NICOLA Sturgeon renewed her pledge to back BiFab yesterday as unions campaign once again to save its yards.
During First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said her administration will “do everything in our power” to protect the company’s Fife yards over fears that key work on an offshore project just 10 miles away will be carried out in Indonesia.
EDF Renewables says it is still “going through a procurement process” over its Neart Na Goaithe scheme. The company has refused to comment on “speculation” about where the work could go.
But Scottish unions fear the £2 billion contract will instead be awarded to the overseas Karimun Fabrication Yard – and that missing out on the deal could kill off BiFab’s Burntisland and Methil yards, which were mothballed last year.
A campaign has been launched and yesterday, under questioning from Labour’s Richard Leonard, Sturgeon said the Scottish Government should be “judged on its actions” over BiFab, which it helped to save in 2016.
The deal with Canada’s DF Barnes ensured the Scottish Government would remain a minority shareholder.
Sturgeon told the chamber: “The Scottish Government of course has a financial stake on behalf of the taxpayer in BiFab.
“Not only do we want it to succeed for all the reasons Richard Leonard and others do, but we want to see it succeed on behalf of the return to the taxpayer as well.
“We will work with anybody to make sure that BiFab and other businesses in the renewables sector in Scotland flourish.”
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