New fabrication shed welcomes large-jacketed fabrications back to the Clyde after decade long hiatus
THE Malin Group formally celebrated the opening of its new G2 shed at Westway Park in Renfrew.
The new shed increases Malin Group’s total under cover production area at Westway to over 200,000 square feet, representing the largest fabrication facility in Scotland. G2 itself provides additional craneage in the form of both 500 tonnes and 100 tonne gantry cranes with an under hook height of 23m.
Officially opening the new facility today, the Group has wasted no time getting to work since picking up the keys last month. Already, Malin Newbuild have used the shed to build the first in a series of six primary lifting structures for Hinkley Point C Power Station in Somerset, England – and in doing so, have welcomed large-jacketed fabrications back to the Clyde for the first time in ten years.
Enabled by the capacity brought about by the new sheds, Malin Newbuild formed a progressive partnership with Malin Abram and Caley Ocean Systems to build and transport the series of six large offshore structures for Balfour Beatty who will deliver the key offshore element of the Hinkley Point project from their site at Avonmouth.
The Clyde-built structures will support the construction of three tunnels under the seabed to supply the two reactors at Hinkley Point C with cooling water and then safely discharge it back into the Bristol Channel. Each DNV certified structure will be used to lift a concrete slab weighing more than 3500 tonnes to seabed in support of BB’s seawater tunnelling campaign.
Each new lifting structure weighs around 200 tonnes a piece – with all six due to be delivered by August of this year.
Malin Group Staff gathered today to celebrate the opening of the new facility and formally put their name above the door.
Ben Sharples, Director of Malin Newbuild said:
“I am delighted to officially extend our fabrication facility, through the opening of G2. The G2 Shed at Westway Park complements our existing facilities, raising our space to 200,000 square metres and officially makes us the largest fabrication facility in Scotland.
“Drawing on over 100 years of engineering expertise, we are ideally placed to design, build and transport large structures and we have not been shy in putting the new facility to work and demonstrating this with the Hinkley Point contract.
“Attracting projects of this scale back to the Clyde will hopefully kick start new growth industries which will build and develop talent and skills in Scotland while also attracting new talent from overseas. We all have an exciting part to play in the future regeneration of marine engineering on the Clyde. When originally built for Babcock and Wilcox 50 years ago G2 was described as one of the finest fabrication facilities on the west coast of the United Kingdom. It’s a privilege to be able to occupy and put this facility to good use for Malin’s customers, as we look ahead to the next exciting chapter.”
Caley Ocean Systems Managing Director, John Munro said
“Caley are pleased to be working collaboratively with our key partner, Malin, to deliver this major project for our client. As a long-standing Glasgow-based company we are especially proud to see the project developing in the Clyde-side facilities. The Clyde Alliance collaboration established for the project is showing it can deliver safely and effectively, providing full-scope capabilities for schedule critical programs to the Hinkley Point C project. We are proud to work on this project and look forward to extending our relationships to the benefit of all parties going forward.”
The new shed will be used to carry out the fabrication works involved for the Hinkey project over the coming months, as well as the final assembly of the Archimedes Waveswing an innovative tidal energy device, for AWS Ocean Systems.
