Briggs Marine To Maintain Supply To Scottish Islands
The Briggs Group has secured a new five year agreement with SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy ). The deal will see Burntisland-based Briggs deploying tailored systems from among its fleet of 30 vessels to repair and maintain a network of over 500 kilometres of cable in some of the harshest marine environments in Europe. As the second largest electricity generator across the UK and Ireland, SSE is responsible for distributing electricity to 3.5 million addresses.
This new agreement will secure the electricity supply to some of Scotland’s most remote communities. Under the five-year agreement Briggs will provide 24/7 immediate mobilisation and specialised end-to-end support for the maintenance of the SSE network comprising 102 live cables totalling 450 km supplying islands, homes and businesses across the region. This will include network survey, cable protection work, cable installation, repair and testing through all seasons in locations when currents can reach speeds of 8 knots.
Working Partnership
Craig English, Operations Director for Salvage and Subsea Cables, Briggs Marine, said: “We have established a very strong working partnership with SSE that helps them provide a secure, cost effective electricity supply to their customers. “We are pleased to be extending a relationship that goes back to 2003.The skills and expertise that we have developed working in the challenging environments where the cables are deployed will also support our growth within Scotland’s fast growing renewable energy sector. With the offshore wind market reported to be worth in excess of GBP 30 billion we see significant opportunities from the initial cable installation for the wind, wave and tidal devices and then on-going maintenance support throughout the lifecycle of the projects.”
Briggs Marine
Since being established in the 1970s the Briggs Group has expanded around the world and now operates in Europe, the Caspian Region, the Middle East and South America. Employing over 500 staff and operating a specialist fleet of over 30 vessels, the company is a leader in the supply of oil & gas terminal operations, marine contracting and environmental services. Services provided by Briggs include vessel hire; renewable energy installation and support; marine civil engineering; moorings and aids to navigation; marine salvage services; submarine cable repair and installation; oil and HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) pollution response; environmental consultancy; oil and gas terminal operations; towage; accredited and bespoke training solutions.
With over 40 years experience in the marine sector, Briggs aims to become a leading provider to the renewables market with the launch of their integrated maintenance solution for Windfarms. In 1995 the company was involved with the first deployment of a tidal device in Shetland. Craig added: “The offshore renewables industry has the potential to be as significant as oil and gas and our aim is to become a major supplier within companies supply chains.