not

only for Atlantis, but for the marine power

industry in the United Kingdom.

“It represents the culmination of 10years of hard work, dedication and belieffrom all our partners, staff, directors andshareholders. The AK1000™ is capable ofunlocking the economic potential of themarine energy industry in Scotland andwill greatly boost Scotland’s renewablegeneration capacity in the years tocome.”

The gravity base structure and systemassembly of the AK1000™ wascompleted by Isleburn, which is part ofthe Global Energy Group. The nacelle wasfabricated by Soil Marine Dynamics inNewcastle in England

Mr Cornelius added: “The AK1000™development program has injected over£5M to date into UK Plc’s renewableenergy sector and has providedemployment across a broad range ofsectors including design, engineering,fabrication and project management.

“We are at the start of a new industrialboom, akin to the development of theNorth Sea oil & gas fields. If we receivethe same support from all levels ofgovernment that the oil & gas industryreceived to make the North Sea thesuccess that it is, then the future is verybright for marine power.”

At the Orkney testing centre, it tookseven days to install the gravity basestructure on its subsea base, with over1,000 tonnes of ballast blocks and finallythe turbine nacelle, complete with its twinset of 18 meter diameter rotors.

The project once again underlinedIsleburn’s position as leader in the field offabrication for the next generation ofrenewable energy with the completion ofa prototype wave power device.

Earlier this year the companycompleted work on the PowerBuoy, builtfor Ocean Power Technologies.

Fabricated in four sections at Isleburn’sNigg facility, the device was alsotransported from Invergordon to EMECfor testing.

Previous successful renewable projectsthat have enhanced Isleburn’s strongcredentials in a rapidly developing marketinclude fabrication of the Oyster waveenergy device for Aquamarine Power anda tidal prototype for OpenHydro.

Isleburn also assembled, erected andloaded out two of the world’s largest windturbines for the Beatrice offshore winddemonstrator project.

“We are at thestart of a newindustrial boom,akin to thedevelopment ofthe North Sea oil &gas fields”

On the crestof the marinepower wave

Isleburn’s Chief Operating Officer, NeilMacArthur, said: “As these projects show,we have built a very strong portfolio ofwork for companies that are developingthe next generation of renewableenergy devices. This compliments ourlong-established track record offabrication and engineering for the oiland gas industry.

“Like our customers in those moreestablished sectors, companies that aredeveloping these new renewable devicesrecognise the value we bring to theirprojects through the combination of ourexperience, expertise and excellentfacilities. We are proud to be working withthem at the forefront of development ofthis very important sector.”

As new technologyto generate power fromwind, wave and tidalcontinues to emerge,Global Energy Group arein pole position to servethis rapidly developingindustry, with an extensivetransferable skill base ofworld-class oil and gasexperience stretchingback 40 years.

”

“

Leading fabrication and engineeringcompany Isleburn secured North Seacontracts totaling nearly £5million with BPfor two projects which are beingassembled in its new facilityat Invergordon.

Isleburn, part of the Global EnergyGroup, is fabricating a 120 metre longcaisson for the Andrew Field platform aswell as a 245 tonne manifold and 65tonne subsea isolation valve structure forthe Devenick field.

Work on the projects will involve anestimated total of more than 40,000 manhours and a workforce of 100 at Isleburn’sfacilities around the Cromarty Firth, withthe structures being assembled at thenew facility at Invergordon Service Basefor load-out next March.

Isleburn’s Chief Operating Officer NeilMacArthur was delighted to secure themajor contracts.

He said: “Investing several millionpounds in building our new assemblyfacility at Invergordon was a big decisionfor us earlier this year, particularly at a timeof downturn in the oil and gas sector”.


MAJORCONTRACTFOR SCSGlobal Energy (SCS) has been awarded amaster agreement contract by BPExploration Operating Co Ltd for provisionof third party inspection services.

The contract period is three years plustwo one year options. The scope of workincludes inspections of wellheadequipment, down-hole equipment,pressure vessels, rotating machinery,valves, line-pipe, OCTG, fabrications,electrical and instrumentation equipment,bulk supplied materials, lifting and safetyequipment, all world-wide.

The Global Energy Group’s remarkablesuccess in international markets has beenrecognised at an awards ceremony inLondon. The group topped a new leaguetable of Britain’s privately-ownedcompanies with the fastest growingoverseas sales earlier this year.

Global’s achievement was rewardedthis week at the Sunday Times HSBCInternational Track 100 awards dinner. Atthe event Global chairman RoyMacGregor was presented with a specialtrophy by Noel Quinn, HSBC’s groupgeneral manager and head ofcommercial banking UK.

Global achieved top ranking in theleague with overseas sales growth of416% from £1million in 2007 to£27.8million in 2009. A quarter of thecompany’s annual turnover comes frominternational sales.

Mr MacGregor said: “This awardrecognises the efforts of our peoplethroughout the Global team to take ourservices into international markets inrecent years. They have done anexcellent job and continue to do so aswe develop our business both in the UKand overseas.

“It also recognises the confidence ofour customers who have taken us aroundthe world, allowing us to develop asustainable model for internationalisationand reduce the risks as we develop.”

Mr MacGregor was joined by his sonsIain and Donald, who are both GlobalEnergy Group directors, at the ceremony,which was held at the Jumeirah CarltonTower Hotel.

GLOBAL RECEIVESINTERNATIONALTRADE AWARD

ENSCOFRAMEAGREEMENT

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The Group is whollyScottish-owned and isheadquartered inInverness with othermajor presences inScotland; it is one ofthe largest privatebusinesses in theHighlands and Islandsand is the largestprivate employer inthe region.

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SQM independent economic impact report

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In 2009/10, the Groupdirectly employed over 2,500people across Scotland -1,760 in the Highlands andIslands and 770 in the rest ofthe country. When ‘indirect’employment is added, thetotal employment supportedin Scotland rose to 3,800. Ifthe Group’s target of £400million turnover is achieved, itis estimated that it couldsupport more then 10,000jobs across Scotland by2013/14.

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ANDREWFIELDCONTRACTS

First Ministerpraises REELScotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, haswelcomed Reel’s plans to launch anoffshore inspection and maintenanceoperation in India. Speaking on a visit toDelhi, Mr Salmond said: “Scotland has along-established, strong reputation as aglobal hub for oil and gas and I amdelighted that Reel are taking their skillsand expertise to the emerging Indianenergy market by establishing operationsin Mumbai. “The company’s decision tocreate new offices reflects the enormousopportunities for Scottish businesses inIndia’s growing economy, particularly inthe fields of energy.”

Inspection and maintenance specialistReel has been awarded a five-yearinspection frame agreement with Ensco.

Ensco is a global provider of offshoredrilling services to the petroleum industry,with a fleet of eight ultra-deepwatersemisubmersible rigs (including four underconstruction) and 40 premium jackup rigs,strategically located in the most prolific oiland gas markets around the world.

Reel’s agreement with the companyinvolves their Euro/Asia drilling units.

Ensco said the contract was awardedon merit, with Reel’s continued focus onquality, safety and performance keyfactors in their decision.

Part of the Global Energy Group, REELwas formed in Aberdeen in 1995 toprovide comprehensive inspection andtesting services, including non-destructivetesting, to the oil and gas industry.

The business has built an exemplaryreputation as an international servicecompany, with global operations from keyinternational business locations in theAmericas, Europe, Africa and Asia.

SQM independent economic impact reportGLOBAL ENERGY GROUP INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS

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