WORKING AT HEIGHTS - Wind Energy Network

SPONSORS OF TYNE & TEES FEATURE“We have put our money where ourmouth is (some £50m so far) and we arenow seeing the rewards.”ASP historyUp to now ASP is better known as a multiuserfacility that has hosted some of thelargest recycling contracts of recent times.From the de-commissioning of most ofthe largest oil & gas platforms through tothe demolition of the so-called US ‘GhostShips’ along with the former flagship ofthe French Navy, the aircraft carrier, LeClemenceau.The latter was an experience thatEtherington, rather coyly, merely describesas “interesting” although he added that itwas “a lot of smoke and mirrors cloudedby a public perception that took a realeffort to turn around.”Probably a sentiment with which the windindustry can empathise.ExpansionOver the last five years the Yard hasexpanded into Oil Rig upgrade andmaintenance projects and boasts a prettyblue-chip client base that includes Ensco,Petrofac, Transocean and NorthernOffshore with a mix of jack-up and semisubmersiblerigs.The wind energy sectorIncreasingly though, it is the windsector that is dominating Able’scharacteristically positive outlook.Etherington explains, “ASP is welllocated and it’s almost as if it had beenpurpose built as an Offshore windinstallation base.“We think it ticks all the boxes and anumber of developers seem to sharethat view. It’s still relatively early daysbut watch this space. It’s certainly thebest facility in the north east and with thepotential that we have with the dry dock(Europe’s largest) is also tailor-made forgravity based foundations.”Integrated wind clusterAble see ASP as the ideal companionfor the much larger AMEP developmenton the South Bank of the Humberwhere Patrick McLoughlin, Secretaryof State for Transport, will next month(May) determine one of the UK’s largestplanning applications and where ABLE areaiming to see the development of a trulyintegrated wind cluster.As Etherington says, “Without the rightport facilities the UK becomes a merespectator – no UK content and noeconomic development benefits – justa heavily subsidised sector that wouldeffectively export new jobs and newmanufacturing.”Able UKwww.ableuk.comwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 67