Orkney Islands Council is inviting tenders for a £200m contract to design and build a deep-water jetty to support Scotland’s growing offshore wind industry.
Scapa Deep Water Quay will be located on the eastern side of Scapa Flow, one of the largest natural deep water harbors in Northern Europe.
It will offer more than 600 meters of quayside on the coast of Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, with a water depth of between 15 and 20 metres.
The project will form part of the first phase of the Orkney Ports Masterplan, which was approved in 2020 and will include developments at five locations on the mainland. These also include an £80m logistics base at Hatston Dock.
A contract notice says part of the purpose of the Scapa dock will be to accommodate large vessels used in the offshore wind industry.
The procurement documents state that “offshore wind is emerging as a key growth industry for Scotland and the UK”, pointing to 20 ScotWind projects that agreed development rights last year as a “key catalyst”.
To enable the delivery of these and future projects, “additional and adequate port capacity is needed in Scotland”.
The council is looking to appoint a main contractor to provide pre-construction services such as design development and cost estimates.
The local authority will then have the option of extending the contract to a second phase, which would include construction under a design-build contract or a build-operate-transfer agreement.
One possibility would be for the work to be carried out by a joint venture vehicle formed by the city council and the contractor.
The council plans to invite three to five candidates to participate in a competitive dialogue process for the contract, after which it will invite final bids.
