A trade union claimed the UK was “failing miserably” to retain the economic benefits of offshore wind after a deal to make foundations for Scotland’s largest project — to be led by oil giant Total — went to a yard in China.

The GMB Union in Scotland said the country was “outsourcing its green revolution” after the contract for 50 foundations for Seagreen was awarded to Zhuhai Jutal Offshore Oil Services.

A spokesman for the GMB told Recharge the awarding of heavy engineering deals to build the 1.1GW Seagreen has been “shrouded in mystery” but added that so far “none of those jobs are coming to Scotland or the fabrication yards on the east of the UK”.

UAE-based Lamprell has already said it would supply 30 jacket foundations to the 114-turbine Seagreen, fuelling a long-running row over the amount of work on major Scottish offshore wind projects that is leaving the country, leaving domestic fabricators with what the GMB called “scraps from the table”.

Malaysia's Eversendai looks to have secured the deal to build the giant substation for the Scottish project.

“There'll be no green revolution in the UK if the jobs are being outsourced to the rest of the world,” said the GMB spokesman.

Total earlier in June agreed to take a 51% stake in Seagreen alongside its existing developer, the power utility SSE, marking the French oil and gas group's debut in the UK offshore wind sector.

The wind farm is partly underpinned by a contract-for-difference power deal with the UK government, which the GMB said had “failed miserably” to ensure local job creation was part of the conditions of the support.

The offshore wind industry has previously stressed its commitment to local content, but pointed to the parallel need to keep costs competitive to ensure best possible power prices for consumers.

A statement from the Seagreen project sent to Recharge said: “The subcontracts for the remaining jackets on the Seagreen offshore wind farm project are still under negotiation.”

Chinese experience

Jutal's contract will commit the Chinese company to delivering the 50 monopile foundations in 19 months.

Fabrication will be carried out in Jutal’s facilities in Zhuhai city in southern China’s Guangdong province. The 50 monopile foundations carry a total steel weight of 90,000 tonnes.

Jutal has previous experience in delivering dozens of such foundations for offshore wind projects in China.

The latest are the 15 pile foundations Jutal delivered for an offshore wind farm late last year being built off Dalian city in northeast China’s Liaoning province.

Seagreen is scheduled to begin operation by 2024 using the latest 10MW turbines from MHI Vestas. The turbine deal at least does ensure UK local content, thanks to the supply of blades from the Danish-Japanese OEM's plant on the Isle of Wight off southern England.

Wind

'We're outsourcing the green revolution': dismay as Total-led UK offshore wind project taps China