Contracts in Shetland will become available in the coming months once construction of the wind farm gets under way by main contractor RJ McLeod. In the pre-construction phase, at least five major Shetland businesses were engaged, along with various local sub-contractors and self-employed individuals.

Shetland businesses are now being encouraged to register their services on the Open4Business Highlands and Islands (O4B H&I) portal, which is used by large developers like SSE and its main contractors to publicise tendering opportunities in sectors such as energy and construction.

Small to medium-sized businesses should sign up on the Open4Business portal to register their capabilities and see what other opportunities are available to bid for in their local area. Once registered, businesses can also advertise their own contracts.

Registration is free, and to date, 45 Shetland-based businesses have registered, including engineering firms, plant hire companies, transport and haulage providers, accommodation providers, consultants and fencers.

The O4B H&I portal was initially established by SSE. It is now owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and managed by Inverness Chamber of Commerce. 

Sandra McCaughey, O4B programme manager, congratulated Viking Energy on its success in bringing this project to fruition and for their commitment to ensuring that as many Shetland businesses as possible will benefit from it.

She added: “By using the Open4Business portal, Viking Energy is showing strong commitment to enabling Shetland businesses to have visibility of the opportunities available and the chance to bid for work.

“We will be working closely with Viking Energy, HIE Shetland, BG Shetland and Tier 1 contractors to raise awareness for businesses and to provide support to get registered on the O4B portal.”

Katrina Wiseman, HIE’s Shetland area team leader, said: “This is a great opportunity for local businesses to bid on contracts for a large-scale construction project that will create and protect jobs in Shetland and boost the local economy.

“A webinar for companies interested in finding out how to register on the O4B H&I portal and the opportunities available will be held later this month and details on this will follow shortly.”

Any queries regarding registration should be directed to Sandra McCaughey at sandra@inverness-chamber.co.uk or 01463 723735.