The new CEO of the multi-million pound cable manufacturing plant at Hunterston has re-affirmed that the major industrial development will bring 900 jobs to the Clyde coast.
XLCC has appointed Ian Douglas as CEO to drive business growth and enable energy transition - and the company is seeking to allay community concerns by insisting that the development will have many environmental benefits.
The shifting to clean energy alternatives is seen as the fastest, most effective way to simultaneously mitigate climate change and address some of the most pressing health problems - and Ian believes the Hunterston development will become a major player in Scotland's bid to reach net zero.
Persistent concerns have been aired by community councils in the area about visual and noise impacts on the development, as well as MSP Katy Clark raising issues about financial safeguards in relation to the giant tower at 180m, which will be the biggest of its kind in Scotland.
However, XLCC has been hosting regular consultations with the community - and Ian believes the environmental and decarbonisation benefits will be far reaching.
He said: "We will be bringing 900 jobs to Hunterston which will benefit North Ayrshire - we are absolutely committed to the site and have spent a lot of time and money on the project with ongoing discussions regarding high value jobs and bringing in skilled people who are trained.
"We are still on a delivery schedule for all the materials necessary and hope to get on site in terms of construction.
"We appreciate people's concerns and that is why we have hosted regular public consultations in the area and will continue to do so."
The new CEO explained to the News that the 185m high structure is required as the cooling process requires a vertical installation to enable the material extruded to cure in a circular manner. If it was horizontal then gravity would take the extruded material to the bottom of the cable and the cable would lose its required “roundness”.
The height of the tower relates to the speed the extruders are required to operate at. The cooling process takes 180 minutes so this determines the tower height.
Ian continued: "We are working with all the stakeholders but noise from the factory and from the vessel when it is in berth is going to be a lot quieter. The hybrid vessels, when they come alongside port, will be running on electric motors and there won't be any diesel engines and works such as cable being taken onto the ship will be entirely enclosed so all the noise will be contained and the noise from a modern cable factory will be far less."
Ian explained the giant tower was a necessity for the project and was an "important part of the process" - the brownfield site will create a new UK industry to support global decarbonisation targets. Once fully operational, the facility will support 900 jobs in the area, with thousands more in the wider supply chain.
XLCC’s first order is for four 3,800km long cables to connect solar and wind renewable power generation in the Sahara to the UK for the Xlinks Morocco-UK power project.
Ian continued: ""We have a really great team on board and we are looking to recruit a lot of people and build up a strong local workforce and we want to demonstrate that we are a company with strong values and behave in the right way - the bigger picture of what we are trying to do is that we are de-carbonising for our children's futures.
"We want employees to get involved and be fired up that we are making a difference to the future."
The site will see a mix of factories, laboratories and offices dedicated to the production of electrical infrastructure.
There are currently just five such plants operating in Europe, none in the UK, contributing to lengthy delays in sourcing cabling for renewable energy projects.
This situation has led XLCC to identify Hunterston as a suitable location owing to its deep water access and bulk cargo handling capacity, vital to spool cabling onto deployment vessels.
Ian continued: "Hunterston is a really great site for this venture. I have worked on a number of industrial developments all round the UK and the area is ideally positioned.
"This represents an opportunity to be involved in something that is incredible which is so aligned with the environment and what the planet needs going forward."
An XLCC spokesperson said: "Ian’s appointment takes usinto the next phase of its evolution, the development of its world-leading HVDC cable facility. This will create an organisation with the resources to manufacture and install subsea cable globally. Ian will also have a keen focus on strengthening the development pipeline, building on the successful relationship with Xlinks, the company behind the Morocco-UK power project."
With more than 20 years in leadership positions in the subsea cable industry, Ian has built a number of successful companies, delivering major projects and a range of successful corporate transactions. Ian joins XLCC from Global Marine Group, a leader in the subsea engineering sector where he was CEO for more than a decade. He is experienced in winning and delivering for complex, high-value engineering projects across the submarine energy, telecom, and offshore oil and gas industries.
He added: "The UK’s pivotal role in the global energy transition will be vital to the country’s future economic prosperity. XLCC, along with other companies leading the way in this arena, will create a significant number of new highly-skilled design, engineering and construction jobs.”
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